Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 13
1
2 Q. Chickens in battery cages do lose their feathers, do they
3 not?
4 A. It is part of the natural process. There is a cycle in
5 their life where they thoroughly completely lose their
6 feathers, that is animal, just like we lose hair. We lose
7 hair every single day.
8
9 Q. It is not natural for chickens to be bald in large parts of
10 their bodies, is it?
11 A. That would be an incorrect statement. Some birds will
12 show that, just like there are humans that are bald.
13
14 Q. Battery chickens are quite frequently bald on large parts
15 of their bodies, are they not?
16 A. I do not know about your definition of "quite
17 frequently". They could be -- you could find some birds
18 that will be bald. You can also make a statement that is
19 common. That does not mean that the animal has suffered.
20
21 Q. If you take an average chicken that runs around someone's
22 farmyard and an average battery chicken, the battery
23 chicken would have far less feathers, would it not and it
24 would have large bald patches?
25 A. Can you define "battery chicken" for me?
26
27 Q. One that is kept in a cage, like Tysons do, four chickens
28 to a cage?
29 A. I have not seen any data to support that fact. I have
30 seen, yes, I have seen chickens that have lost some
31 feathers, yes.
32
33 Q. Lots of the chickens in battery units have lost some of
34 their feathers?
35 A. That is normal, yes.
36
37 Q. In a battery unit that is normal?
38 A. It is normal in chickens. I have also seen it in a
39 regular farm with chickens that have been pecked on by
40 other layer hens.
41
42 Q. Are you asserting that chickens in battery cages have the
43 same amount of feathers as chickens kept outside in the
44 farmyard?
45 A. What I am saying is that I have not seen any evidence
46 to support the fact that there is a significant difference
47 in feathers in the loss of, or if there is a significant
48 difference in the amount of feathers that they have, that
49 will be a sign of mistreatment of animals.
50
51 Q. Are you saying that there is a significant difference in
52 the amount of feathers or are you just -----
53 A. I am not saying there a significant difference. Again
54 I am saying that I have not seen any evidence to support
55 your accusations or your statement.
56
57 Q. How many battery chickens have you looked at?
58 A. Oh, I would say in the millions.
59
60 Q. Right, and would it not be fair to say that a large number
