Poultry stunning

An apparatus 10 for passing an electrical current through a series of birds 32 for killing or stunning the birds prior to slaughter comprises a continuous shackle train 12 in which the shackle 16 are adapted to move the birds along a arcuate path. A water bath 38 is located below a section of said path so that the heads of the birds will pass through the water bath. A plurality of electrical contacts 30 is adapted to engage and move with those shackles which are traversing said path section at any given moment and electrical circuitry (not shown) having a connection with the water bath and with the electrical contacts acts to apply the desired electrical current to the birds as they traverse said path section. Shackle train drive is effected by disc 20.