The transport of broiler chickens from grow-out farms to slaughter facilities is a welfare-intensive phase involving catching, crating, loading, journey stress, and thermal challenges that affect billions of birds annually.
Broiler transport concentrates multiple welfare insults into a brief but intense period. The catching process triggers extreme fear responses — broilers show physiological stress indicators (cortisol, heterophil:lymphocyte ratios) that peak during catching and remain elevated through loading and transport. Injury during catching is common: wing and leg fractures, bruising, and haemorrhage are found at slaughter in significant proportions of transported birds. Thermal regulation in crates is challenging because stocking density within crates generates metabolic heat that compounds ambient temperature effects. Extended transport duration adds starvation and thirst to the welfare burden. Improving transport welfare requires investment in catching method improvement, crate design optimisation, vehicle climate control, and journey time reduction — all of which are technically feasible but require commercial commitment and regulatory backing.