The hours before slaughter are among the most stressful in a broiler chicken's life. Evidence-based handling practices can substantially reduce fear, pain, and suffering at this critical stage.
Pre-slaughter handling compresses welfare risk into a short, intense period. Catching crews working at speed in dimly lit sheds cause wing dislocations and leg fractures in a significant proportion of birds. Transport in stacked crates exposes birds to thermal stress, dust, and vibration. At the abattoir, the conventional shackling line inverts conscious birds before electrical stunning — a procedure associated with pain, struggling, and cardiac arrest in a minority of birds. Controlled atmosphere systems that render birds insensible before any handling represent a meaningful welfare improvement. The challenge is industry adoption: CAS requires capital investment and slaughter speed adjustment that some operators resist.