Broiler Chicken Catching and Transportation Welfare

The catching and transportation of broiler chickens to slaughter is one of the most welfare-compromising phases of commercial poultry production.

Key Facts

Approximately 9 billion broiler chickens are processed annually in the United States
Manual catching involves workers grabbing chickens by their legs causing leg and wing injuries in 2-5% of birds
Mechanical catching machines reduce worker injury but can also cause wing and leg fractures
Transportation in crates for up to 12 hours without feed or water causes dehydration, hunger, and thermal stress
Dead on arrival rates at slaughter plants reflect welfare problems during catching and transport

Welfare Considerations

The catching phase is acutely stressful for chickens, who experience handling by humans as a predatory attack. Inversion (being held upside down by legs) causes additional distress beyond capture fear. Crating at high densities in unfamiliar environments with temperature extremes causes prolonged stress. Shackle hanging at slaughter while conscious is a welfare point of ongoing concern. Welfare-centered transport standards including maximum journey times, temperature controls, and pre-slaughter stunning improvements can reduce suffering at this critical end-of-life phase. Consumer pressure and certification standards are driving improvements in catching and transport protocols.

What You Can Do

Choose poultry certified to higher welfare standards with controlled atmosphere stunning requirements
Support legislation setting maximum transport times and mandatory temperature controls for poultry
Reduce poultry consumption or transition to welfare-certified alternatives
Advocate for mandatory pre-slaughter stunning that prevents conscious shackling and inversion