Head-only electrical stunning of poultry using a waterbath: a feasibility study

Jeffrey Lines (1) , Mohan Raj (2) , Steve Wotton (2) , Mike O'Callaghan (2) , Toby Knowles (2)

1 Silsoe Livestock Systems
2 Department of Clinical Veterinary Science

1. The objective of this work was to investigate the feasibility of head only waterbath stunning as a means of generating immediate and long lasting unconsciousness while preventing wing flapping and avoiding carcass damage. This paper reports on the unconsciousness and wing flapping , while carcass quality results are reported elsewhere. 2. EEG measurements showed that immersion of broilers heads' for one second in a waterbath containing water of conductivity 2.5 mS/cm and a 50 Hz electric field of 10 V/cm resulted in a immediate unconsciousness, and that increasing the electric field strength extended the duration of unconsciousness. 3. Observations showed that the passage of a 25 - 30 mA alternating current of frequency 2000 Hz through the broilers' bodies suppressed the wing flapping which follows a stun. 4. When the body current and electric field were applied simultaneously, wing flapping was prevented and EEG signals were suppressed for over 30 seconds indicating that the immediate unconsciousness was long lasting enough to facilitate humane slaughter.

Mots clés: Life Sciences

Domaines: Biologie animale

Jeffrey Lines, Mohan Raj, Steve Wotton, Mike O'Callaghan, Toby Knowles. Head-only electrical stunning of poultry using a waterbath: a feasibility study. British Poultry Science, 2011, 52 (04), pp.432-438. ⟨10.1080/00071668.2011.587180⟩. ⟨hal-00732521⟩