The slaughter of broiler chickens involves hundreds of millions of birds daily globally, and the welfare of individual birds in the final minutes of life varies enormously between systems.
Slaughter is the final welfare event in a broiler chicken life and deserves the same scrutiny as housing conditions. The scale — tens of billions of birds annually — means even small improvements in slaughter welfare have enormous aggregate impact. Controlled atmosphere stunning that eliminates live shackling represents the most substantial welfare improvement available, though gas choice matters significantly given the aversion caused by high-CO2 systems. Consumer demand for higher-welfare slaughter standards and retailer commitments to certified slaughter practices are key drivers of the capital investment needed for industry-wide improvement.