Poultry catching and loading for transport to slaughter is one of the most welfare-impactful events in the production cycle. Evidence-based catching techniques and training significantly reduce harm.
Catching and loading represents the final and often most welfare-impactful event in a broiler chicken's life. Manual catching involves grasping birds by their legs, inverting them, and placing them in transport crates — a process that causes fear, struggling, and physical injury when done poorly. Wing fractures, dislocations, and bruising are common outcomes of rough catching technique. The acute stress of catching elevates corticosterone to very high levels, causing cardiovascular strain and contributing to dead-on-arrival mortality at slaughterhouses.
Catcher skill and motivation are the primary determinants of welfare during manual catching. Studies show that trained, welfare-motivated catchers achieve significantly lower injury rates than untrained or unmotivated workers. Payment structures that incentivize speed over care worsen welfare outcomes — welfare-positive payment systems that include injury rate bonuses align economic incentives with welfare outcomes.
Mechanical harvesting machines reduce the number of human-bird interactions and can achieve lower injury rates than poor manual catching. However, machine settings, bird size, and operating conditions all influence welfare outcomes. Night catching in reduced light reduces fear responses across all methods. Gradual depopulation — removing birds in stages over several days — reduces social disruption for remaining birds and allows for calmer catching conditions.