Nitrogen whole house gassing (nwhg) for poultry depopulation has been successful internationally

This project aims to bring a new method of poultry depopulation to the US by validating the nwhg and demonstrate its utility in minnesota (MN) floor reared and caged layer facilities. Design principles and standards will be drawn from other countries' nwhg efforts to optimize the process. Research activities will include evaluation and validation of the system design leading to efficient distribution of nitrogen into different MN poultry housing systems. Gas engineering principles will be used to reduce oxygen levels to anoxic conditions resulting in rapid loss of posture and subsequent death. Liquid nitrogen (LIN) will be released into hose lines and volatilized into nitrogen gas within the facility. Within house conditions will be monitored using a variety of remote environmental and gas sensing equipment. Bird behavior will be monitored using thermal and visible spectrum cameras and physiologic responses recorded with implanted data loggers that will later be correlated with environmental conditions. The system will be tested in several MN weather conditions. Invited o bservers will be asked to witness the event and provide their perceptions and likeliness to accept the method. Finally, statewide resources for LIN availability, transportation, and other requirements for successful nwhg programs will be identified for industry and regulatory sectors. An economic calculator for nhwg utilization will be developed for use during emergency and non-emergency events. Deliverables from this project include a model of gas distribution and an operational manual for poultry barn nwhg that will be publicly available to ensure repeatable results in a variety of poultry housing systems. This project will ensure animal welfare standards are met when using nwhg by evaluating environmental parameters, bird behavior, and physiological responses to provide evidence that loss of posture (and resultant death) occurred before environmental temperature reduction, thereby preventing animal suffering, and resulted in rapid death of 100% of birds. System demonstrations will increase industry, regulatory, and academic knowledge of nwhg systems and comfort level regarding the method for poultry depopulation in both floor-reared and caged layer facilities.