Transporting poultry

All poultry transported in Queensland must be:

• treated humanely
• healthy and fit for the intended journey
• transported in a way that does not cause injury or undue suffering
• transported in an appropriate cage or crate that provides adequate room, ventilation, shade and shelter.

Poultry is defined as domestic fowl, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, partridges, pheasants, pigeons, quail and turkeys.

Appropriate transport containers

Transport containers should have enough room for all poultry to sit comfortably and rest on the floor at the same time (and remain evenly distributed) during transport.

It is important to consider weather conditions when determining loading densities. Allow additional space on hot or humid days.

Make sure transport containers are designed and maintained to prevent injuries to poultry.

Ventilation

All transport containers should be well ventilated.

Shade

Provide all poultry with adequate shade during transport.

Shelter

Protect poultry from adverse weather conditions, such as direct sunlight, heat, wind, rain and hail.

Transporting poultry humanely

• Poultry cannot be transported in bags or with their legs tied.
• If not being transported immediately, poultry should be placed in a cool shady area.
• Poultry more than 3 days old must not be deprived access to water for more than 24 hours during the transport process.
• Poultry must not be placed in vehicles in the hot sun or in the boot of a car.
• Poultry must not be handled excessively or roughly.

Duty of care

The Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 promotes the responsible care of animals and places a legal duty of care on a person in charge of an animal to provide for the animal's needs in an appropriate way.

It is an offence not to comply with duty of care. A breach of duty of care carries a maximum fine of $46,440.00 or 1 year imprisonment.

Read more about duty of care for animals.

Codes of practice

A person transporting poultry must comply with the compulsory code of practice for transporting livestock. The code outlines the responsibilities and requirements that must be met when transporting poultry. You will also need to comply with the poultry welfare code.

Also consider...

• Read the Animal Care and Protection Regulation 2023.