Medium-expansion water-based foam depopulation of sheep and goats

Water-based foam (WBF) is an effective depopulation method for poultry, pigs, and cattle. We evaluated WBF as an effective means for the depopulation of sheep and goats. First, anesthetized sheep and goats (N = 6 per species) were terminated to prove lethality. Then, conscious animals (N = 58 sheep, 60 goats) were observed for distress behaviors during foam administration, with a subset of animals implanted with bio-loggers to determine time to cessation of movement (COM) and cardiac death. Two vocalizations were counted in sheep, while no distress behaviors were observed in goats. Average times (mm: ss ± SD) to COM and fatal cardiac rhythm were 03:05 ± 00:13 and 11:09 ± 04:32 in sheep, and 02:55 ± 00:14 and 11:01 ± 05:18 min in goats, respectively. In a separate trial, electroencephalogram (EEG) waveforms were captured (N = 13 per species) to determine time to cortical death. Average time from WBF application to transitional EEG and isoelectric EEG was 02:40 ± 00:12 and 04:10 ± 00:13 in sheep and 01:48 ± 00:14 and 3:28 ± 00:19 in goats, respectively. Based on our findings, we found WBF to be a reliable and efficient method for depopulating adult sheep and goats.