Slaughter methods for chickens vary enormously in welfare quality, with electrical water bath stunning used widely despite documented welfare concerns.
The final moments of a chicken life represent a welfare point with enormous impact given the scale of production. Pre-stun handling including inversion and shackling is inherently distressing for conscious birds. Controlled atmosphere stunning eliminates pre-stun consciousness while the animal is still in transport containers. Consumer and retailer pressure can drive adoption of higher-welfare stunning methods.