Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 68
1 too. They will stay in one very small part of the grow
2 house.
3
4 Q. These chickens are grown for their meat. Therefore,
5 presumably they are heavier birds than the laying birds?
6 A. Yes, they are.
7
8 Q. To what extent in your experience does that additional
9 weight give rise to problems like leg disabilities and
10 things like that?
11 A. They do not have any additional problems that a regular
12 bird will have. They have been selected keeping in mind
13 the health of the animal. An animal that is defective in
14 any way, form or shape will not produce, will be constantly
15 under stress and will not produce meat in this case. It is
16 for that particular reason that it will not be economically
17 feasible to raise animals that are physically deficient.
18 There is no way you can do it. The profits will not allow
19 it. The profits are so small in the chicken business that
20 it will not allow you. You could not survive. The
21 business would not survive.
22
23 Q. So, perhaps, you have already really answered my next
24 question, which is to what extent is there a significant
25 death rate amongst chickens living in growing houses?
26 A. You will hear of a death rate. Most of it is caused by
27 several reasons. One is that the animal themselves will
28 attack a physically deficient bird, it is their nature.
29 However, most of the animals will be called from our own
30 management people, staff, if they see they are deficient,
31 if they see they are injured, to terminate their
32 suffering. But the rates will be very small. I would say
33 it would probably be 2 per cent, much smaller than chickens
34 that are kept in the wild or outdoors.
35
36 Q. Are these growing houses as far as possible proof against
37 predators, for example?
38 A. Yes, they are. They are covered and protected from
39 predators for two reasons. One is to protect the animals
40 themselves, and the other reason, perhaps a bigger reason,
41 is to protect the animal, any animal, from getting into the
42 house that might carry any potentially harmful bacteria.
43
44 Q. I was going to ask you about the problem of illness and
45 disease amongst chickens. How do chicken farmers protect
46 broiler chickens and growing houses against diseases of
47 this kind or the other?
48 A. In general?
49
50 Q. Yes, in general.
51 A. They start from the beginning. Normally the biggest
52 concern or the biggest carrier of bacteria that could enter
53 growing house comes in the form of the chick itself, so
54 every effort is made by the farmer to ensure that the
55 hatchers where the animals hatch are free from bacteria;
56 that the egg itself is clean and does not contain any
57 diseases; that the hens that lay the eggs are also clean,
58 and that the animals that produce the eggs are healthy.
59 The other potential area of concern is the feed itself.
60
