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Is the mechanisation of catching broilers a welfare improvement?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

E Delezie ,
D Lips ,
R Lips  and
E Decuypere
E Delezie*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Division Livestock-Nutrition-Quality, University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, B–3001 Heverlee, Belgium
D Lips
Affiliation:
Centre for Science, Technology and Ethics, University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, B–3001 Heverlee, Belgium
R Lips
Affiliation:
Pingo Poultry Farming, Westkaai 21; B–2170 Merksem, Belgium
E Decuypere
Affiliation:
Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Department of Biosystems, Division Livestock-Nutrition-Quality, University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, B–3001 Heverlee, Belgium
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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In most European countries broilers are currently caught manually: broilers are caught by the leg, inverted and carried by a catcher with 3–4 birds in each hand. This method of catching broiler chickens is a welfare concern as it causes severe stress to the birds. A possible alternative to manual catching may be mechanical catching. The aim of this study was to compare the level of stress and injuries of broilers caught manually or with a harvesting machine (CIEMME Super Apollo L harvester) under commercial conditions. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in plasma corticosterone concentrations and duration of tonic immobility, which suggested that mechanically caught broilers were no more stressed than those caught manually. At the end of the catching process, mechanically caught broilers had even lower plasma corticosterone concentrations and shorter durations of tonic immobility, indicating that at this moment these broilers were less stressed than the manually caught birds. The incidence of wing haemorrhages was also reduced for broilers caught mechanically; however, there was no significant difference in the incidence of haemorrhages in the breast or legs between the two catching methods. As injuries are associated with pain and stress, this parameter is important not only for the welfare of the birds but also for product quality and the subsequent financial return. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of the mechanical harvesting machine, CIEMME Super Apollo L, appears to be a good alternative to manual catching. Nevertheless, some aspects of mechanical catching require further improvement.

Keywords

animal welfarebroilerscatchinginjuriesmachinestress
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , May 2006 , pp. 141 - 147
Copyright
© 2006 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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