Abstract:
A handheld cervical dislocator that will encircle the neck of poultry of most any size and dislocate the neck vertebrae from the skull immediately to terminate the life of culled poultry with minimum discomfort.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cervical vertebrae dislocator for culled poultry and other small animals. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Some poultry such as turkey and chickens are often raised under restricted or confined conditions on turkey farms and the like. These turkeys are transported as poults from a hatchery to a turkey farm early in life. They are fed and monitored with a high degree of regularity and eventually transfer from survival curve to a rapid growth curve corresponding the time of meat production. However, a predictable but small percentage of the poults unsuccessfully makes the switch to the growth curve and are either slow growing due to defective genetics or due to external environmental circumstances. These animals must be quickly identified and exsanguinated as soon as they are recognized as not capable of becoming meat producers. Anything less would mean increased feed costs and higher poultry meat prices. Accordingly, there is a real need for improved methods of euthanasia of poultry and other small animals that are being culled at a production facility. Typically, the current most common way is blunt trauma with a bat-like device. This not only causes the poultry trauma, but can actually have a psychological impact upon the processor that regularly needs to engage in this exercise. 
     This invention has as its primary objective the presentation of an improved exsanguinating or euthanasia device that can conveniently be employed on turkey farms or the like to immediately terminate the life of culled poultry and/or other small animals, all with minimized discomfort and minimum psychological trauma to the processer. 
     Another objective is to provide a device which is inexpensive, can be economically manufactured, and which has minimal parts to decrease the possibility of dysfunctional operation. 
     The method and means of accomplishing each of the above objectives will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A handheld cervical dislocator that will circle the neck of poultry of most any size and dislocate the neck vertebrae from the skull immediately using a shearing/twisting action, to terminate the life of culled poultry, with minimum discomfort. The device comprises a pair of long arm levers pivotally connected with a shear plate and a pair of grippers, operated by swinging open and closed of a pair of handles to operate grippers and the shear plate, which upon closing creates gripping, shearing and twisting action, all simultaneously. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of the cervical dislocator of the present invention, with the grips closed. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial side view of the device of the present invention, with the grips open. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the device of the invention, with the grips open. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the device of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cervical dislocator  10  is comprised of a pair of long armed levers  12 ,  14  pivotally connected by pivot pin  15 . Levers  12  and  14  have handle ends  16 ,  18 , respectively, and a gripper ends  20 ,  22 . Gripper ends  20 ,  22  terminate with jaw blades  24 ,  26 . Jaw blades  24 ,  26  are the same configuration, and held apart by spacers  24   a  and  26   a , and terminate in blade ends  28  and  30 . Grippers  20  and  22  pivot together at pin  15  when handles  16  and  18  are opened, to define the interior space  25  configuration shown best in  FIG. 2 . As best illustrated in the view of  FIGS. 3 and 4  positioned between grippers  20 ,  22  is shear plate  31 , also pivoting at pin  15 . Shear plate  31  is attached via connector strap  32   a  to lever arm  16  and riveted to one end of handle  18  so that grippers  20  and  22  are attached to lever arms  16  and  18 . Closing lever arms  16  and  18  apply a closing a twisting action with jaws  24  and  26  and shear plate  31 . Shear plate  31  has an associated pressure punch post attached to it, shown at  32 , which on closing rests in a space  35  defined between the grippers,  22  and  24 . 
     In actual operation, the device works in the following manner. Lever arms  16 ,  18  are opened as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . When a turkey farm processor notices an animal to be culled, he or she inserts its neck into the opening between the gripper jaws shown in  FIG. 2 , and the jaws and shear plate  31  are closed as shown in  FIG. 3  to provide a closing gripping and twisting action, all simultaneously, which results in dislocation of the neck followed by immediate death. The action is one of shearing the neck bone. One way of describing it is like putting a pencil on one&#39;s three fingers, middle finger under and ring and index finger over and applying pressure until the pencil snaps. Here the shear plate  31  passing between the two grippers creates the shear. This allows turkeys to be culled, the spread of disease controlled and the exsanguination of turkeys that are simply not progressing properly on the growth curve to justify continued feed costs. The device is easy to operate, can be operated with minimal psychological trauma by the operator, and can be operated without exhaustion to the operator since it ensures that each bird is properly terminated with minimum physical effort. 
     While the description here given has been primarily with respect to turkeys, other small animals such as chicken, rabbits, and the like may also be terminated as herein described.