Farmed Poultry Transport Welfare: Pre-Slaughter Handling

How the transport and pre-slaughter handling of poultry causes significant welfare harm that can be reduced.

Key Facts

Approximately 9 billion broiler chickens are transported to slaughter in the United States annually
Catching and crating is a high-welfare-risk event — broken wings, bruising, and dislocations are common
Thermal stress during transport causes significant mortality particularly during summer months
Poultry are typically shackled live at slaughter plants — an inherently stressful procedure
Controlled atmosphere killing at farm eliminates transport stress by killing birds before loading

Welfare Considerations

Poultry pre-slaughter welfare encompasses a chain of events from catching through stunning that causes significant cumulative suffering for billions of birds annually. Catching — done at night to reduce stress — still causes injuries from rough handling and the panicked response of birds unfamiliar with human contact. Transport exposes birds to thermal extremes, noise, and vibration. Live shackling at the slaughter plant causes additional fear and injury from inversion. Controlled atmosphere killing at the farm of origin eliminates most of these welfare events by killing birds before transport, but is less economically convenient for industry. Meaningful reform requires both farm-level innovations and transport welfare standards with real enforcement.

What You Can Do

Support chicken products from companies committed to controlled atmosphere killing and lower-stress transport protocols
Advocate for mandatory transport welfare standards including temperature limits and maximum journey times for poultry
Reduce chicken consumption from conventional sources that use standard catching and transport practices
Support campaigns requiring better pre-slaughter handling standards in poultry welfare certification