The lairage period between transport arrival and slaughter is a critical welfare window for poultry, with time, environment, and handling conditions all affecting individual bird welfare significantly.
Poultry arriving at slaughter facilities and held in lairage experience the compounding stress of transport, unfamiliar environments, and anticipation of further handling. Welfare in lairage depends on temperature management, minimizing duration, reducing noise and disturbance, and monitoring dead-on-arrival rates as a welfare quality indicator. Short lairage periods with good environmental conditions minimize suffering before slaughter. Welfare-conscious slaughter facilities invest in lairage design and monitoring as part of a comprehensive pre-slaughter welfare commitment.