Influence of crate height during slaughter transport on the welfare of male turkeys

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Poultry are usually transported in crates which provide the birds with very limited space. Slaughter transport of male turkeys is often carried out using crates that are 40 cm or less in height where it is not possible for them to stand up. Some higher cages exist on market, such as the 55cm tested here. Nevertheless, we show here that both cage sizes are suboptimal for the bird welfare although no effect on meat quality. We need to think outside the box, find other solutions in order to improve the welfare of birds during transport.

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