Day 019 - 27 Jul 94 - Page 14

     
     1        which would be, maybe four foot tall.  It might be the
              size of about half of this witness stand.
     2
         Q.   Would it be something akin to the size of a dustbin or
     3        something like that?
              A.  Exactly.  Now some hatcheries prefill that container
     4        with carbon dioxide and then put chicks into it.  In other
              situations, they tend to put chicks in as they are adding
     5        CO2, carbon dioxide.
 
     6   Q.   Do you know which one Sun Valley uses?
              A.  I am not certain, but the usual procedure is to
     7        prefill with carbon dioxide before adding the chicks.
 
     8   Q.   How are the chicks added?
              A.  There are two systems that are used; one is when you
     9        have a tray, a plastic tray, open, top tray, you can pour
              the chicks in or sometimes they take them as handfuls and
    10        drop them in.
 
    MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Either way, they are dropped in, whether
              they are poured from a tray or done individually?
    12        A.  Say that again?
 
    13   Q.   Either way they are dropped into the bottom of the
              container?
    14        A.  That is correct.
 
    15   MS. STEEL:   Then what happens?
              A.  The birds stack at the bottom and they gradually build
    16        up until -- they do not usually fill it to more than, say,
              about two-thirds full; that is not usual, otherwise --
    17        because at the top obviously there is less carbon dioxide
              and it is less effective.  They then seal it and leave it
    18        for ten or more minutes.  Then the chicks are disposed in
              a suitable container.
    19
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, is it?
    20        A.  That is correct.
 
    MS. STEEL:   So as well as getting doses of carbon dioxide, the
              ones at the bottom are getting squashed by all the other
    22        chicks?
              A.  Yes.
    23
         Q.   Going back to the hatchery side of things, or actually
    24        this is going to be slightly before, it is right that in
              order to reproduce effectively broiler breeders have to be
    25        kept on severely restricted diets?
              A.  That is correct. 
    26 
         Q.   If they were fed to appetite they would suffer high 
    27        mortality from obesity related diseases such as heart
              attacks, fatty livers and kidneys?
    28        A.  And prolapse.
 
    29   Q.   Right.  So what exactly happens with this food
              restriction, when does this occur?
    30        A.  It is usually from a relatively early stage, so it may
              be before they are actually reproductively cycling.  The