Broiler chicken slaughter at commercial processing plants involves stunning, killing, and processing millions of birds daily — with stunning method, equipment calibration, and line speed all significantly affecting welfare outcomes.
The slaughter of billions of chickens annually represents one of the largest single welfare concerns in animal agriculture. Pre-slaughter handling stress accumulates during catching, crating, transport, and lairage — before any stunning occurs. Water bath stunning at standard parameters may not render all birds unconscious before killing; birds that are not effectively stunned experience the killing process consciously. Controlled atmosphere stunning with inert gas or low-concentration CO2 overcomes many water bath limitations but requires capital investment. The Better Chicken Commitment includes controlled atmosphere stunning requirements as part of its welfare platform. Reducing line speed pressures and improving catching and transport welfare reduces the cumulative pre-slaughter stress burden.