The catching and loading of broiler chickens for slaughter transport causes intense acute stress and significant injury. Improvements in catching methods can substantially reduce this welfare harm.
Catching and loading is the highest-acute-stress event in a broiler chicken's life. Birds are manually caught by leg in the dark, carried upside down to transport crates, and stacked for journeys of hours. The process causes wing fractures, leg dislocations, and bruising that are both welfare harms and economic losses. Time pressure on catching crews — paid by volume — creates incentives for rough handling. Mechanical harvesting systems designed to reduce stress exist but have not been widely adopted due to capital costs. Training programs for catching crews that emphasize welfare handling techniques achieve measurable injury reductions.