USPOULTRY announces the completion of a funded research project at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. in which researchers provided insight on using ventilation shut down as a humane depopulation method. USPOULTRY approved $550,000 in emergency funding in October 2015 to support further avian influenza research and communication. This research is the third project completed with the funding. A brief summary of the completed research is shown below.
Project #BRU007: Evaluating hen behavior and physiological stressors during VSD for the development of humane methodologies for mass depopulation during a disease outbreak
Researchers at North Carolina State University, led by Dr. Kenneth Anderson, recently completed a research project in which they studied the effectiveness of ventilation shut down (VSD) as a depopulation method for caged layers. They found that the effectiveness of VSD could be enhanced by the addition of heat or CO2. Actual time of death and time spent unconscious prior to death were measured using electroencephalograms on individual hens. This research provides a scientific foundation for understanding how the poultry industry can use VSD as a humane depopulation method during disease emergencies.
