Strike Creates Hygiene Hazard--Tons of Hen Droppings at Egg City

First off, you have to remember that chickens produce more than eggs.

They produce manure, lots of it. And, when the cleanup crews at the world’s largest chicken ranch are short-handed because of a strike, there’s trouble in Egg City.

Each chicken expels about one-fourth pound of manure a day, which, with Egg City’s 3 million chickens, means 375 tons.

But, since June 24, 12 of the 37 henhouses at Egg City, north of Moorpark, had gone untended because about 180 workers are staying off the job in a bid to restore cut wages.

Odor, Fly Problems

So, about 2,000 tons of manure had piled up beneath the wire mesh cages, creating an odor problem and a breeding ground for flies, which could transmit disease, said Daniel Claffey, manager of the Moorpark Mosquito Abatement District.

After an inspection on July 9, the mosquito district ordered Egg City to clean up the mess or face a hearing by the district’s board that could lead to $500-a-day fines.

After an inspection Thursday afternoon, district officials reported that Egg City has carted away the manure, but not before the hatching of hundreds of thousands of flies that are now swarming around the 300-acre ranch and the rolling groves of lemons and avocados nearby.

A survey of residents in the rural area revealed that half noticed an upswing in flies since the strike, Claffey said.

“It’s primarily a nuisance thing. The flies probably wouldn’t transmit anything more exotic than salmonella bacteria, which causes stomach disorders,” he said.

Hydraulic Cleaners

Normally, Claffey explained, Egg City operates 14 hydraulic manure cleaners that scrape the concrete floors. The manure is funneled along a conveyor belt, dropped into metal carts and then dumped into trucks that transport it to spreading grounds on the ranch. After it is dried, it is sold to farmers as bulk fertilizer.

“Since the strike, they had to train people to operate the machines. It’s not jumping on a garden lawn mower. Those things are complex,” he said.

Claffey said he found four types of flies emerging from the chicken houses--the common house variety, the “lesser” housefly, the “green blow” fly and the “false stable” brand.

The common houseflies are of greatest concern, he said, because they habitually move between excrement and food, raising the chances of passing on disease.

Ranch officials said earlier that about 50 hourly employees stayed on the job and that they would continue hiring replacements. They did not return phone calls Thursday.

The strike erupted after United Farm Workers President Cesar Chavez visited Moorpark to urge workers to fight cuts of about $2 an hour that left wages from $4.07 to $5.69 an hour. The UFW represents hourly workers, such as those who maintain the henhouses and sort and package eggs.

Egg City spokesmen say the cuts, approved by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge, were necessary to keep the ranch operating.