Poultry Preslaughter Operations in Hot Environments: The Present Knowledge and the Next Steps Forward.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Agricultural Engineering
• Veterinary Medicine

Background:

• Poultry production faces challenges like high feed costs, diseases, and thermal stress, impacting broiler welfare and productivity.
• Preslaughter operations, despite cooling advancements, contribute to substantial economic losses.
• Current management of thermal environments and animal logistics requires improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the challenges and impacts of preslaughter operations on broiler welfare and productivity.
• To highlight the need for enhanced management of thermal environments and animal logistics.
• To identify key areas for reducing stress and economic losses in broiler preslaughter handling.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on broiler preslaughter handling, including fasting, catching, crating, transportation, lairage, and stunning.
• Analysis of factors influencing broiler stress and injury during preslaughter operations.
• Examination of the role of logistics and technology in improving animal welfare.

Main Results:

• Fasting (8-12 h) is standard but catching, crating, and transport induce stress and injuries, especially in high temperatures.
• Lairage periods should be short (1-2 h) in climate-controlled areas to prevent stress and deterioration.
• Effective stunning methods (e.g., electronarcosis, controlled atmosphere) aim to minimize suffering, but practices vary.
• Logistics and real-time monitoring are crucial for welfare during transport, especially with rising global temperatures.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing thermal environments and logistics is essential for reducing broiler stress and economic losses.
• Careful management of catching, transport, and lairage periods significantly impacts broiler welfare.
• Technological advancements in real-time monitoring and efficient handling are key to sustainable poultry production.