LARGE ANIMAL REVIEW, vol.25, no.6, pp.237-241, 2019 (SCI-Expanded)
Transportation is a major component of the global commercial poultry production system and it can lead to various levels of stress in chickens, even under optimal conditions. It can cause harm ranging from slight disorders to death. Birds that die between loading at the farm and slaughtering are described as 'dead on arrival' (DOA). DOA is an important indicator of animal welfare and financial losses. It can be influenced by various factors such as ambient temperature, stocking density in crates, transport distance, lairage time in the holding barn and slaughter age. The aim of this survey was to determine the effects of some factors on the incidence of the phenomenon 'dead on arrival' in broiler chickens under commercial transport conditions. This survey was carried out in a commercial slaughterhouse on the basis of data for 4,062 transfers and 12,723,444 broilers under commercial conditions during 2018. The data related to slaughter age, transport distance, lairage duration, ambient temperature at the slaughterhouse and the incidence of DOA of broiler chickens was recorded by staff throughout the study. Slaughter age was divided into four groups (up to 39 days, 40 to 42 days, 43 to 44 days, 45 days or more); lairage duration was divided into five groups (up to 60 min, 61 to 120 min, 121 to 180 min, 181 to 240 min, 241 min or more); transport distance was divided into four groups (up to 15 km, 16 to 50 km, 51 to 101 km, 100 to 200 km) and ambient temperature at the slaughterhouse was divided into six groups (-5 degrees C to 0 degrees C, 0.1 degrees C to 5 degrees C, 5.1 degrees C to 10 degrees C, 10.1 degrees C to 15 degrees C, 15.1 degrees C to 20 degrees C and 20.1 degrees C to 28 degrees C).