Catching and loading poultry for transport to slaughter is a high-risk period for injury and stress. Welfare during this final stage of life deserves as much attention as any other production phase.
Poultry catching is one of the highest-risk welfare periods in commercial chicken production, yet receives relatively little attention compared to housing and slaughter. Injury rates during catching — particularly broken wings from grabbing birds by single limbs — are significant in manual catching operations. Stress during catching is intense: birds handled by unfamiliar humans in darkness experience acute fear responses. Night-time catching reduces flight responses but does not eliminate stress. Mechanical harvesting reduces handling but can cause different injury patterns if not properly maintained and operated. Catcher training in low-stress handling techniques, monitoring of injury rates, and payment systems that do not incentivise speed over care all reduce welfare harms during this critical phase. Welfare outcomes during catching have measurable effects on meat quality, creating an economic alignment between welfare and productivity.