Effect of the method of stunning and the interval between stunning and neck cutting on blood loss in turkeys.

Turkey hens were stunned by inducing anoxia with either argon (with approximately 2 per cent residual oxygen) or 30 per cent carbon dioxide in argon with 2 per cent residual oxygen, and the carcases were bled either immediately or five or 10 minutes after they had been stunned. A control group of turkeys was stunned electrically (250 mA for about four seconds) and had their necks cut immediately after stunning. The amount of blood lost was measured and expressed as a percentage of liveweight. The results showed that the necks of gas-stunned turkeys can be cut up to 10 minutes after they have been stunned without reducing the total blood loss significantly.