LPT 312: Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology (1+1)

POINTS OF STUNNING USING MECHANICAL INSTRUMENTS

• With both types of percussive stunners, care must be taken to hold the instrument reasonably firmly against the animal's head at the proper point and direction.
• Adult cattle
• In adult cattle, the instrument is placed is in the middle of the fore head at the point of intersection of two lines drawn from the medial canthus of each eye to the base of the opposite horn.
• The instrument is placed at right angles to the head.
• Calves
• In calves, the instrument is placed slightly lower on the head, than for adult cattle.
• Bulls
• The muzzle of the instrument is placed 13 mm to the side of the ridge running down the centre of the fore head.
• Buffaloes
• The instrument is placed at the intersection of two lines drawn from the base of each ear to the base of the opposite horn.
• Sheep and goats
• In horn less sheep and goats the gun is placed on the top of the head and aimed towards the gullet
• For horned sheep and goats the muzzle of the instrument is placed just behind the ridge, which runs between the horns and aimed towards the gullet.
• Pigs
• The instrument is placed on a point one inch or 2.5 cm above the level of the eyes and fired upwards into the cranial cavity.
• Older pigs
• In older pigs captive bolt stunning is less reliable owing to the massive nature of the skulls and the large frontal sinuses of older pigs.
• The muzzle should be placed about 5 cm above the level of the eyes to the side of the ridge, which is in the mid-line of the skull, and at right angles to the frontal surface.
• Horses
• The instrument is placed high up on the fore head immediately below the roots of the fore lock where two lines from the medial canthus of the each eye to the base of the opposite ear intersect and the aim is slightly below the right angle plane to the fore head.