Broiler catching and crating operations cause acute stress and injury in millions of birds daily, with mechanical catching systems offering welfare improvements over manual methods.
Manual catching causes acute pain from inversion hanging and fractures in 3-5% of birds. Dust, ammonia and darkness during catching operations add to stress. Thermal conditions in transport modules — temperature and ammonia — cause respiratory distress and heat stress. Journey duration affects mortality and injury rates significantly. Mechanical harvesters, when well-maintained and operated by trained staff, reduce catching injury rates and are considered higher welfare than manual methods.