The transport of poultry from farm to slaughterhouse is one of the highest-risk welfare periods for billions of birds annually. Duration, temperature, handling and catching all significantly affect welfare outcomes.
Poultry transport welfare involves a cascade of stressors from first catching to final slaughter. The catching phase — whether manual or mechanical — causes acute fear responses with elevated cortisol and wing fractures as common outcomes. Loading into crates at high density exposes birds to further injury and thermal stress. Journey duration compounds the welfare burden: birds cannot eat or drink during transport, and temperature extremes in poorly ventilated vehicles cause mortality. Broiler chickens with their compromised cardiorespiratory physiology are especially vulnerable to transport heat stress. The most effective welfare interventions include improved catching training, temperature-controlled vehicles, maximum journey time limits with real enforcement, and genetic selection away from physiologically compromised growth lines.