POULTRY NOTES

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 99, 28 April 1941, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

Lance-Corporal F. B. Vickers, with the A.1.F., in Palestine contributed to “Poultry” a very interesting account of his visit to a community poultry farm at Ramot Sharim (tho name means Hill of Returned Settlers). As the name indicates, the colony ip peopled by 55 settlers most of whom were at one time professional men in Europe before they were driven out by the Nazis. Each settler had an acre of ground with a small, neat house and two rows of fowl sheds. The balance of the land produced green feed and garden produce. No individual may keep more birds than lie can himself handle, usually 600 to 1000. Tho White Leghorn breed predominates, large importations of stock coming from America. All the birds are kept intensively, with the exception of breeding stock, which is on free range. Dry mash feed ing is favoured, with millet for the grain ration, wheat being too dear. There is a general manager for the whole colony. He does almost all the culliiig. A settler may cull an unprofitable bird from the laying pens, but it not permitted to touch tho breeding birds; this is the manager’s special work. Seventy per cent, of each settlor’s stock is roplaced every year. Chicks are encouraged to perch at eight weeks and are placed in enclosures having only a roof and back. Thus, the winds may blow on them from three sides. At this stage all the chicks are vaccinated against fowl-pox. The mortality in chick life was about 6 per cent. As would bo expected, the eggs are marketed through co-operativo organisations. One man acts as food buyer. The annual turnover in this department alone amounted to £15,000. The net annual return from birds averaged about 20 piastres, or 5s in Australian currency. Palestine produces about 60 million eggs annually. “I did not see a sickly fowl during tho whole time of my visit,” says this : Australian, who was glad of the op- , portunity to study conditions in Palestine.