Sheep may be stunned using either electricity or a captive-bolt pistol. Sheep may also be stunned and killed using electricity; this is usually referred to as a head-to-back stun-kill. They are then shackled, hoisted and bled.
Electrical stunning itself does not injure the sheep. Industry standards state that the sheep's throat must then be cut without delay (after the stun) to ensure bleed out (insufficient blood/oxygen to maintain life) prior to the time the sheep would normally regain consciousness.
Electrical - used on sheep, calves and pigs. An electrical current is passed through the animal's brain via a large pair of tongs, causing a temporary loss of consciousness. Some systems also pass the current through the heart, so the animal is not just stunned but also killed.
Slaughtering. After stunning, animals are usually suspended by a hind limb and moved down a conveyor line for the slaughter procedures. They are typically bled (a process called sticking or exsanguination) by the insertion of a knife into the thoracic cavity and severance of the carotid artery and jugular vein.
Sheep and dairy calves are mostly subjected to an 'electrical stunning' device that sends an electric current across the brain, rendering them unconscious. This is the fate of a staggering 31 million sheep and 8 million cattle every year in Australia.
Humane killing of lambs
To humanely kill a lamb of any age: use a firearm. stun with a captive bolt then immediately bleed out. give a lethal injection.
Lambs are often shorn before slaughter, but their skin is more valuable with more wool attached. Some sheep are raised to be a bit older before they are shorn and killed. Other sheep are continually shorn until they are 5 or 6 years old and then slaughtered.
While waiting to be killed, the animals screamed in agony as they wounded themselves on the metal gratings. When animals are slaughtered, they are not completely stunned and are still aware of what is happening. They continue to kick and flail until they bleed to death.
Hogs may be killed any time after they reach six weeks of age, but for the most profitable pork production may need to be fed for five to ten months. Sheep and goats may be killed anytime after six weeks, but the more desirable age is from six to 12 months.
Where a complete state of unconsciousness is rendered prior to bleeding the process is known as humane slaughtering. Under such practice, the state of unconsciousness and accompanying painlessness is effected either by mechanical, electrical or chemical means in a process called stunning.
Do lambs cry when being slaughtered? - Quora Answer (1 of 5): Scream? No. They might bleat as they enter the building, but they are quickly knocked senseless with a bolt to the base of the brain before being hung up by a hind leg and the throat is slit to allow the blood to drain.
“Apart from the physically dangerous employment conditions, the underlying violent nature of working in a slaughterhouse also poses a risk to the psychological well-being of employees and cases of cumulative trauma disorder have been reported.
Young fleshed lambs and creep-fed lambs will kill out on average from 48% to 50%, dropping back to 46% to 47% for older lambs or those finished on average-quality grass. While post-weaning fleshed grass-fed lambs will generally kill out from 45% to 46%.
Regardless of religious or cultural beliefs, prior to slaughter animals must be humanely and immediately rendered unconscious via stunning, and remain unconscious until death occurs. Abattoirs in Australia should install Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) to assist in meeting animal welfare requirements.
Slaughter: Lambs
The majority of sheep killed in Australia are lambs, slaughtered around 6 – 8 months of age. Sheep can naturally live up to 20 years, with a typical lifespan of 10-12 years. Every year an average of 22.72 million lambs are slaughtered.
Lamb being raised for meat are generally harvested at less than a year old. They get shorn once prior to being harvested. A ewe or ram will typically get sheared once each year, and can be productive for 6-8 years.
Slaughter. Most lambs/sheep are slaughtered at 10 weeks to 6 months, though some may be 14 months old. Find out about some of the key welfare issues for sheep.
Live sheep averaging 45 kilograms yield 22-kilogram carcasses (50 percent yield of live weight).
In 2021, the average weight of slaughtered sheep and lamb carcasses per head was 20 kilograms, a weight that has remained somewhat stable over a number of years.
Animals must be fully stunned—unconscious and insensible to pain—before they're shackled, strung up, and slaughtered. But so many animals remain alert to what's happening through to the very end. Animals must also be able to walk into the slaughterhouse on their own.
Sheep. Most are electrically stunned, followed by sticking. The other main method is captive bolt. 75% of sheep are killed by a halal method.
Mammals and birds also experience fear and pain, as well as being deprived of their lives. In many countries animals are supposed to be stunned first so they don't suffer, or at least suffer less, when they are killed. Animals in slaughterhouses also undergo terrible psychological suffering.
Shearing does not hurt the sheep because this process is similar to shaving. Only the extra layer of hair that grows above the skin is removed and the skin as such is not hurt.
However, full hoggets can still experience stress and discomfort during shearing and, like ewes, can cause slippery and unhygienic conditions in the woolshed. Research on the effect of fasting on lambs has shown that 24 hours off feed causes a large reduction in gut fill but no loss of carcass weight.
As sheep are prey animals, they're frightened by the rapid pace, rough handling, and whirring of the shears. They can also get cut from the sheer speed of operation or while trying to reorient themselves to feel safe.