Method of processing question

[Viksceeks]

I called up the only local and licensed poultry processing company to make a Turkey appointment. Upon talking to the gentleman, he told me they stun (electrocute) the birds but they are still alive and then slit the throat. He said it's the most humane because they don't feel it but it sounds like a halal method. The halal method is questionable to some
Has anyone had experience with this? The whole point to why I raise is so I know they are raised and culled humanely

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Stunning has a lot of controversy for butcher plants. Videos from animal rights groups will show birds that are conscious and not stunned at all, but I personally feel that if that were the case they would fix it sooner or later since it can't be good for the plant either

I personally know nothing about Halal methods so I can't help you there. Is there a reason you weren't planning on doing it yourself?

 

[iwltfum]

Yes the stunning method is pretty commonly used commercially, and actually viewed as more humane by animal rights activists so far as I understand it, since the birds are meant to be unconscionable before the artery cut. I, too, am unfamiliar with the halal method or why it is questionable.

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

Halal or Kosher? Kosher processing also requires the animal be alive and bled out. I process my birds this way also. I feel better knowing the blood is all out before I start cleaning the carcass. There are several methods though, and you have to decide which one works best for you.

 

[Viksceeks]

Stunning has a lot of controversy for butcher plants. Videos from animal rights groups will show birds that are conscious and not stunned at all, but I personally feel that if that were the case they would fix it sooner or later since it can't be good for the plant either

I personally know nothing about Halal methods so I can't help you there. Is there a reason you weren't planning on doing it yourself?

I usually do the chickens myself but since it's a Turkey, I wanted it done. The initial kill is the hard part for me and my husband. We've tried different methods but nothing yet we're comfortable with or that seems fast enough

 

[JacinLarkwell]

If I may suggest, we just use guns for ours. They go down quickly and with little fuss normally

 

[Viksceeks]

If I may suggest, we just use guns for ours. They go down quickly and with little fuss normally

We did that today and even with a point blank head shot, it still didn't go down without a neck slit

 

[Viksceeks]

Halal or Kosher? Kosher processing also requires the animal be alive and bled out. I process my birds this way also. I feel better knowing the blood is all out before I start cleaning the carcass. There are several methods though, and you have to decide which one works best for you.

Halal is what the processing plant does

 

[poultryprofessor]

Based on scientific studies, electrical stunning effectively renders the bird unconscious (which is the important part). Once unconscious, the bird is insensitive to pain, so they don't feel the knife cut to the throat or consciously experience the blood loss. The heart is still beating which allows the blood to fully drain from the body.

From my understanding of halal processing, stunning may or may not be allowed depending on who you speak to. Many small producers just use the throat cut/bleed out to kill birds with no prior stunning. From personal experience and scientific study, that is much less humane - the bird is still aware of what is going on until quite a bit of blood has been lost. This can be 30 seconds or more.