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Cruel On-Farm Practices (cont'd)
B.
Barn conditions
High levels of ammonia and dust in broiler chicken, turkey, duck and goose sheds damage the birds'
health and welfare, causing a build-up of peritoneal cavity fluid, respiratory disease, inflammation of the
eyes and trachea and weakening of the immune system.
In chickens and turkeys, the ammonia dissolves on their mucous membranes and eyes, producing
ammonium hydroxide, an acid that causes ammonia-burns. These ammonia burns and ulcerations
also occur on the birds' rears, breasts and feet.
"Birds with leg disorders sit more, and if the litter is wet and dirty with feces, which it is
in standard commercial housing, they develop more burns and sores, causing them to
walk less, sit more, and become more burned, in a continuous cycle of filth, pain,
suffering, lameness, and disease" (Turner, et al., 2003, pp. 17-20 cited in Davis, K.
Humane Treatment of Domestic Livestock, 2003).
Ammonia burns on chickens in transport crates
Olymel
Berthierville, Quebec
2007
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