The catching and loading of broiler chickens before transport to slaughter is one of the most welfare-critical moments in poultry production. Mechanical and human catching both have welfare implications.
Broiler catching welfare represents an acute but very brief welfare impact that is nonetheless significant in scale - millions of birds per day experience catching and loading stress in the UK alone. The welfare quality of catching depends heavily on the skill of catching crews, the loading density, and the time birds spend in crates before slaughter. Mechanical harvesters can reduce total bird-human contact stress but introduce other injury risks. The most important welfare improvement is reducing the time between catching and slaughter, as birds in crates experience thermal stress, social disruption, and confinement that worsen with duration.