The Industry best practice welfare manual: chick handling at the hatchery, fit to load, lairage and live bird handling during processing provides information on welfare management and practices along the chicken meat production chain.
The National Animal Welfare Standard for the Chicken Meat Industry (the Standard) contains requirements related to meat chicken production, including meat breeders, egg management, hatching, chick handling and humane killing in the hatchery. The additional guidance document provides further guidance on the implementation of the Standard, including examples of evidence.
This manual is designed to further explore some of the risks to animal welfare and is intended to be a guide for animal welfare best management practices at different points within the production chain.