The catching and loading of broiler chickens for transport to slaughter is a high-stress process that causes significant injury and welfare suffering, with automated catching machines offering improvements over manual methods.
Catching operations represent a concentrated period of welfare stress for broiler chickens that have rarely had human contact during their lives. The sudden appearance of catchers, bright lights, and rough handling causes acute fear and physical injury. Injury rates during catching including wing fractures and dislocations are significant even in well-managed operations. Welfare improvements including low-stress catching training, blue lighting programs, and automated harvesting machines are available but not universally adopted. Timing of catching relative to last feed also affects welfare during the pre-slaughter period.