theinspectionof88,000birds,letalonedotheotherchores
and a bit of farming on the side. And then there is the
exceedinglydimlightingtomakethetaskofinspectioneven
moredifficult.Infact,allthemodernpoultryfarmerdoesis
removedeadbirds.Itischeapertoloseafewextrabirdsin
thiswaythantopayfortheadditionallaborneededtowatch
the health of individual birds.
Inordertoallowtotalcontroloflightandsome controlof
temperature(thereisusuallyheating,butrarelycooling)the
broiler sheds have solid, windowless walls and rely on
artificialventilation.Thebirdsneverseedaylight, untilthe
daytheyaretakenouttobekilled;nordotheybreatheair
which is not heavy with the ammonia from their own
droppings.Theventilationisadequatetokeepthebirdsalive
innormalcircumstances,butifthereshouldbeamechanical
failuretheysoonsuffocate.Evenasobviousapossibilityasa
powerfailurecanbedisastrous,sincenotallbroilerproducers
have their own auxiliary power units.
Amongotherwaysinwhichbirdscansuffocateinabroiler
houseisaphenomemonknownas“piling.”Chickenskeptin
thebroilershedsbecomenervous,jitterycreatures.Unusedto
stronglight,loudnoise,orotherintrusions,theymaypanicat
asuddendisturbanceandfleetoonecorneroftheshed.In
theirterrifiedrushtosafetytheypileontopofeachotherso
that,asonepoultryfarmerdescribesit,they“smothereach
otherinapitifulheapofbodiesinonecorneroftherearing
area.”^14
Evenifthebirdsescapethesehazards,theymaysuccumbto
anyofa numberofdiseases thatareoftenprevalentinthe
broilerhouses.Onenewandstillmysteriouscauseofdeathis