EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION ON FEATHER PULLING FORCE

A hand-held transducer was developed for measurement of forces require d to pull feathers from broilers. Feather pull force was sensed by str ain-gages on a small cantilever beam inside the transducer. Feather pu ll forces were measured from one tail site and two wing sites. Treatme nts included: 1) No stun, kill, scald at 60.0-degrees-C; electrical st imulation in chamber (sampled before and after stimulation); 2) Stun, kill, electrical stimulation in blood tunnel, scald at 60.0-degrees-C, electrical stimulation in chamber (sampled before and after chamber s timulation); 3) Stun, kill, 2.5-min electrical stimulation in blood tu nnel, scald at 60.0-degrees-C; and 4) Stun, kill, 4.0-min electrical s timulation in blood tunnel, scald at 60.0-degrees-C. The control treat ment was stun, kill, scald at 60.0-degrees-C. In addition, a reduced-t emperature scald treatment was stun, kill, scald 53.3-degrees-C Feathe rs on unscalded birds and birds scalded at 53.3-degrees-C proved to be very hard to remove (around 20 N force) when compared to all other tr eatments. Feathers on birds treated with various electrical stimulatio n treatments were not as easily removed as with the control samples. D ifferences among the various electrically stimulated treatments were s light.