The catching and loading of broiler chickens before transport to slaughter is a major welfare risk. Both manual catching and mechanical harvesting machines carry welfare implications that have been extensively studied.
Catching and loading represents a concentrated welfare challenge at the end of the broiler's life. Manual catching, when poorly performed, involves rough handling, inversion by the legs, carrying up to four or five birds per hand, and impacts against crate edges during loading. Bone fractures — particularly of the wings and coracoclavicular ligaments — are painful injuries inflicted in the final hours of the bird's life. Mechanical harvesters, while counterintuitive to favour, have been shown in well-designed studies to cause fewer injuries when properly operated, as birds enter the machine voluntarily rather than being grabbed. However, machine performance depends heavily on calibration, maintenance, flock uniformity, and operator experience. Both methods cause fear — birds cannot be completely unstressed during this process. Mitigation strategies including low-light catching, pre-catching water withdrawal limits, and catch-to-slaughter time limits are important welfare levers. Regulatory oversight of catching contractor practices is essential, as this stage occurs largely out of public view.