Poultry Catching and Depopulation Welfare

The catching and loading of poultry for transport to slaughter is a high-risk welfare event requiring trained personnel and appropriate techniques.

Key Facts

Manual catching of individual broilers involves inversion, a position that causes acute physiological stress.
Automated harvesting machines have been developed that reduce the number of birds handled manually.
Wing fractures and dislocations during catching are a significant welfare problem in commercial flocks.
Catching at night under reduced lighting reduces flock agitation and improves welfare during the process.
The "five finger catching" technique reduces bone fractures compared with single-leg catching.

Welfare Considerations

Catching and loading causes acute pain (from fractures), fear (from inversion and darkness), and physiological stress to poultry at the end of their lives. The welfare impact is significant and largely unmonitored. Training of catching teams and supervision standards are critical — unsupervised catching crews may prioritise speed over technique, increasing injury rates. CCTV in poultry sheds during catching operations improves accountability. Automated catching machines, while imperfect, generally produce lower fracture rates than manual catching crews under commercial pressure. Catch-to-slaughter intervals should be minimised to reduce fasting stress.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory CCTV in poultry sheds including during catching operations.
Advocate for training and competency certification requirements for poultry catching crew.
Choose higher-welfare poultry products that include catching and transport welfare standards.
Encourage research investment in gentler automated catching technology.