Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 60
1 Foods and to GD Bowes of Norfolk?
A. Yes.
2
Q. Then it goes on: "Often these chickens suffer from Hock
3 Burns and ulcerated feet". Did you see any such chickens
at Sun Valley?
4 A. I have two points to make: When they say "these
chickens", it refers to birds which did not move around at
5 all.
6 Q. I know.
A. There were no such birds. Secondly, I did not observe
7 any cases of Hock Burn or pododermatitis, ulcerated feet.
8 Q. So, in your observation, both the cause and the effect
were absent?
9 A. Correct.
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can you tell me what "Hock Burn" is?
A. It is on the hind leg, on what you might consider to
11 be the elbow, there is a scab that forms which can become
infected and inflamed.
12
Q. Is that disease or rubbing against something? Is it
13 because it is pressed down on its hocks?
A. Absolutely.
14
Q. By weight or weakness of its legs?
15 A. It is particularly common in birds which are lame. It
is also associated with other factors like poor quality
16 environment/index.html">litter. If the environment/index.html">litter is wet, or if it gets what is
called capped, it forms a sheet on the top which makes it
17 very greasy, then you can get a chemical irritant starting
it off.
18
Q. And the ulcerated feet -- I know what ulcers are?
19 A. It is a similar condition to that. In fact, it comes
as a black scab which occurs in Hock Burn. You get a
20 black scab on the bottom of the foot pad.
21 Q. And the reasons for that?
A. I think it would be more prone -- in that situation
22 since the bird is on its feet most of the time, it would
be more a function of environment/index.html">litter quality, I think, but I am
23 not certain.
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Thank you.
25 MR. RAMPTON: You told us earlier, Dr. Gregory, I think, that
you thought the quality of environment/index.html">litter in the unit that you
26 visited at Sun Valley was good?
A. I did.
27
Q. It reads on -----
28
MR. JUSTICE BELL: "Litter" just means what I might call
29 bedding, does it?
A. Yes. In this situation I can add one point, that this
30 particular unit was different. Commonly, it is wood
shavings that are used as environment/index.html">litter. This particular company
