Injuries during Catching and Transportation of Broilers

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to indicate, under Danish conditions, the amount of injuries received by broilers during catching and transportation. The investigation began at the farm with the catching of the animals and continued afterwards at the processing plant.

The injuries were divided into five different types. It was found that the parts of the birds that were most subjected to damage were the wings, the backs, and the drumsticks. It was observed that the most critical steps of the catching phase were apparently the transfer of the birds to the crates, the handling of the filled crates at the processing plant, and the hanging of the birds onto the shackles.