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

Prev Next Index