A fierce tug of war has erupted over the first witness for the defense in the Chicken Rescue Trial of animal cruelty investigator Zoe Rosenberg. The 23-year old Rosenberg rescued 4 chickens from a slaughter truck and faces about half a decade behind bars.

The legal battle over defense witness #1, Carla Cabral, has the defense describing her expertise caring for animals and what she witnessed when she examined the 4 chickens shortly after they were rescued. But, the prosecution focused on Cabral’s animal rights activism and social media posts including a protest where she glued her hand to a table during a California assembly agriculture committee meeting. The defense argued that is prejudicial, but the judge sided with prosecutors and let it in. The prosecutor also convinced the judge to let in Cabral’s recent rescue of a goat from a factory farm.

Cabral, while a member of the animal rights organization Direct Action Everywhere, also has considerable experience as a Vet Tech and working at veterinary emergency rooms. She is the person who examined the 4 rescued chickens shortly after they left the slaughterhouse. In court she testified that the birds were caked in feces, lethargic, unable to stand and had missing feathers, that one rescued chicken named Poppy had a large wound on the end of one toe and was wheezing and had difficulty breathing. Cabral said another chicken, named Aster, showed signs of a bacterial infection that causes the pads of the bird’s feet to scab and which - untreated - can be fatal. Aster, said Cabral, also had many lacerations and diarrhea.

The company in question denies allegations of animal cruelty, calling Direct Action Everywhere members extremists with a radical agenda. They are invited on any time to respond further.

What will the impact of all this be on the jury? We have to wait and see. Now, to UnchainedTV’s expert panel with host Jane Velez-Mitchell and reporter Matthew Zirbel LIVE at the courthouse.