End-of-lay hens are among the most vulnerable farmed animals transported to slaughter. Their fragile bone structure, depleted body condition, and high rates of pre-existing injury make welfare during catching, crating, and transport acutely important.
End-of-lay hens transported with severe pre-existing bone fragility experience fractures during catching and crating that would not occur in younger, healthier birds. The welfare burden accumulated over a laying year — osteoporosis, keel fractures, feather loss — is compounded by the stress of final transport. Welfare improvements require mechanical harvesting equipment that reduces manual catching impact, mandatory welfare assessment before transport, journey times below two hours wherever possible, and on-farm killing as an alternative for birds assessed as unfit for transport.