laves presentation practical experiences in the culling of poultry in germany

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Niedersächsisches Landesamtfür Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit

Dr. Ursula GerdesDr. Josef Diekmann

Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Thomes

Lower Saxony state office for consumer protection and food safety

Practical experiences in the cullingof poultry in Germany

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Niedersächsisches Landesamtfür Verbraucherschutz und LebensmittelsicherheitPractical experiences in Germany

1. Container cap with carbon dioxide (CO2)

2. Electrocution with mobile units

3. Stable gassing with CO2

4. Backyard flocks units

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1. Container cap with carbon dioxide (CO2)

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1. Container cap with CO2

Netherland, 8th March 2003

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• Capacity: 1.500 to 3.000 birds / h per cap

• 13 caps are owned by rendering plants in Lower Saxony

• Total capacity with an estimated effectiv number of 1.500 birds / h (included setup time) and a 16 hour working period

⇒ about 312.000 birds / day


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Advantages

• low costs in production and storage all technique is located in the cap, cap is service free, standardcontainer stay unchanged

• supplying of birds to the cap can be done with boxes, byhand, with elevators, conveyor belts etc.

• can be used for laying hens (laying battery, free runstables) and chicken, also for peking ducks (geese?)


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Disadvantages

relativ high carbon dioxide consumption

needs a well rehearsed logistic :

1. gas bottle bundles, no single 37-kg-bottles!

2. fittings (compressed gas regulator, metal tubes, gas heatings),

3. large pick up crew (10 - 20 persons)

4. Lift, stairs, elevators upon the cap neccessary


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hooks – positive electrode

water bath – negative electrode

transformer (250 V)

motor (< 1 kW)


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• Capacity: 2.500 to 6.000 birds / h

• 5 mobile units located in Lower Saxony,

service contract with producer

• total capacity with an estimated effectiv number

of 3.000 birds per hour and a 16 hour working day:

⇒ 240.000 birds / d


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Geese culling with mobile electrocution unit

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Disadvantages

• Expensive: about € 40.000,-

• birds have to be hooked in still living (animal welfare)

• not adequate for small birds -birds below 800 grams fall through the hooks


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Advantages

• no stand by contract needed = low running costs

• no complex logistics, very short setup-time

• Inside use

• electrical parameters easy to measure

• sufficient for water fowl

• fixed chain speed: culling depends NOT on working speed

of crew


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3. Stable gassing with CO2 without thermal evaporator

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3. Stable gassing with CO2

• Capacity: 5 - 10 stables per road tanker (20 tons) and day⇒ 2 - 3 turkey farms each with 3 to 5 stables

• Total capacity depends on number of available CO2 road tankers,estimated 8 to 16 in Germany

• Stand by contracts in Germany with Air Liquide and LINDE Gas, each with 1 - 3 teams available after 48 hours

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Stable gassing turkey – „Lousiana stable“

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carbon dioxide outlets (6 mm, one left, one right)

coated fire hoses


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carbon dioxide overflowat the curtains whenabout 30 volume percentof carbon dioxidconcentration is reached


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birds are laying in the same position as they were standing before dischargingof carbon dioxide –no shortening reaction to be seen


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birds adopted a relaxed position –only a few animals show ophistotonus


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• technique of gass supply very expensive and available only in smallamounts (road tankers)

• Good skilled team necessary (provided by company)

• Needs partitioning at very large stable volumes

• Has not been tested on water fowls (ducks, geese)

3. Stable gassing with CO2 - disadvantages

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• Very fast culling of a flock in accordance with animal welfare principles

(1 hour / stable house)

• team size 5 to 6 persons (2 to 3 by gas supplying company)

• Also applicable to multi-level cagings

• no requirements to stable sealings –

• CO2 good available, cheap, (0,20 € / kg)

• no need to handle still living birds

3. Stable gassing with CO2 - advantages

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• Container cap: 312.000 birds / d

• electrocution mobile units: 240.000 birds / d

• stable gassing: 200.000 birds / d(rough estimate for the first weeks:

2 road tanker each with 20 tons CO2,

each 5 chicken fattening stables with 20.000 chickens

• theoretical total capacity: about 752.000 birds / d

Total capacity in Lower Saxony

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4. Small container – 1.000 litres

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4. Small container

standpipecarbon dioxidebottle bundle

1.000 litresstainlesssteelcontainer(standardin slaughterhouses)

carbondioxideanalyzers

revolverdrum opening

carbondioxide„snowpipe“

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5. Dry ice method – dust bin and snow pipe

laves presentation practical experiences in the culling of poultry in germany

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