Controlled atmosphere stunning of broiler chickens. I. Effects on behaviour, physiology and meat quality in a pilot scale system at a processing plant

Abstract

1. The effects of controlled atmosphere stunning on the behaviour, physiology and carcase and meat quality of broiler chickens were studied experimentally in a pilot scale plant.

2. Gas mixtures tested were: single phase anoxic mixture (90% Ar in air, <2% O₂); single phase hypercapnic anoxic mixture (60% Ar, 30% CO₂ in air, <2% O₂); and biphasic hypercapnic hyperoxygenation mixture (anaesthetic phase, 40% CO₂, 30% O₂, 30% N₂; euthanasia phase, 80% CO₂, 5% O₂, 15% N₂).

3. Anoxic stunning resulted in the least respiratory disruption, mandibulation and motionlessness, but most head shaking, leg paddling and twitching. Loss of posture occurred soonest with hypercapnic anoxia with the earliest and most twitching and wing flapping in individuals and earliest leg paddling. Biphasic birds were most alert, exhibited most respiratory disruption and mandibulation, and had the latest loss of posture and fewest, but longest bouts of wing flapping and least leg paddling and twitching.

4. Significant and sudden bradycardia and arrhythmia were evident with all gas mixtures and were not related solely to anoxia or hypercapnia. Birds stunned by Ar anoxia showed a slightly more gradual decline from baseline rates, compared with hypercapnic mixtures.

5. Few differences were found between gas mixes in terms of carcase and meat quality. Initial bleeding rate was slowest in biphasic-stunned birds, but total blood loss was not affected. Acceleration of post-mortem metabolism in anoxic-stunned birds was not sufficient to allow de-boning within 5 h without the risk of tough meat.

6. On welfare grounds and taking into account other laboratory and field studies, a biphasic method (using consecutive phases of anaesthesia and euthanasia) of controlled atmosphere stunning of broilers is potentially more humane than anoxic or hypercapnic anoxic methods using argon or nitrogen.

Acknowledgements

The behavioural and physiological aspects of this work were funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK, while those relating to meat and carcase quality and the use of the pilot scale plant were funded by Stork PMT and Yara International ASA.