Day 090 - 16 Feb 95 - Page 13


     
     1        dealt with.
     2
     3   Q.   What percentage now of the chicks would be likely to be
     4        involved?
     5        A.  I think it would be very, very low indeed, and I just
     6        could not give you a number because it would be extremely
     7        low.
     8
     9   Q.   You said it is a rare condition now; was it more of a
    10        problem five or 10 years ago?
    11        A.  No, I do not think so.  It has always been something
    12        that has been well recognised by hatchery managers that can
    13        occur if the hatch for any reason is delayed and you get
    14        some chicks hatching out well in advance of their hatch
    15        mates, and adjustment to the equipment can very soon sort
    16        that problem out.
    17
    18   Q.   How does it sort that out?
    19        A.  What you aim to do is to have all -- try to have all
    20        your chicks hatching within a given period and, usually, if
    21        you get a spread of hatch it is because for some reason you
    22        have got different temperatures in different parts of the
    23        individual hatcher.  So, there might be a degree or two
    24        difference, say, between the top and the bottom and this
    25        would advance the chicks in one part compared with the
    26        other.
    27
    28   Q.   What is the given period that you aim to have them hatching
    29        within?
    30        A.  We aim to hatch them all within a 24 hour period.
    31
    32   Q.   Do you usually succeed with that?
    33        A.  Yes, we do.
    34
    35   Q.   How long has that been the case?
    36        A.  It has always been the case.
    37
    38   Q.   So there has been no difference in the equipment that has
    39        been used; it has not become more efficient over the years?
    40        A.  The equipment has been changed and modified over the
    41        years, and so improvements have occurred and we actually
    42        opened a new hatchery in May of this year with brand new
    43        hatching equipment so that we could update all our
    44        equipment at the same time.
    45
    46   Q.   What improvements has that made?
    47        A.  The improvements mean that we get a better quality of
    48        chick, in other words, a more vigorous, lively chick.  We
    49        have improved our hatchability standard, but one of the
    50        principal benefits of having the new hatchery is that we 
    51        have improved hygiene standards where the equipment, 
    52        because it is more modern, is much easier to clean and keep 
    53        tidy.
    54
    55   Q.   When was this introduced, just recently?
    56        A.  May of this (sic) year.
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I thought you said you opened a new hatchery?
    59        A.  Yes, we did.
    60

Prev Next Index