Day 019 - 27 Jul 94 - Page 16

     
     1
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Can you give me some idea of numbers?  If
     2        there are 600 million chickens slaughtered for meat
              consumption in the United Kingdom every year, how many
     3        breeding chickens do we have?
              A.  I will have to do a bit of maths.  I would guess, it
     4        is a guess, you might get about 120 eggs from one breeding
              hen, one broiler breeding hen, of which you might get 80
     5        per cent hatchability. That is good actually.  So, in
              fact, it might be lower.  Let us say three-quarters.  So
     6        you would have to do sums on that basis.  I do not have a
              calculator with me.
     7
         Q.   How many cocks would you have for that?
     8        A.  I think the question you are getting at is how many
              broiler breeders.
     9
         Q.   I want to know something like quantities, you know,
    10        whether a few broiler breeders produce hundreds or
              thousands of chicks or half a dozen?
         A.  Does that answer your question?  If they produce, say,
              about -- one hen would produce about 90 viable chicks.
    12
         Q.   Then how many males do I have to add to the hen?
    13        A.  Usually the sex ratio is about 40 females to one male,
              that sort of order -- can be less.
    14
         MISS STEEL:  What would happen to the male ones that
    15        were  -----
              A.  The male, the cockerels or the chicks?
    16
         Q.   In the breeding units?
    17        A.  Right.
 
    18   Q.   What would happen to the males?
              A.  Under what situation?
    19
         Q.   You are saying that there is a rate of 40 females to one
    20        male?
              A.  Thereabouts.
    21
         Q.   That is not how they hatch out, though, is it?
    22        A.  No.
 
    23   Q.   So what would happen to the other 39 males?
              A.  They come from the male and female line which are used
    24         -- the parent generation to produce your final slaughter
              stock come from separate lines, so you only produce as
    25        many as you need.  So you are not getting a sacrifice of
              males because they come from the same parents, the male 
    26        and female line. 
  
    27   Q.   Could you turn to the Codes of Practice for the Welfare of
              Domestic Fowls?  It is at tab G.  It is probably in your
    28        orange bundle.
 
    29   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Orange V.
 
    30   MS. STEEL:   If you turn to page 298 you see the third
              paragraph: "The Code itself, which has the approval of