Department of Poultry Science, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, USDA-ARS, Athens, GA 30605, USA.
Poult Sci. 2022 Sep;101(9):102000. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102000. Epub 2022 Jun 9.
Efficacious euthanasia by applying manual cervical dislocation can be difficult on large and mature poultry. The challenge with using manual cervical dislocation is that the strength required to hold heavy poultry and swiftly apply cervical dislocation can be physically impossible for most people. Therefore, alternative methods of euthanasia are needed for mature and large poultry. Mechanical cervical dislocation using the Koechner Euthanizing Device (KED), captive bolt using the Turkey Euthanasia Device (TED), carbon dioxide (CO), and electrical euthanasia were evaluated for use on 65-wk-old broiler breeders at flock termination. Following application of each method, physiological reflexes including the eye nictitating membrane reflex, mouth gaping, and body movement, broken skin, blood loss, kill success, time to cessation of heartbeat, and blood plasma corticosterone levels were assessed. Birds euthanized using the KED had longer response durations for eye nictitating membrane (91 s) and reflexive mouth gaping (161 s) compared to TED, CO, and electrical euthanasia (0-7 s). Body movement durations were also longer for KED (214 s) and TED (209 s) than for CO and electrical euthanasia (0-8 s). The highest percentages of broken skin (93%) and blood loss (96%) were observed for TED, followed by KED (71%, 68%), then CO (0%, 6%) and electrical euthanasia (0%, 3%). No significant differences (P = 0.1781) were observed for kill success rates with 98% for KED, 100% for TED, 97% for CO, and 100% for electrical euthanasia at 4-min. Time to heartbeat cessation did not differ between KED (659 s), TED (427 s), or CO (583 s) euthanasia methods. No heartbeat was detected following electrical euthanasia. Blood plasma corticosterone levels did not differ between preeuthanasia or posteuthanasia from any of the methods applied. Based on these results each euthanasia method is acceptable for use with broiler breeders.
通过手动颈椎脱位实施有效的安乐死可能对大型成熟家禽来说具有挑战性。使用手动颈椎脱位的挑战在于，对于大多数人来说，抓住沉重家禽并迅速实施颈椎脱位所需的力量在身体上是不可能的。因此，需要为成熟和大型家禽寻找其他的安乐死方法。对 65 周龄的肉鸡种鸡在鸡群结束时使用 Koechner 安乐处死装置（KED）机械颈椎脱位、土耳其安乐处死装置（TED）使用击晕枪、二氧化碳（CO）和电击对其进行了评估。应用每种方法后，评估了包括眨眼反射、张口反射和身体运动、皮肤破损、失血、死亡率、停止心跳的时间以及血浆皮质酮水平等生理反射。与 TED、CO 和电击安乐死（0-7s）相比，使用 KED 的鸡眨眼反射持续时间（91s）和反射性张口（161s）更长。KED（214s）和 TED（209s）的身体运动时间也比 CO 和电击安乐死（0-8s）长。TED（93%）和 KED（71%）的皮肤破损率最高（96%），其次是 CO（0%）和电击安乐死（0%）。KED 的死亡率为 98%，TED 为 100%，CO 为 97%，电击安乐死为 100%，4 分钟时没有差异（P=0.1781）。KED（659s）、TED（427s）或 CO（583s）安乐死方法的心跳停止时间没有差异。电击安乐死后没有检测到心跳。血浆皮质酮水平在任何应用方法的安乐死前或安乐死后都没有差异。基于这些结果，每种安乐死方法都可用于肉鸡种鸡。
