Why are poultry transport cages ventilated at slaughterhouses?

At slaughterhouses, poultry transport cages are ventilated using fans to keep the birds cool while they are held on trucks.1

Maintaining proper ventilation is a critical component of preslaughter handling. Because the handling and transport of birds can be highly stressful, keeping them cool helps mitigate this stress. Minimizing stress is essential because it directly impacts the quality of the final meat product; high levels of stress before slaughter can lead to negative physiological effects that degrade meat quality.12