Day 104 - 15 Mar 95 - Page 54


     
     1        possible.  You said you never visited any other slaughter
     2        plants.  Have you visited other rearing operations apart
     3        from your own shed?
     4        A.  Yes, I have visited many.
     5
     6   Q.   When chickens go into the stun bath as they are going down
     7        towards it, if they turn their neck, can they see the other
     8        chickens?
     9        A.  They are going down a line.
    10
    11   Q.   They can see the other chickens?
    12        A.  They are going down a line where they are all in line
    13        so they can see the next one to it.
    14
    15   Q.   Do they go in one at a time?
    16        A.  It is a continuous line.
    17
    18   Q.   When the stun bath fails for whatever reason, you said
    19        because many of the birds lift their head up or something
    20        and they missed the stun bath, when they arrive at the
    21        cutter stage, is it the same, they can see the ones in
    22        front of them then as well?
    23        A.  Yes.
    24
    25   Q.   When birds in broiler sheds need to be culled, are they
    26        done in the shed?
    27        A.  That would be the normal practice, yes.
    28
    29   Q.   You said, if you cast your mind back, about the routine
    30        antibiotics in the first week of life.  When that was
    31        introduced that had a "dramatic effect", that is your
    32        words, in cutting down leg problems.  When you say
    33        "dramatic effect", what was the difference between before
    34        you had the antibiotics and afterwards, the antibiotics as
    35        routine in the first week of life?
    36        A.  We introduced this particular antibiotic which did have
    37        a very marked effect on the control of leg problems,
    38        infectious leg disorders.  It is impossible for me to say
    39        how many there were before or after; we just noticed a
    40        dramatic difference, a dramatic reduction.
    41
    42   Q.   Did it, say, cut the problems by half or something like
    43        that?
    44        A.  I would say probably more than that.
    45
    46   Q.   So you might have had something like a third of the
    47        problems you had before?
    48        A.  Possibly.
    49
    50   Q.   Somewhere around that figure? 
    51        A.  Yes. 
    52 
    53   Q.   You said that drinkers in the broiler sheds were set at
    54        average shoulder height, or something like that, gradually
    55        moved up as the birds get older; is that correct?
    56        A.  Yes.
    57
    58   Q.   That is in the variable height ones anyway?
    59        A.  Yes.
    60

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