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Tunnel carbon dioxide immobilizer

  • US 5,788,564 A
  • Filed: 10/16/1996
  • Issued: 08/04/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for anesthetizing animals for slaughter, comprising:

  • a gas chamber having a top, side walls and a floor, the chamber having an inlet through one end wall and an outlet through another end wall, the chamber being sized to provide an anesthetizing gas zone in a lower portion thereof so that animals may be rendered unconscious during their traverse of the zone;

    an inclined inlet ramp extending to the inlet of the chamber and a declined outlet chute for receiving anesthetized animals from the outlet of the chamber, the inlet ramp being sized to force the animals to proceed to the inlet in single file;

    a continuous belly conveyor extending through the gas chamber from the inlet, through the anesthetizing gas zone, and through the outlet for supporting the animals on their bellies and transporting them through the gas chamber in single file at a rate sufficiently slow to ensure each animal is rendered unconscious by the time it reaches the outlet, the conveyor having a pickup portion extending from the inlet of the chamber into the inlet ramp for receiving individual animals and supporting them on their bellies for introduction into the chamber;

    guide means extending alone either side and over the conveyor substantially along its entire length, the guide means containing the animals on the conveyor during their transport through the chamber; and

    means for introducing an anesthetizing gas into the chamber.

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