Day 39 governs the physical harvesting and loading process. Catching is performed primarily during cooler night hours under dim blue/red light. Strict adherence to gentle handling standards protects carcass quality from traumatic downgrades (broken wings, breast blisters, thigh hematomas) and ensures high bird welfare.
Rough handling during catching can cause over 2–3% carcass downgrades from subdermal hemorrhages and broken bones. Loading density mistakes during transport lead to catastrophic dead-on-arrival (DOA) mortality from heat asphyxiation.
•Catching under bright white light, causing mass hysteria, suffocating piles, and severe bruising.
•Lifting birds by the wings, which tears pectoral muscles and causes severe carcass condemnations.
•Overloading crates during high humidity nights, causing rapid dead-on-arrival (DOA) spikes.
•Bruises formed within 2 minutes of catching appear bright red/purple on the processing line; fresh bruises are directly attributable to catching crew mishandling.
•Ensure crates are clean, disinfected, and inspected for broken plastic edges that can tear breast skin.
•Station a farm supervisor directly at the loading door to inspect every single crate before it is loaded onto the truck bed.
•Keep exhaust fans running on minimum airflow during catching to remove dust, CO2, and bird body heat generated by crew movement.
Birds should be caught by grasping both legs securely just below the hock joint, holding no more than 3 to 4 birds per hand, or held upright with two hands supporting the body. Never grab, carry, or swing birds by their wings, thighs, or necks.
Crate density depends on individual bird weight, crate floor area, and ambient temperature. For 2.5–2.8 kg broilers, standard crates (approx. 0.4 m²) hold 10–11 birds in cool conditions (<20°C) and should be reduced to 8–9 birds in hot weather (>28°C).
Tomorrow, your operation reaches Day 40. The primary management objective will be:
Complete final bird clearance from shed, dispatch all transport vehicles during cool hours, perform gross/tare weighbridge reconciliation, and calculate live shrink, final FCR, and EPEF efficiency.
📈Growth & Feed Conversion Calculators
Calculate FCR, Feed Intake & Batch Profit
Benchmark your flock's live feed conversion ratio against standard commercial breed targets and audit final contract growing charge earnings.
