introduction | rescue reports | photo gallery Rescue Reports [01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] Rescue 04: Parkhurst Farm (Shed 1), 23 birds removed Seven members of the rescue team entered Shed 1 just before 9:00 pm. The lights were out and the atmosphere was overwhelming and sour. The birds were around seven weeks old and were SO tightly packed inside the shed that it was extremely difficult to move. Within seconds we found a couple very ill birds, one with a badly splayed leg and another one who was unable to stand up. It was dark in the shed but there wouldn’t have been much rest for the birds as the machinery was extremely loud, abrasive and non-stop. Several birds were found near death and one died in our arms prior to leaving the shed. A total of eight birds died within hours of the rescue and all the others (fifteen) were euthanized by the vet on welfare grounds. Two birds had gangrene - their injuries were obviously long-standing. Many had very swollen and bruised hock joints, the vet suspected nine of the birds to have possible gout or hock joint infections. A couple birds weighed only 1.6 kilos (which for a typical ‘broiler chicken’ at seven weeks of age is half the normal body weight), with most being around the 2 kilo mark. These birds were obviously not accessing the food outlets. We found one with a huge hematoma on her wing. She was continually flapping her wings in the filthy litter to maintain some balance. I became dizzy and ill after an hour in the shed and felt that if I didn’t get out of there soon I would faint. Emotions were high and some team members were near tears at the sad state of affairs in the shed. Click on any photo for larger version (photos: noah hannibal / ALV)
more photos: photo gallery To receive future rescue notifications enter your e-mail address below.
|
