136. The Council attaches considerable importance to the maintenance of accurate records to aid the stockman and those enforcing animal welfare legislation. The responsibility for keeping on-farm records must lie with the person in charge of the animals. Recommendations have already been made proposing the keeping of records of maximum and minimum temperatures (paragraph 23) and also records which enable the stocking density to be easily verified at any time (paragraph 76). The latter should include the number of poults placed, the floor area of the house, mortality, culling and average weight of the birds removed.
137. Some of the larger producers use water meters to record the comparison between expected and actual water consumption. Where available, these meters are a positive aid to management.
138. Where possible, producers should record water consumption as unexpected changes may indicate a welfare problem.
139. Records should also be kept of any maintenance carried out, generator tests, alarm tests and fire extinguisher checks.