Table 1.
Number of respondents who reported killing method availability on their current poultry farm (and percentage availability (%) of those working with that bird size), according to bird size at slaughter/end of production (small; broilers and laying hens, medium; broiler breeders, ducks and mixed, large; turkeys).
| Killing method | Small (<3 kg) (n = 162) | Medium (3–5 kg) (n = 25) | Large (>5 kg) (n = 28) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical cervical dislocation (all methods collated) | 61 (37.7%) | 23 (92.0%) | 24 (85.7%) |
| Captive bolt | 9 (5.6%) | 19 (76.0%) | 28 (100.0%) |
| Blunt force trauma | 3 (1.9%) | 1 (4.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Overdose of anesthetic | 11 (6.8%) | 7 (28.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Decapitation | 7 (4.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Electrical Stun-to-kill | 4 (2.5%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Gas | 5 (3.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) |
Mechanical cervical dislocation represents the sum of the following devices (broomstick, pliers, cone, Nex) and captive bolt included both cartridge and noncartridge powered. Manual cervical dislocation availability is not included as it was available to all respondents (100%, n = 215).