Day 092 - 27 Feb 95 - Page 69


     
     1        outside.  On the outside there are a lot of diseases.
     2        There are a lot of problems when you raise an animal on the
     3        outside.  You cannot control an animal in the open range.
     4
     5   Q.   Well, you can have a fence around to restrict it to a
     6        certain area, can you not?
     7        A.  You can do that, but you can tell me how you are going
     8        to keep the animals from being sick.  Tell me how you are
     9        going to clean that?
    10
    11   Q.   They do not get cleaned out while they are being reared?
    12        A.  So are you telling me, are you going to put them in a
    13        fenced area and never clean it?
    14
    15   Q.   Clean them out the with the same frequency as the indoor
    16        sheds?
    17        A.  You do not know the industry.  You do not know our
    18        business.  You cannot do that.
    19
    20   Q.   How do you know?  You have not tried it?
    21        A.  Show me some evidence that somebody has done it.
    22
    23   Q.   I thought you had investigated all this?
    24        A.  Yes, there is plenty of evidence to support that.  That
    25        does not work.  The animals will get sick.  There is no
    26        control over the environment.  When it gets cold they will
    27        have respiratory diseases.  They will die.
    28
    29   Q.   You get that in indoor sheds as well?
    30        A.  What was that?
    31
    32   Q.   You get that in indoor sheds?
    33        A.  You get a lot better success control when they are
    34        indoors.  There are a lot of birds on the outside that
    35        carry diseases.  They have adapted but chickens are not.
    36        They carry salmonella.  They carry a lot of bacteria.
    37
    38   Q.   Most of the birds that are reared outside live considerably
    39        longer than the six or seven weeks at which you slaughter
    40        them at Tysons?
    41        A.  They might live longer, they might, but then again they
    42        might not.  The chances are they are going to get sick.
    43        They are going to lead a poor life.
    44
    45   Q.   So you believe that all the chickens that live outside get
    46        sick and basically die?
    47        A.  No.  You are making a different statement.  I said most
    48        animal, yes.  There is plenty of evidence to document that
    49        the animals that live outside in an open environment are no
    50        better.  In fact, there are worse conditions.  They are in 
    51        a worse physical condition than the animals that are reared 
    52        inside. 
    53
    54   Q.   Is that from comparing the mortality figures for outside
    55        chickens that live for a couple of years?
    56        A.  No.  It is comparing the physical condition of the
    57        birds.
    58
    59   Q.   But at what age?
    60        A.  At about the same age of 50 days, 60 days maximum.

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