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Humane On-Farm Killing of Spent Hens

Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602; Phone: (706) 542-1325; FAX: (706) 542-8383

Stanley I. Savage

Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Rural Development Center, P. O. Box 1209, Tifton, GA 31793

Correspondence: A. Bruce Webster

The expansion in supplies of spent heavy fowl and the increasing use of broiler meat in further processed food products have reduced the market for spent laying hens to the point that these birds frequently have no value. If spent hens cannot be sold through traditional channels, egg producers must seek alternative ways to dispose of old flocks. A fowl removal program must first address the problems of where and how the spent hens should be killed. Without a centralized site for slaughter, the most suitable place to kill spent hens is on the farm itself. The work reported herein has been dedicated to the development of a cost-effective and humane method for on-farm killing of spent hens. A mobile MAK (modified atmosphere killing) unit was built consisting of a 21 ft. ³ closed cart with spring-loaded doors through which hens can be placed inside. A carbon dioxide (CO₂) cylinder is mounted on the unit so CO₂ can be dispensed into the interior as needed to stun and kill hens. The prototype MAK unit has proven to be effective in on-farm trials, with about 30,000 hens having been killed in it thus far. The efficiency of the unit should make it possible to recover the cost of the CO₂ used to kill the hens.

Key Words: Animal welfare • layers • modified atmosphere killing • on-farm slaughter • spent hens