Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 11
1 A. The most common procedure would be to turn down the
lighting just to regulate it.
2
Q. While you were at Sun Valley did you meet their head of
3 technical services?
A. Yes.
4
Q. Was that a Dr. Mark Pattison?
5 A. Yes.
6 Q. Is he a veterinarian?
A. Yes.
7
Q. Did you notice incidents of severe lameness in the unit at
8 Sun Valley or not?
A. No. This was one feature I was remarkably surprised
9 by. The levels of leg weakness were very low in
comparison with other flocks that I visited and observed.
10
Q. Dr. Pattison will be coming later on to give evidence in
11 this case, but can you tell me this for the moment: What
explanation did Dr. Pattison give to you for the fact that
12 lameness was as low as it was?
A. In the very severe cases of leg weakness which,
13 according to this report, I would group into grade 4 and
5 -----
14
Q. This is Cestin's gait score, is it?
15 A. Correct.
16 Q. Go on then.
A. The most common cause of grade 4 and 5 is an
17 infection, so it is a disease process. Mark Pattison's
group have adopted the procedure of trying to reduce the
18 prevalence of that disease by feeding an appropriate
antibiotic in the starter ration.
19
Q. Is that a practice of which you approve?
20 A. It is a good remedy for the present situation, a short
term remedy for the present situation.
21
Q. Why short term? What long term remedies might be given?
22 A. There might be improvements made with, say, hatchery
hygiene, if that is where the infection is occurring.
23
Q. When the birds have just been hatched, when they are
24 chicks?
A. Correct.
25
Q. They carry that through, do they, until they are older; is
26 that correct?
A. Yes.
27
MR. JUSTICE BELL: What is the present situation which requires
28 a remedy -- you said a good remedy for the present
situation?
29 A. Yes, because it was a novel interpretation. Many
people accept that leg weakness is a physiological
30 problem, not necessarily an infection, but in the severe
cases (that is the grade 4 and 5), the birds that can
