Risk factors for bruising and mortality of broilers during manual handling, module loading, transport, and lairage

Abstract

Multiple factors can affect the risk of bruising and mortality of broilers during loading, transport, and lairage. The risk factors affecting the percentages of broilers in each load that were “dead-on-arrival” (DOA) or bruised were studied from records provided by a processing plant, by undertaking direct observations during on-farm loading and then carrying out multivariable analyses. Selected loads between 2014 and 2015 from seven producers were included in the study. The median DOA per load was 0.13% (Q1 = 0.06, Q3 = 0.25, n = 212), the median total duration from loading to unloading was 8.6 h, and the external temperature ranged from −22 to 22 °C. Although it was not possible to adequately characterise thermal conditions within each load, the analysis indicated that the main risk factors for increased mortality were in spring and winter, an increased duration between loading and end of lairage, and a period of feed withdrawal before loading longer than 6 h. The risk of mortality increased with the weight of the birds and with an increase in rearing mortality. No relationships were found between the manner in which the broilers were handled and the percentages of DOAs or bruised birds.

Analysis of Different Pre-Slaughter Management Systems of Broilers and Their Impact on Animal Welfare: Dead on Arrival, Injuries and Stress

“…When comparing the UK slaughterhouse to other European countries' establishments, these values were shown to be inferior when compared to countries such as Italy, Germany/Netherlands, and Slovakia, which presented averages of 10.0, 2.2 and 0.52% of injuries, respectively [20,33,37]. The DOA % reported in most studies in Europe was about 0.2% [38]. Some of the variability between studies in which factors were identified as significantly affecting injury and mortality were usually due to differences between methodologies used regarding the range of some variables…”

“…Copyright © Ricardo Lacava Bailone APDV.000685. 8(2).2021 used, for example type of catching, loading, climatic conditions, journey duration, transport procedures, stunning, not to mention the robustness of the multivariable analyses [38].…”