Apparatus and method for stunning poultry in a stunning chamber above ground

An apparatus configured and adapted for gas-stunning live poultry, which are intended for slaughter and located in containers, by a gas mixture containing a stunning gas, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one stunning chamber having:
• at least two stunning zones;
• at least one input station arranged on an inlet side of the stunning chamber for the containers containing live poultry;
• and
• at least one output station arranged on an outlet side of the stunning chamber for the containers containing stunned poultry;
• a transport device with at least one transport conveyor configured and adapted for transporting the containers from the input station to the output station through the stunning chamber along at least one transport path;
• wherein;
• the at least one stunning chamber is arranged above ground and the at least two stunning zones are configured and adapted to lie substantially horizontally one above the other;
• the gas mixture of the at least two stunning zones has different concentrations of the stunning gas in each of the stunning zones, the concentration of the stunning gas in the gas mixture of the at least two stunning zones increasing from an uppermost of the stunning zones to a lowermost of the stunning zones;
• and
• the transport device is configured and adapted to transport the containers on the at least one transport path substantially horizontally in a meandering manner through the at least two stunning zones along a stunning path in the stunning chamber.

A method for gas-stunning live poultry which are intended for slaughter and are located in containers, by a gas mixture containing a stunning gas, comprising the steps:

• feeding the containers containing the live poultry to a stunning chamber by at least one input station, wherein the stunning chamber is arranged above ground;
• transporting the containers through at least two stunning zones of the stunning chamber, which are arranged substantially horizontally one above the other, by a transport device having at least one transport conveyor;
• wherein;
• the gas mixture of the at least two stunning zones has different concentrations of the stunning gas in each of the stunning zones;
• and
• the concentration of the stunning gas in the gas mixture of the at least two stunning zones increases, starting from an uppermost of the stunning zones to a lowermost of the stunning zones;
• discharging the containers containing stunned poultry by an output station;
• wherein;
• the containers are transported by the transport device on the at least one transport path through the at least two stunning zones in a substantially horizontally meandering manner along a stunning path into the stunning chamber.