The lairage period before poultry slaughter presents significant welfare risks that pre-slaughter management must address.
The lairage period is the final welfare experience before slaughter and represents a concentrated source of suffering. Birds that have been roughly caught, crated at high density, transported in variable conditions, and then held without food or water for hours arrive at slaughter already stressed and depleted. Pre-slaughter stress affects stunning effectiveness, which in turn affects whether birds lose consciousness before experiencing the killing process. Improving lairage conditions — through temperature management, shorter hold times, and multi-phase stunning systems — addresses both animal welfare and meat quality concerns simultaneously.