Catching, crating, and transporting broiler chickens to slaughter is among the highest-risk periods for welfare failures. Millions of birds experience injuries, heat stress, and mortality during this largely unregulated phase.
The final hours of a broiler chicken's life — catching, crating, loading, transport, and lairage — expose already-fragile birds to acute pain, fear, and thermal stress. Fast-growing broilers with compromised legs and cardiovascular systems are particularly vulnerable. Regulatory frameworks governing transport welfare are often poorly enforced, and catching quality is difficult to audit. Immediate welfare improvements include training for catching crews, temperature monitoring during transport, faster journey times, and mandatory recording of dead-on-arrival rates as welfare indicators. Consumer choices for slower-growing breeds and higher-welfare certification help create market incentives for better practices.