The transport of live birds is a fundamental process in poultry production. For this reason, and based on animal welfare, Good Practice Guides have been designed to carry it out correctly.

 

What is a Good Practice Guide and why use it?

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines a Good Practice as “a practice that has demonstrated to work well and produces good results and is therefore recommended as a model” (FAO, 2015). Therefore, based on the proven, valid and successful experience of this practice, it is advisable to publish and disseminate it. Making a Good Practice Guide is a simple, complete and easy-to-read method to apply these recommendations in the farm and livestock production systems, including the poultry sector. Its correct application allows us to see positive effects on the farm at the productive level, animal welfare and according to the regulations on animal transport of each country.

On the other hand, thanks to the Animal Welfare concepts developed since the end of the 20th century, the development, knowledge and use of these guides have become prevalent, and should include processes such as the transport of live birds. For this reason, initiatives such as the one developed by the European Union in 2013 when disseminating a Good Practice Guide for the transport of birds, are emerging as a model for each country in the world to implement these tools. (European Commission, 2013)

In this article, we present recommendations focused on the three main elements that participate in the process of transporting birds: the loading process, the vehicle, and the staff. The term “birds” refers to poultry production animals in general, it includes laying hens, broilers, day-old chicks, and even turkeys and quail.

Recommendations on the charging process

The loading process can be defined as the process in which poultry are moved by staff from the farm to the transport vehicle.

1. Provide the poultry with water at their disposal all the time until the loading process.
2. Perform a fasting period of at least 4 hours and a maximum of 12 hours, taking into account the average time of the trip to the processing plant. Never leave them fasting for 24 hours.
3. Keep complete documentation through records on the movements of animals, both those that arrive from breeding farms to the productive farm and those that go to the processing plant.
4. The vehicle arranged for transport must be properly cleaned and disinfected.
5. It should be preferred to carry out the process of loading the animals in cool hours of the day, especially in the summer, to avoid heat stress in the birds.
6. The staff must verify the status of the birds to be transported; Those with visible injuries or apparent clinical signs such as fractures, prostration, or wounds should not be accepted. This, in addition to generating stress in the birds, can be the cause of the confiscation of said affected birds.

Recommendations on the vehicle

1. The vehicle must have been completely washed and disinfected before and when entering the farm.
2. The loading vehicle must be properly positioned/parked in the area where the birds will be moved.
3. In the loading area, the vehicle must-have materials that protect against unfavorable weather conditions such as rain, intense sun, snow, and others.
4. Avoid housing birds in highly cold or hot areas in the cabin of the transport vehicle, as this abrupt change in temperature can generate stress.
5. The boxes or containers where the poultry will be housed must be configured according to the law established in each country, to provide a safe and comfortable space for each individual. The material, the density for each box, the correct ventilation and the size should be taken into account. On the other hand, these containers must be correctly positioned and secured, to avoid tilting or falling during the trip. All this set of measures allows a safe trip and with standards of welfare for the poultry.
6. The vehicle used must comply with all the provisions of the law, related to the correct handling and evaluation of the temperature and humidity where the animals are housed, correct arrangement of space and load capacity, legal requirements for mobilization (insurance, licenses, etc.), among others.
7. The vehicle must have a water supply for birds in trips longer than 12 hours. It must also have an adequate ventilation system to avoid suffocation and a system that allows the transported animals to be covered from the cold and rain.
8. Regarding the trip, it is recommended to previously plan the routes, weather predictions, and state of the roads. It is also advisable to avoid hours of high traffic flow, as well as hours of the day when there are high temperatures.

Recommendations on staff

1. The personnel discussed here include the people in charge of the poultry loading process, as well as those in charge of their transport or mobilization.
2. It is recommended that the staff know the laws and regulations in force on the transport of birds and animal welfare, according to each country.
3. The personnel in charge of the loading process must be trained and qualified for such work to avoid accidents and possible trauma to the birds, especially in 1-day-old chicks and hens at the end of laying, as they are fragile.
4. The staff must be trained in aspects such as the physiology of the birds and their behavior; This will provide knowledge that allows decisions and actions to be taken that maintain animal welfare conditions and prevent accidents, mortalities or detect problems in mobilized animals.
5. Transportation personnel must have contingency plans for various emergencies that may arise during the trip. Examples: damage to the cooling system of the cabin, vehicular accident during the trip, impact ono the health of the birds transported, setbacks related to the roads, mechanical breakdowns, weather that delay times, and others.
6. Those responsible for transport (technician, driver, assistant, etc.) should review the birds every 3 hours preferably. For this, they must be trained to recognize signs of stress in the birds, such as panting or tremors.

Finally, it is proposed that each poultry farm adopt a Good Practice Guide for the transport of live poultry if there is one standardized, current, and available in their country or region; otherwise, it is good to adopt a guide proposed by an organization, such as the European Union. The implementation of these tools will bring benefits in the welfare of transported animals destined for food consumption, as well as benefits on the farm by optimizing their operating procedures and obtaining recognition for good practices carried out.

References:

• ASEPRHU, 2017. GuĂ­a de buenas prácticas de manejo y bienestar animal en granjas avĂ­colas de puesta. AsociaciĂłn Española de Productores de Huevos. GuĂ­a de buenas prácticas de manejo y bienestar animal en granjas avĂ­colas de puesta. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: https://icoval.org/todoguiasappcc/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/bienestar_aves.pdf
• ComisiĂłn Europea, 2013. GuĂ­a de Buenas Prácticas para el transporte de aves de corral. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: http://animaltransportguides.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ES-Guides-to-Good-practices-for-the-Transport-of-Poultry.pdf
• European Commission, 2016. Preparation of vehicle, driver and loading for poultry. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: http://animaltransportguides.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/poultry-Preparation-FINAL.pdf
• FAO, 2015. Plantilla de buenas prácticas. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: http://www.fao.org/3/a-as547s.pdf
• Fenavi, 2011. CĂłdigo Buenas Prácticas AvĂ­colas. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: https://fenavi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/C%C3%93DIGO-BUENAS-PR%C3%81CTICAS-AV%C3%8DCOLAS-BPAV-V2.pdf
• Gobierno de Chile, 2003. Manual de Buenas Prácticas en la ProducciĂłn AvĂ­cola. VersiĂłn I. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: http://www.fao.org/tempref/GI/Reserved/FTP_FaoRlc/old/prior/segalim/prodalim/prodveg/bpa/normtec/Aves/2.pdf
• Manteca, X., Mainau, E., Temple, D., 2012. ÂżQuĂ© es el bienestar animal? FAWEC Farm Animal Welfare Education Centre. Disponible en lĂ­nea en: https://www.fawec.org/media/com_lazypdf/pdf/fs1-es.pdf

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