Effect of the method of killing, interval between killing and neck cutting and blood vessels cut on blood loss in broilers.
1. Broiler chickens were killed using 90% argon in air, or 30% carbon dioxide and 60% argon in air or 120 mA per bird in a waterbath with a 50 Hz alternating electric current. Ventral or unilateral neck cutting was performed at 1, 3 or 5 min after killing. In addition, a group of broilers was stunned with 120 mA per bird in a waterbath using 1500 Hz alternating current and were bled out-with a ventral neck cut within 20 s from stunning. 2. Blood leaving the neck wound was collected in a bin placed on an electronic balance and a computer program calculated the cumulative blood loss up to 100 s after neck cutting. 3. Bleed-out was significantly affected by killing method and time of neck cutting. Broilers killed with the carbon dioxide-argon mixture bled-out less than those killed with argon or 50 Hz electric current. When compared with the 1 min neck cutting interval, a delay of 3-or 5 min resulted in a lower bleed-out. High frequency electrical stunning and ventral neck cutting within 20 s resulted in a slightly higher bleed-out than those recorded for the killing methods. However, within argon killing, a delay of 3 or 5 min in ventral or unilateral neck cutting had no significant effect on the bleed-out. In broilers killed with the carbon dioxide-argon mixture a 3 min delay in ventral neck cutting or a 5 min delay in unilateral neck cutting resulted in lower bleed-out. 4. Neck cutting of broilers within 5 min after argon killing or 3 min after killing with the carbon dioxide-argon mixture would result in a satisfactory bleed-out.
Raj
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Division of Food Animal Science, University of Bristol, England.
Johnson
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SP
D000003:Abattoirs; D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000818:Animals; D001128:Argon / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000293:injuries; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004597:Electroshock / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary*; D019838:Neck Injuries; D011897:Random Allocation; D013997:Time Factors
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D001128:Argon