Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 66
1 once upon a time in the United States they were all
2 grilled? Is that why they are called broilers?
3 A. Yes.
4
5 Q. They are for McDonald's purposes reared or grown in what
6 manner in the United States?
7 A. They start with hatcheries where they hatch in an
8 incubator. They are programmed so they will hatch, all of
9 them, within a day. From there they are moved to a table
10 where they are vaccinated. They could be debeaked
11 depending on the management and practices, and they will be
12 transported to a growing house.
13
14 Q. Can you describe a typical United States growing house for
15 us?
16 A. Yes. It will be a house which will be covered, which
17 will have walls that are, I would say, about three yards
18 tall over solid material, it could be concrete or it could
19 be wood, then the other half is curtains, and then they are
20 covered at the top. There would be an air-conditioning
21 system where you will see fans running from one side of the
22 house to the end, and they will have some atomizers or
23 foggers which will spray water in into the air.
24
25 Q. To humidify it?
26 A. Yes, a humidifier. The curtains will be moveable, so
27 they will go up and down so the environment could be
28 controlled. If they need more air, if they need more
29 light, they will have that choice. There will be
30 lighting. They will also have free access to food and
31 water.
32
33 Q. And water?
34 A. And water, yes.
35
36 Q. How is the food and water dispensed?
37 A. Dispensed in containers that can be moved, so you would
38 see something like this glass so they will move according
39 to the age of the animal. There will be some variations to
40 allow some of the slightly smaller animals to have access
41 to water and feed.
42
43 Q. You say they are all from virtually the same days, within a
44 few days hatching of each other?
45 A. That is correct.
46
47 Q. Do they all get the same kind of food?
48 A. Yes, they do.
49
50 Q. Is there much variation then in the growth rates within a
51 batch?
52 A. A very small variation. They are what they call
53 hybrids, so the uniformity will be amazingly similar.
54
55 Q. When they are first put into the chicken house, the growing
56 house, there will be quite a lot of room for each chicken?
57 A. Yes.
58
59 Q. Because they are quite small?
60 A. Yes, that is correct.
