Evaluating the impact of pre-slaughter transport stress on broiler welfare and meat quality in India

This study aimed to find the optimal transportation time for broilers under Indian conditions, as transport duration significantly impacts their well-being and meat quality. An experiment involved 120 marketable birds, each marked with four distinct colors for identifying treatment groups. Respective treatment groups were: no transport (0 h – T1), short duration (2 h – T2), medium (4 h – T3) and longer duration (8 h – T4). The parameters studied were percent change in body weight, stress parameters, and meat quality attributes of the transported birds. Transport stress significantly impacted body weights, particularly in the 8-hour group, showing an 8.17% reduction and an average financial loss of Rupees 165. Results shown that stress indicators like Heterophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio and serum corticosterone values were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in T4 (8 h). Significantly (P < 0.001) greater ultimate pH estimates were identified in T4 groups, whereas drip loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force not exhibited significant differences, but estimates were gradually raised with increase in transport time. The findings indicate that transporting broiler chickens for more than four hours under Indian conditions significantly affects their production performance and meat quality, primarily due to the severe stress induced by prolonged transit.