The catching and handling of poultry on farms causes significant injury, and improved techniques and equipment can substantially reduce this welfare burden.
The catching and handling of poultry for transport is one of the highest-intensity welfare events in commercial poultry farming. Workers catching broilers in large sheds must catch many birds quickly under time pressure, typically holding 3-5 birds per hand by their legs. This process breaks wings and dislocates hips in a significant proportion of birds - injuries that cause pain and compromised mobility for the remainder of the birds' lives before slaughter. The contractual structure of catching crews, who are paid by throughput rather than bird welfare outcomes, creates economic incentives against careful handling. Mechanical catching technology reduces injury rates but requires significant capital investment. Training programs for manual catchers and modified payment structures that reward lower injury rates represent more immediately accessible improvements.