Farm Animal Welfare

Poultry Transport Technology and Welfare

Advances in transport technology and management practices that reduce suffering for poultry during loading, transit, and arrival.

Key Facts

An estimated 1-5% of broiler chickens die during transport before slaughter
Heat stress, cold stress, and impact injuries are leading transport welfare concerns
Modern ventilated modules and temperature-controlled vehicles reduce transit mortality
Loading method significantly affects wing and leg injuries in transported birds
Journey times over 4 hours increase mortality and injury rates substantially

Welfare Considerations

Poultry transport represents one of the highest-risk welfare events in the production cycle. Birds experience handling stress, social disruption, physical injury, and extreme temperatures during loading and transit. Technology improvements including precision ventilation, real-time temperature monitoring, and improved catching methods have demonstrated measurable reductions in transit mortality and injury rates.

What You Can Do

Support poultry welfare standards that limit transport times
Advocate for mandatory temperature monitoring in poultry transport vehicles
Choose chicken from producers with short or no transport to slaughter commitments
Support investment in controlled atmosphere stunning at farm level to eliminate live transport