Aversive reactions of turkeys to argon, carbon dioxide and a mixture of carbon dioxide and argon

The reactions of turkeys to the presence of either 90 per cent argon in air (anoxia), 72 per cent carbon dioxide in air or a mixture of 30 per cent carbon dioxide and 60 per cent argon in air with 3 per cent residual oxygen were tested. The majority of the turkeys did not avoid a feeding chamber con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inVeterinary record Vol. 138; no. 24; pp. 592 - 593
Main Author Raj, A. B. M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England BMJ Publishing Group Limited 15.06.1996
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Abattoirs
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Animals
Argon - adverse effects
Behavior, Animal - drug effects
Carbon Dioxide - adverse effects
Drug Combinations
Eating
Female
Stress, Physiological - chemically induced
Turkeys
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Summary:The reactions of turkeys to the presence of either 90 per cent argon in air (anoxia), 72 per cent carbon dioxide in air or a mixture of 30 per cent carbon dioxide and 60 per cent argon in air with 3 per cent residual oxygen were tested. The majority of the turkeys did not avoid a feeding chamber containing either argon or the mixture of carbon dioxide and argon, but 50 per cent of the turkeys avoided a feeding chamber containing 72 per cent carbon dioxide in air. It is concluded that from the point of view of welfare, either 90 per cent argon in air or a mixture of 30 per cent carbon dioxide and 60 per cent argon in air, would be preferable to a high concentration of carbon dioxide for stunning/killing turkeys.
ISSN:0042-4900
2042-7670
DOI:10.1136/vr.138.24.592