Effect of captive bolt gun length on brain trauma and post-stunning hind limb activity in finished cattle Bos taurus.

ABSTRACT

Hind limb post stunning kicking in properly stunned unconscious cattle is a safety hazard for employees. Three different captive bolt lengths of 15.2 cm (STRD), 16.5 cm (MED), and 17.8 cm (LON) were evaluated for amount of tissue damage and hind limb kicking in a Jarvis USSS-1 pneumatic stunner. The air pressure setting was 1378.95 to 1447.90 pKa for all captive bolts. All 45 test cattle were rendered unconscious with a single shot. There was a trend (P = .06) for less kicking to occur when the 16.5 cm length bolt was used in the stunner. Visual appraisal of the brains on the split heads indicated that the shortest bolt caused the least amount of brain damage. The brainstems were intact for all cattle regardless of captive bolt treatment. Young fed English, Continental European, and Holstein steers and heifers can be effectively stunned without visible brainstem disruption.