Survey on broiler pre-slaughter mortality in a commercial abattoir of central Italy

Abstract

The pre-slaughter mortality was investigated on broilers, in the Mediterranean climate condition, considering the most significant risk factors as the journey length, waiting time, season and the space allowance in cages. At first, the pre-slaughter mortality was studied considering the totality of birds and then by examining in detail three broiler categories: large, medium and small size. The average dead on arrival (DOA) recorded on the totality of birds throughout the year was 0.38% and the values obtained in winter, spring, summer and autumn were 0.52, 0.48, 0.31 and 0.22%, respectively. The mortality rate observed during the year was 0.52, 0.47 and 0.31% for large, medium and small broilers, respectively. In all three groups, the maximum values of mortality were obtained in winter, whereas the minimum ones were recorded in autumn, spring and summer for large, medium, and small size birds, respectively. The increase of journey length could cause a higher mortality rate whereas the increase of the waiting time in the facilities at controlled environmental conditions did not seem to be a risk factor, but rather a mean to reduce the number of dead animals (all P < 0.05). It is concluded that the resistance to the hostile weather conditions, long journeys and extended waiting times was strongly related with the body weight of broilers; therefore, the planning of the slaughtering activity should consider this aspect, in order to avoid animal suffering and the economic loss.

The Effect of Ambient Temperature on The Death Rate, Reject Rate, Dressing Percentage, and Economic Loss in Broilers During Transport to Slaughterhouse

“…3,[15][16][17][18] In this study, the maximum mortality was observed at T1, and the lowest mortality rate was found at T3 (Table 1). Similar to present results, Grilli et al 19 also reported the highest mortality rates during the cold season and lowest in the autumn season. However, the mortality values were lower compared to the present study.…”

Data evaluation of broiler chicken rearing and slaughter—An exploratory study

“…In the study by Petracci et al ( 37 ), the DOA percentage was highest in summer, followed by winter, spring, and fall. Grilli et al ( 39 ) reported a mean DOA percentage of 0.38% throughout the year, with the highest percentage in winter (0.52%) and the lowest in fall (0.22%). In our study, no influence of the season was observed.…”

The Effect of Space Allowance During Pre-Slaughter Transport of European Quail Breeders on Welfare, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality

“…Saraiva et al (2021) observed that a total of 1,156 (0.18%) birds were found DOA. Grilli et al (2018) highlighted the importance of respecting the space allowance when transporting broilers to reduce the DOA percentage. Unlike in this work, Voslarova et al (2006) found changes in the haematological profile of hand-reared pheasants when they were transported for 4 hours; they concluded that these birds require more available space than other poultry.…”