shocks occur when the birds are splashed before being submerged
or when the tips of their wings dip into the electrified water.
Turkeys are especially prone to pre-stun shocks as their wings
hang lower than their heads when suspended (see photo to right).
In a survey conducted in the U.K. In 1991, the average number of
turkeys receiving pre-stun electric shocks was 43%, with some
slaughter plants showing a rate as high as 87% (Wooton and
Gregory, 1991).
welfare problems abound here as well as some still-conscious birds
continue to move by lifting their heads or flapping their wings. By
doing so they "dodge the knifes, some completely, some partially"
(Gregory, 1991) with such frequency that "problems associated with
inefficient neck cutting [are] only too common in poultry processing plants."
whether both carotid arteries are cut or not. "Failure to cut both carotids can add two minutes to the
time taken for brain failure to occur in birds. Worst is the severance of only one jugular vein, which can
cause birds to retain consciousness while in severe pain for up to 8 minutes" (Gregory, 1984 cited in
Davis, Prisoned Chickens, 119; Stevenson, 3.2.2 cited in The Need for Legislation and Elimination of
Electrical Immobilization, Dr. Karen Davis, United Poultry Concerns).
exsanguinate enter the scald tank before breathing has stopped. Numerous studies (Griffiths, 1985;
Griffiths and Purcell 1984; Heath et al. 1983) have determined that the red discoloration of the skin,
referred to as "cherries" or "red skins" by slaughter line workers, is in fact the result of live birds entering
the scald tank as the dead birds do not develop this skin discoloration. According to the United States
Department of Agriculture's own statistics for 2002, more than 3.7 million chickens were classified as
"cadavers" that had been either scalded to death or drowned in the scald tanks.