PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Euthanasia is an essential task performed daily on commercial poultry farms around the world to safeguard animal welfare. Manual cervical dislocation (MCD) is the most common euthanasia method but can be challenging to perform given the physical strength required to implement this technique. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel cervical dislocation tool (NCDT) compared to MCD. A total of 60 Ross 308 chickens (6-wk old) and 60 Ross 706 parent stock breeders (21-wk old) were enrolled in the study. Birds were sexed, blocked by body weight, and allocated to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) MCD and 2) NCDT. Immediately following euthanasia application, insensibility, and death were monitored. Once death was confirmed, gross evaluation, radiograph, and macroscopic/microscopic scoring were performed. Both euthanasia methods were 100% effective in achieving insensibility followed by cardiac and respiratory arrest in both age groups. In 6-wk-old broilers, there were no differences in insensibility measures or location and severity of the dislocation site by treatment. The NCDT treatment group showed an increased frequency of fractures located at the tooth-like process that projects from the cranial aspect of the centrum of the axis (dens) but had no impact on bird insensibility. For parent stock, differences in nictitating membrane reflex (NMR) and laceration scores for birds euthanized with NCDT were found and likely associated with additional force exerted with the tool. The NCDT is a promising replacement for MCD and future work should address the development of free and accessible training materials for on-farm use.
摘要：
安乐死是世界各地商业家禽养殖场每天执行的一项重要任务，以保障动物福利。手动颈椎脱位（MCD）是最常见的安乐死方法，但考虑到实施此技术所需的体力，执行可能具有挑战性。因此,本研究的目的是评估一种新型颈椎脱位工具(NCDT)与MCD相比的疗效.该研究共招募了60只罗斯308只鸡（6周龄）和60只罗斯706亲本种鸡（21周龄）。鸟类有性别，被体重阻塞，并分配给2种治疗中的1种:1)MCD和2)NCDT。安乐死申请后，不敏感,和死亡被监控。一旦确认死亡，总体评价，射线照片,进行宏观/微观评分。在两个年龄组中，两种安乐死方法均可100％有效地实现无感，然后是心脏和呼吸骤停。在6周龄的肉鸡中，通过治疗，脱位部位的不敏感性措施或位置和严重程度没有差异。NCDT治疗组显示出位于牙齿状过程中的骨折频率增加，该过程从轴心（窝点）的颅面突出，但对鸟类的不敏感性没有影响。对于母公司股票，发现了用NCDT安乐死的鸟类的硝化膜反射（NMR）和裂伤评分的差异，并且可能与工具施加的额外力有关。NCDT是MCD的有希望的替代品，未来的工作应解决为农场使用编写免费和无障碍的培训材料的问题。
