Condemned Carcass Lab (POUL 5110)

Below, you will see examples of Condemned Carcasses we observed. During this lab, we had to identify the reasons the carcasses were condemned in a commercial processing plant and explain how the issue could have been prevented.

This is an example of air sacculitis in the lungs. Air sacculitis is caused during the late winter, early fall months due to the seasonal struggle of poor ventilation and cold and heat stress. It is most common in regions with high altitudes. High levels of ammonia caused by poor ventilation make the lungs swollen and inflamed causing them to be more susceptible to bacteria. All affected areas must be removed and are condemned. This can be prevented by managing ventilation correctly and can be treated with antibiotics in some cases

This is an example of extreme bruising on the muscle of the leg quarter. This type of bruising occurred when the bird was alive due to its red and purple color. In most cases, this bruising occurred during catching, transportation, or hanging the bird. Because of the extensiveness of the bruise, the carcass will be condemned. This leg quarter can be removed from the carcass and the rest of the carcass can go to further processing. This can be prevented by adequately training the crews that handle live birds and monitoring them closely.

These carcasses are examples of Synovitis and tenosynovitis. This is diagnosed because of the swollen, inflamed, fluid-filled joint on the hock. This is caused by synovial fluid accumulating in the tendon or joint causing it to be inflamed or viral arthritis. All affected tissue must be condemned.