HENS AND DUCKS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 56, 7 March 1930, Page 7

HENS AND DUCKS

DOMJNION CENSUS

WHAT FIGURES SHOW

Poultry farming, the subject of- an exhaustive report published recently in "The Post," is in a different category from all other primary industries, in that it is carried on to some extent by approximately 50 per cent, of the householders of the Dominion.1 The great bulk of poultry flocks are of less than fifty birds, kept primarily to supply the requirements of the family. The last census showed that in the Dominion there were 154,221 flocks of fowls. Of the total 55,278 flocks were of less than 12 birds, 62,710 consisted of between 12 and 24 birds, and 27,459 of between 50 and 100 birds. Really big flocks, of 1000 birds or more, numbered only 66. It .is apparent from the census re; turns that, female fowls and ducks, the layers, are ' dearest .in districts more or less closely .adjacent to the main centres of population. The more isolated rural districts exhibit low intensity of poultry' layers per capita, but in the majority of cases are self-supporting. The South Island as a whole has a greater intensity of layers.per capita than the North Island, the figures being 2.76 and 2.25 respectively for the data used in filling ,in these maps. One possible explanation of this may be the fact that rural population in the South Island is 41.2 per cent, of total population, whereas the corresponding figure for the Korth Island is 35.7 per cent, of the data here used. However, it is found that the average layers per capita for all rural districts is 4.67 for the South Island ans 3.94 for the North Island, and for urban districts 1.43 and 1.32 respectively. From this it appears that people in the South Island favour poultry-keeping more than in the North Island. Tho reason for this is undoubtedly cheaper fowl-food in the South Island, and apparently* a., lower price for eggs is no great deterrent. Climate, however, undoubtedly influences the distribution of fowls. Heavy rainfall and cold weather are.two factors not favourable to poultry-keeping, and in the analysing of figures this is well borne out, examples being the ■west coast of the South Island, Taranaki, Ohinemuri, Thames, and the high central portion of, the North Island. Wet being favourable to ducks, on the other hand, it is found that ducks are more numerous in the North Island than in tho South Island. When the figures are aggregated for population and layers according to approximate greater boundaries it is found that Christchurch ' ranks first, with 1.37 layers per capita; : Auckland next, with 0.98; Dunedin, 0.79; and Wellington last, with 0.60. Christchurch is confined practically to flat land, and is noted for its spacious sections, and gardens. On the other hand, the remaining three main centres are situated mainly on hilly land, with* consequently poorer sections from the point of view of gardens and poultryruns. Compared for hilliness, the four main centres rank inversely to their respective intensity of layers per capita, and the correlation between the two factors appears therefore quite marked.