Day 020 - 28 Jul 94 - Page 82
1 heating.
2 MR. RAMPTON: In a free range situation the chicken must decide
for itself to go inside if it is too cold, I assume?
3 A. That is logical.
4 Q. Equally, if it is a bit hot inside, it may want to cool
off and go outside?
5 A. If it is cooler outside, that may be to its advantage.
6 Q. Are these free range sheds open 24 hours a day?
A. Not usually, no.
7
Q. They are put in at night and the doors are closed?
8 A. That is usual practice.
9 Q. What is the reason for that?
A. Security and to minimise even further any risks of
10 predation.
11 Q. Is it possible for you to judge whether there is a
comparison to be made between the two kinds of
12 establishment in point of leg breakages, wing breakages,
matters of that kind?
13 A. Comparisons have been made.
14 Q. Can you give us an estimate from your learning?
A. Yes. Would you care for me to include some barn
15 systems or would you just prefer me to focus on free range
when making a comparison with battery systems?
16
Q. If you could, please, do free range against battery, first
17 of all?
A. Right. The prevalence of broken bones at the time the
18 birds are harvested for slaughter, if you excuse the
expression "harvesting", is the order of 29 per cent for
19 battery hens, and in the case of free range it is 5 per
cent. So new breaks at the time of slaughter is that sort
20 of prevalence.
21 Q. What about in their life before slaughter, in the habitat
which they live in?
22 A. In the case of battery hens it is of the order of 5
per cent, fractures which subsequently mend, so they are
23 occurring during lay; in the case of free range, there is
-- I do not remember the figure; I remember the figure
24 for barn systems; I do not remember the figure, but I can
provide it to the court if it is required for free range.
25
Q. If it is insignificant it does not matter, Dr. Gregory,
26 but I wonder if you can remember whether for, as it were,
the in-house injuries before collection, before
27 harvesting, the difference in breakages was significantly
greater or less among free range chickens than it is
28 amongst battery chickens?
A. I understand your question. In the case of birds
29 which are loose housed and able to fly, they have flight
accidents; take a perchery system, the prevalence of old
30 breaks or breaks acquired during lay can be as high as 24
per cent.
