Transporting poultry for slaughter is one of the highest-risk stages for welfare, with millions of birds experiencing injury, heat stress, and mortality annually under current commercial practices.
Poultry transport represents a major welfare challenge because birds that have been bred for rapid growth are physiologically compromised, feathers are damaged from litter contact, and the catching process itself causes acute stress and injury. Heat and cold stress during loading and unloading are particularly dangerous. Birds cannot regulate body temperature effectively when densely packed, and mortality during summer months spikes dramatically. Even birds that survive transport may arrive with broken bones, bruising, and acute stress responses that affect both their welfare and meat quality.