Livestock

Broiler Chicken Catching: Welfare Injuries and Best Practice 2026

The catching and loading of broiler chickens for transport to slaughter is a high-risk welfare event causing significant injuries, and best practice guidance aims to reduce these impacts.

Key Facts

Around 1 billion broiler chickens are caught and transported to slaughter in the UK each year
Catching involves gathering birds by hand or machine in dim light before placing them in transport modules
Wing fractures occur in an estimated 1-5% of birds during manual catching operations
Automated chicken harvesting machines are used increasingly in large commercial units

Welfare Considerations

Manual catching causes wing fractures from rough handling, hip dislocations, bruising and stress. Birds are inverted by leg during manual catching, which causes pain and distress in birds that have evolved to fly right-side-up. Welfare priorities include training catchers to handle birds gently, maintaining low light to reduce panic, using automated harvesting systems where practical, and monitoring wing fracture rates at slaughter.

What You Can Do

Support certification schemes that monitor and report wing fracture rates at slaughter plants
Advocate for mandatory training for poultry catchers in welfare-conscious handling techniques
Choose higher-welfare certified chicken from producers with catching welfare standards
Support the transition to automated harvesting where this reduces catching injuries