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Title: FEATHER RETENTION FORCE IN BROILERS ANTE-, PERI-, AND POST-MORTEM AS INFLUENCED BY ELECTRICAL AND CARBON DIOXIDE STUNNING

Author
item BUHR, R. - UGA
item CASON JR, JOHN
item ROWLAND, G. - UGA

Submitted to: Southern Poultry Science Society Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Trials were conducted to evaluate the influence of stunning method (electrical 50 V AC, carbon dioxide gas 0 to 40% for 90 s or 40 to 60% for 30 s) on feather retention force (FRF) in commercial broilers. The pectoral, sternal, & femoral feather tracts were sampled with a force gauge before & after stunning peri-mortem (Pe-M) from 0.5 to 4 min, or post-mortem (PM) from 2 to 6 min). After stunning, Pe-M FRF values were higher only for the sternal tract (11% higher for CO2 0 to 60% for 30 s). After stunning & bleeding, PM FRF values were lower only for the sternal tract (10% lower for CO2 0 to 60% for 30 s). Small changes in FRF values occurred from AM to Pe-M (-1 to +12%), & from AM to PM (-2 to +8%). A significant increase was determined for only the pectoral tract (7%) Pe-M. All 12 broilers stunned electrically & not bled regained consciousness Pe-M. However, only 2 of 24 stunned with CO2 regained consciousness. These findings indicate that the Pe-M physiological status of broilers is not identical following electrical or CO2 stunning. Electrically stunned & not bled broilers gained weight in excess of the 36 feathers removed (+.16%) apparently due to body surface water pickup during the brine-stunning process, while CO2 stunned broilers lost weight due to excretion of cloacal contents (-.31 to -.98%). However, bleed-out body weight loss (6 min) did not differ among electrically or CO2 stunned broilers (-3.50 to -3.91%).