POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21234, 14 July 1932, Page 20

POULTRY INDUSTRY.

THE TEN-ACRE FARMS.

VALUE OF EXPERIENCE.

BY UTILITY. The inauguration of the ten-acre scheme is sure to inspire a wish to include poultry in the live stock, as they take up so little room in proportion to the attention tlioy require and the probable valilo of the output. In the case of those who propdse to utilise most of their ten acres in grazing a few cows, a flock of poultry, might be a profitable side-line, for skim milk is an exceedingly valuable food provided it is not overdone. It must also bo assumed that tho requisite area will be set aside for growing green stuff and maize for tho fowls and cows, for that is the surest way to provide tho maximum amount of food at a cheap rate, as nothing more would then require to be purchased except pollard, bran z wheat and oats.

However, the' most important decision to be made immediately is not whether the fowls will do their share, but whether the prospective farmer understands them well enough to do them justice. If the last question cannot be answered in the affirmative, it is only inviting trouble, for a hundred and one difficulties will arise which can only be solved by personal experience in spite of all .the books and the advice that the most thoughtful breeders can suggest. Experience Necessary.

The best advice that can be given to anyone who contemplates keeping poultry on a large scale sufficient to make a living, or nearly make a living, is to start with a small number first, or else work for a competent breeder of experience. The larg« commercial poultry farms are undoubtedly worked on a payable basis, but they are conducted by men who started in a small way, makir.g a of their fancy as a side line until they graduated in-the school of experience, and increased the flock and their territory. Just at present the profits are quite problematical, and one would need to go back to pre-war days to find eggs selling as low m the first week of July as they were this year, while - live poultry for killing is also selling at extremely low rates. With best quality eggs realising only Is at auction, it makes one wonder what they will be worth in the spring flush, for in the same week last year they realised up to l s 10£ d, in 193Q up to 2s 4d, and in 1925 to 2s lid. ■lt is true that food is cheaper, wheat being.about one shilling lower than it was two years ago, and bran and pollard £3 10s lower, but until the system of artificially holding up the price of wheat by a high customs duty comes to an end it will be very dangerous .to base the likely profits on the figures of previous years.

Financial Prospects. It would appear that there are two absolutely essential developments to be brought about before poultry breeders should venture on furthej liabilities in the way of extending their operations. Both have been stressed in these columns. The first is to bring down the cost of wheat to the world's parity, and the second is to find an outlet for the increased quantity of eggs that would then be produced. These latter very desirable objects are ncftv being attempted by the New Zealand Poultry Association, whose secretary has been round the Dominion on a lecturing tour, with a view to organising the whole industry. He has given 19 addresses, and at 15 of them the scheme received unanimous support, so during tho next icw weeks it will doubtless become known what measure of export trade, is to be arranged, and what methods will be adopted in an endeavour to facilitate more economical local marketing. f Opinions will vary as to the best way to make a start, for a great deal will depend on how much experience the prospective farmer has had, and how near he is to a railway station or to a shipping port. Reliable incubators and brooders are being continually advertised, each with its own special directions, and it is quite time to get down the first lot of eggs. Reliable breeders are also offering day-old chicks, a very popular way to get started, but probably most people of limited experience would learn more by purchasing a breeding pen, with a view to raising a still, larger quantity next season.

The Cost of Pood. The cost of food* naturally varies according to the locality, as freight is often a heavy item, but the Auckland prices are published every week, and the feeding cost may be based on each bird requiring 2oz. of meal daily (dry and 2oz. to 2ioz. of grain, with a less quantity if they are on free range. Those, who have skim milk will not need to buy meat or meat meal, as the milk may be used as the basis for mixing with bran and pollard, and tho birds will find plenty of insects in the fields. If they must bo kept shut up in yards, with"a consequent limitation of insect food, meat meal will be founijl the most convenient way to make up the deficiency for a small flock, or fresh meat for a larger number.

To show how difficult it is to estimate the returns from a flock of poultry, the largest gross profit per bird made at the Mount Albert Egg-laying Competition since it started was 16s lOd, and tho smallest 7s 6d. That merely represents the difference between the price obtained for the eggs and the actual cost of the food for the 50 weeks, regardless of the initial cost to the owfier in bringing them to the laying stage, regardless also of the fact that each one very naturally puts in his best pullets, and taking no account of labour and plant. These birds, the pick of over 100 yards, laid an average of about 200 eggs each, so each intending farmer can work out for himself the likely profit from a mixed lot laying perhaps 150 eggs each, remembering the price at which the new season has started.