116. It appears that nearly all sick or injured turkeys which are culled to prevent suffering are despatched by dislocation of the neck, either by hand pulling or by use of a simple device (e.g. a broom handle). Whilst we believe this to be satisfactory for smaller birds there may be some difficulty in achieving a clean kill if the turkey is large and heavy. Indeed, we were told that some farmers were reluctant to kill such birds themselves and preferred to put them in a hospital pen in the hope they would recover.
117. If a turkey is suffering and cannot be treated it must be humanely killed without delay. Farms should be equipped to deal effectively with such eventualities and should have a suitable device on hand. Although some farmers have designed their own equipment, we have seen few devices which were sufficiently compact to be carried by the stockman during his or her rounds. We are concerned that there may be a temptation to leave some birds for a day or two because it is not easy to carry them from the shed to the equipment. This could be overcome if an easy-to-use, portable device was developed. Sick or injured birds could then be killed as they are found.
118. Should the farmer decide that there is a good chance of a sick turkey recovering, it may be worth isolating the bird in a hospital pen. However, there needs to be a strict set of guidelines covering the use of hospital pens.
119. Research is required to develop a portable and easy-to-use device which can be used to kill turkeys, including large birds, humanely. Ideally, the device should be of a size which can be carried by the stockman during inspections of the flock.
120. If a hospital pen is set up it should be within the main house and used to segregate sick birds or sexing errors and these birds should be inspected at least once every 24 hours.
121. Any bird which has no hope of survival must be culled immediately and not placed in a hospital pen. Any bird in a hospital pen which is not showing improvement at inspection must be humanely destroyed.
122. Catching and handling should be done in a careful manner when turkeys are to be put in a hospital pen. They should be placed in it and not dropped over the surround.
123. Unfit birds must not be sent for slaughter. Any bird which is unable to stand must not be transported and must be humanely killed on the farm.