This study examined the effects of three methods of stunning and exsanguinating (bleeding out) chickens. The first method involved electrical stunning of the whole body, followed by exsanguinations. This method was always effective in achieving an immediate reduction in brain impedance (a measure of degree of function). Birds reached a criterion of A? original impedance within 4 minutes with this method. The second method was electrical stunning of the head only, followed by exsanguinations. Some birds showed similar responses as the whole body stunning, while others were similar to the third treatment. The conclusion is that this method did not always yield an adequate stun. The third method was exsanguinations only. The drop in brain impedance was slower, and the criterion of A? original level was only achieved after 5 minutes. However, by 10 minutes all treatments were similar. The conclusion is that whole body stunning induced immediate brain damage indicating an adequate stun. Head only stunning was not reliable in this study.