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 H z 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 calculate d the cumulative blood loss up to 100 s after neck cutting. 3. Bleed-o ut was significantly affected by killing method and time of neck cutti ng. Broilers killed with the carbon dioxide-argon mixture bled-out les s than those killed with argon or 50 Hz electric current. When compare d 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 si gnificant 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 k illing with the carbon dioxide-argon mixture would result in a satisfa ctory bleed-out.