Billions of chickens, turkeys, and ducks are transported to slaughter each year under conditions that cause significant suffering. Heat stress, cold exposure, and injuries during transport affect millions of birds globally.
Poultry transport represents a major but often overlooked welfare concern. The process begins with catching, which even when done carefully causes fear, wing injuries, and dislocation in birds unaccustomed to human handling. Journey conditions including crowding, temperature extremes, vibration, and noise deprivation of resources cause measurable physiological stress. Heat stress leads to rapid deterioration and death in large numbers of birds in warm weather. Cold exposure causes hypothermia in winter transport. Long journeys without water are particularly harmful to birds with high metabolic rates. The entire transport chain from catching through waiting at slaughter plants requires welfare improvement through better monitoring, infrastructure investment, and regulatory enforcement.