Transport of live chickens for slaughter is one of the highest welfare-risk periods in broiler production, with thermal stress, injury, and starvation causing significant preventable suffering.
Broiler transport represents a concentrated welfare risk at the end of the production cycle. Catching injury from rough handling bruises muscles and breaks bones. Crate loading at high density restricts movement and causes thermal and social stress. Open vehicle transport exposes birds to weather extremes — cold in winter, heat stress in summer. Pre-slaughter feed withdrawal causes hunger. Journey time is critical — longer journeys dramatically increase welfare harm. Minimum welfare standards for catching, loading density, journey times, thermal protection, and pre-slaughter management are available and should be consistently enforced.