At the end of laying cycles, spent hens face depopulation procedures that carry significant welfare risks. Understanding the welfare implications of catching, handling, and killing methods matters.
End-of-lay depopulation is a period when laying hens are particularly vulnerable to welfare failures. Manual catching by workers moving through large flocks causes significant stress, wing injuries, and bone fractures - particularly in hens with osteoporosis from calcium mobilization during egg laying. Transport in cold weather or during long journeys adds further stress and mortality. The low economic value of spent hens reduces commercial motivation to invest in welfare-positive depopulation methods. Mechanized catching systems and on-farm controlled atmosphere systems represent significant welfare improvements but require capital investment that producers without welfare incentives are unlikely to make voluntarily.