POULTRY NOTES

Northern Advocate, 9 January 1926, Page 9

POULTRY NOTES

(By E. J. Terry.)

EXPORT VERSUS LOCAL DEMAND FOB POULTRY.

A correspondent suggests that there should be an export trade in poultry, and says he understands a trial shipment has been sent from the South Island, In my opinion, it will be years, if ever, before there is a profitable export of poultry to the English market from New Zealand. In the first place, it is highly improbable that we shall ever have cheap poultry food. Therefore, how can we compete with those countries more favoured in this direction? Secondly, the class of poultry which we see on sale in most New Zealand shops would not find any place in the English market. The present prices paid for poultry—that is, if the poultry is just a shade over the average quality, and remember I said “just a shade”—are so high that they would more than equal that obtained on the British market. To come down to ’ward facts, I know of cockerels during the last few days being sold at fifteen shillings each, retail. I have been paying for the company I represent one shiliug and sixpence per pound, live weight, and that sometimes means that you are paying at the rate of one shilling and sixpence per pound for the maize, wheat, or other food in the crop and the intestines of the bird. Now, just think what one and sixpence per pound live weight means when a carcase is dressed. Further, the birds, to suit the higher class customers in Great Britain, must be topped off, or, in other words, they are “fats,” whereas our chief production might be classed as stores, light, medium or good. I might state that breeds are unknown on the British market, but the birds are classed by the districts from which they come, or, rather, from the districts, from which that type of bird originally came. Now, with quick transit, the products of districts are not so sharply defined, but they are still classed on the market as “Bostons,” “Irish,” “Surrey,” “Devons,” to name four well known classes. The first, the Bostons, are large framed, not too well finished, invariably yellow shanked and skinned. This class of bird some years ago was quite common in the Fen country of England; hence the name “Boston.” The Irish are the most mixed as regards breed, and there is more than one grade, but of late years- great strides have been made in the finishing of the birds. Many Irish birds rank as “Surreys” on the English market. The Surrey fowl, or chicken (it need not necessarily be grown in Surrey), is the highest class bird on the market, white skinned, young and artificially fattened. There are certain districts or villages in which families .almost exclusively devote themselves to the production of this class of bird, and each day there are trains, the sole, freight of which is Surrey fatted chickens. The production in most cases is divided. Certain families confine themselves to the hatching and the growing of the chicks until they are about eight or ten weeks old. The average chick weighs at this period 21b to 21b 2oz live weight. They are short, sturdy little chaps. They are then taken in hand by the fatter, who places them in slatted coops, as I have previously described. At the end of three weeks’ fattening, the chicks which weighed at the commencement 21b 2oz live weight will then weigh the same dressed. The birds are not sent to the market dressed. Neither are birds exported dressed. As regards breed, the Surrey fowl is chiefly Dorking, or light Brahma crosses. The Devon fowl, on the other hand, must 1 have a percentage of Game in its breeding, which gives it a deep meaty breast. They are not artificially fattened. The legs of the Devon are tied to the side, and the feathers are left on the wing when the birds are sent to market.

Capons, which we hear so much about, are practically unknown on the British market, but are sold in the retail shops. Capons, in 'London, are really cockerels which are large and fat, and have not been running with hens. It might be asked how does the trade know this? but it is an easy matter for the Smithfield salesman to tell. These birds are sold as capons, and really in the eating there would be no difference—that is, four and a half months to five months old. It would not pay to eaponise at this stage.

Some few years ago, in Australia, when the price of poultry was very low, we had the same craze for an export trade to the English market. Now, I can say that I was born in the provision trade, and, as a boy, was on the Smith field market, so I knew what to send, and just how to prepare them so that they would fit into the Smithfield grade or class, and not be a job line. The shipments were sent under Government supervision, and the report from Smithfield stated that the birds were absolutely the best frozen poultry suitable for the London market received from any part of the w'orld. The best birds Would have been classed on Smithfield market by the trade expression of “Surrey Capons.” They were all under six months old, and averaged from Clb to Ojlb each. They were starved for thirty hours, plucked, but not drawn or dressed in any way. The price realised was six shillings' each, from which had to be deducted preparation, casing and holding in cool storage, which worked out at eightpence per bird. In addition, there was freight and charges at the other end.

The same class of bird today in Auckland would easily bring ten shillings a piece wholesale, and those who really know- quality would chase you for them when once tasted.

No, we have to go a very long way yet before there is an export trade. We have no end of scope at our own doors. Here is very little attempt made at topping off birds before they arc marketed. It seems difficult to convince growers of the folly of taking from four to five months to grow a frame of a- bird and then market it in store condition, whereas in another three weeks they could make it into a fat. I do not mean any class of bird, but such birds as Leghorn-Orpingfon crosses, Lcghorn-Langshan crosses, Log-horn-Wyandotte crosses, Rhode Island Red-Leghorn, Rock and Leghorn. Any of those birds would pay for the topping off. A Leghorn pure, except just at Christmas time, is a drug on the market.

The same remarks apply to a certain degree to ducks. There is little, if any, attention paid to the table qualities. This is partly the fault of the producer, and partly due to the consumer not being educated as regards quality. Rather more than twelve months ago a duck breeder with great experience in New South Wales, where he bred for the Sydney market, produced the same class of bird here—Muscovies and Muscovy crosses. They were sent to auction well advertised. A special sale was held, and he tells me his returns were about half a crown per bird. Now, these birds would weigh at least six pounds each —many of them much more— and the proportion of edible meat would be high, as against the frame. Needless to say, the duek breeder did not continue the experiment, and now confines his birds to egg production, his flock consisting of Indian Runners.

There is a good deal of pioneer work required and it looks as if someone may be hurt in the attempt, but not if there is concerted action. All comparatively new countries have gone through the same stages. Both the United States and Canada exported poultry, but as the cities grew they imported, and, with the imports, a better standard of quality was brought about to compete against the- import.