Farm Animals

Poultry Catching and Handling: Pre-Slaughter Welfare

The catching and handling of poultry before slaughter is a high-risk welfare period involving manual labour, darkness, and significant injury risk.

Key Facts

Mechanical catching machines have been shown to reduce wing fractures compared to manual catching
Broiler bone fractures during catching are estimated to affect 1-3% of birds in conventional systems
Lighting colour (blue or red) during catching reduces fearfulness in some studies
Catching team skill and supervision significantly affect injury rates and bird welfare during catching

Welfare Considerations

Pre-slaughter catching is a welfare moment that affects billions of poultry annually. The injuries and stress caused by poor catching are preventable with appropriate training, equipment, and supervision. Mechanical catching adoption represents a scalable welfare improvement opportunity.

What You Can Do

Support poultry producers demonstrating investment in mechanical catching and catching team training
Advocate for pre-slaughter injury rates to be monitored and published as welfare indicators
Engage with research on catching system design that minimises injury and fear