Transport of poultry to slaughter causes significant welfare harm through crowding, temperature extremes, and handling stress, with regulatory standards and implementation quality varying widely.
Poultry transport welfare affects billions of birds in an event that occurs during an already stressful end-of-life period. The catching, crating, transport, and lairage sequence represents cumulative welfare challenges that occur regardless of how well the birds were managed during their growing period. DOA rates, while tracked economically, are a welfare indicator of the system's performance. Improvements including mechanical catching, appropriate stocking density in transport containers, thermal management during loading and transit, and shorter journeys all reduce welfare harm. Consumer choices for certified products with documented transport standards create market incentives for improvement.