The transport of chickens, turkeys and ducks to slaughter is one of the least regulated and most welfare-compromised stages of the poultry supply chain.
Poultry transport represents a brief but intensely stressful period involving capture, crowding, temperature extremes, vibration and noise — all novel aversive stimuli for birds raised in shed environments. Fractures from rough catching, deaths from heat or cold, and distress from dense crating occur at scale. Because individual birds are worth little economically, there are weak market incentives to invest in welfare improvements. Regulatory requirements that mandate maximum journey times, temperature monitoring, mechanical harvesting standards and water access would substantially reduce suffering across billions of birds.