Poultry are electrically stunned before slaughter to induce unconsciousness and to immobilize the chickens for easier killing. From a welfare point of view, electrical stunning should induce immediate and lasting unconsciousness in the chicken. As an alternative to electroencephalography, which measures brain electrical activity, this study used brain impedance recordings, which measure brain metabolic activity, to determine the onset and development of brain damage. Fifty-six chickens were

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... ically equipped with brain electrodes and a canula in the wing artery and were subjected to one of seven stunning and killing methods: whole body electrical stunning; head-only electrical stunning at 50, 100 or 150 V; or an i.v. injection with MgCl 2 . After 30 s, the chickens were exsanguinated. Brain impedance and blood (