Day 089 - 15 Feb 95 - Page 35
1 undue mortality.
2
3 Q. If they keep the yoke sack for 48 hours, then might one
4 assume that it is important to get them away from the
5 hatchery and into the growing house within that period?
6 A. Yes, but the aim is obviously to get them to the
7 growing farm as quickly as possible within a few hours of
8 hatching.
9
10 Q. On arrival at the growing house these crates are removed
11 from the lorry by what means?
12 A. The crates are on trollies. The trollies are wheeled
13 out of the lorry and into the house, and then the crates
14 are lifted out of the trollies and they are just, the
15 chicks are gently tipped on to the environment/index.html">litter.
16
17 Q. You say"on to the environment/index.html">litter", is that the environment/index.html">litter left by the
18 last batch or is it new environment/index.html">litter or what?
19 A. No, every farm is cleaned out and has fresh environment/index.html">litter in
20 place before the next batch of chicks come in.
21
22 Q. Is there any disinfecting process which occurs before the
23 new environment/index.html">litter is put down?
24 A. There is a thorough cleaning and disinfection that goes
25 on before the new environment/index.html">litter is placed.
26
27 Q. Are the feeding troughs and drinking, whatever they are,
28 drinkers, are they cleaned?
29 A. Yes, everything, all the equipment in the house is
30 cleaned. Some of it has to be taken outside to be cleaned,
31 some of it can be cleaned in situ.
32
33 Q. So, how quickly under normal circumstances will a new load
34 of chicks replace the batch that has previously occupied
35 the house, how soon after the others have gone?
36 A. The normal procedure is to have a house clean and empty
37 of chicks for five days between each flock and for 10 days
38 for the whole farm.
39
40 Q. What do you use for environment/index.html">litter?
41 A. We use either wood shavings or paper.
42
43 Q. Litter is not cleared out while the batches of males and
44 females are still in the sheds?
45 A. No, that is done after they have gone.
46
47 Q. Given that the birds are going to defecate on the environment/index.html">litter
48 throughout their 42 or 52 days, which they will do, will
49 they not ---
50 A. Yes.
51
52 Q. -- does the quality of the environment/index.html">litter deteriorate during that
53 period?
54 A. No, the quality of the environment/index.html">litter improves. It changes its
55 consistency because what happens is the bulk of the faeces
56 that birds excrete is in the form of uric acid which is
57 broken down by bacterial decomposition to produce ammonia
58 and the working of the bacteria is very similar to a
59 compost heap, that it starts to work on the wood shavings
60 or the paper and produces a dry and friable material.
