POULTRY FARMING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22922, 28 December 1937, Page 16

POULTRY FARMING

CAPITAL AND EXPERIENCE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS COMMERCIAL EGG PRODUCTION BY RED COMB A close examination of the would-be poultryman's personality is called for to decide whether or not he has the qualities, which, under average conditions, will make him successful in the poultry business. It is, I think, fairly obvious that he should first of all exhibit a genuine, practical liking for fowls. The possession of this quality will mean that there will be a keen personal interest in all the details of care and management, a sympathetic interest in the care and feeding of the birds themselves, and an attention to detail that will mean that anything wrong will be instantly detected and corrected.

Much of this could cofhe under the readings of " adaptation " and " application." It is a fact that to work on, even in the face of the obstacles and discouragements which arise in this as in other occupations, due to causes which could not be foreseen or prevented, the poultryraan must be patient, persistent, and persevering. Strict application of mind and muscle are necessary in order that plans may, in the first place he fully thought out, ind then faithfully executed. As in other walks of life, strict attention to business details is necessary, and the successful poultryman, who of necessity works long hours, must have the strength to apply himself continuously to the problems arising on the farm.

A further necessity is the ability to plan ahead in an orderly way. Working to a well-thought-out system will save much in subsequent lay-out and working. Untidy plants, or those run in a haphazard way, never reach that peak of production necessary for best results.

Coming now to qualities that more intimately affect the farming of the stock, we discover that the successful poultry farmer is invariably a keen student. He is alert to learn, either from text books or practical experience, or better still from a sensible mixture of both. The keen student is constantly improving both his methods and his' general knowledge. He takes an intelligent interest in reducing the expenses of food or labour, in securing better returns by judicious advertising or more advantageous marketing and in improving his breeding stock. New brooding or incubation methods and the elimination or control of disease by the latest methods arouse his enthusiasm. An Artificial Business Poultry farming is an artificial business from beginning to end. The egg from the hen is placed in a man-made incubator; the chicken is brooded and reared by the use of foster mothers; the pullet is kept more or less in captivity, and finally is given special foods to force egg production far in excess of that intended by nature. - The poultryman who is to conduct a business so alienated from the bird's natural environment must have a -good grip of each and every step. Intelligent study of the latest proved methods of feeding, housing, ventilation and so on. is all part of the work, and must be thoroughly investigated if profitable returns are to be obtained. While much of this knowledge can be obtained by watching the methods of others, it is not practicable for a poultryman to spend sufficient time away from his own plant to gain all the necessary knowledge. It must follow that much of his time must be spent in reading the many excellent periodicals and text books if he is going to keep himself abreast of the latest ideas and methods. Anyone who is not prepared to undertake this study, or who is not sufficiently studious to bother, will find very early that his methods and management do not give completely satisfactory results. Finally, common sense must be present to round off the foregoing characteristics. Without it ail the others will be handicapped.

Readers may think that these qualities are less important than I have made them out to be, but however seriously a person may be taken with so-called " hen fever," he should stop to consider whether he has all the characteristics set out above. A little serious thought will convince him how they bear upon the ultimate success of the venture. He should then be able to determine his fitness or unfitness for the business. I firmly believe that if prospective poultry farmers were to thoroughly examine their capital reand their personal qualities before rushing headlong into the Berious business of poultry farming, there would be fewer taking up the business one year and leaving it the next. It would be useless tor a man to know all nbout raising table poultry, and then determine to branch out into a commercial egg production plant. Similarly there is a great difference between keeping birds purely for showing, as does the fancier, and for commercial egg production. Not once, but a dozen times, 1 have listened to eminent and successful. fanciers discoursing at length on the faults of this or that commercial plant. An intimate knowledge of the particular plant has, at times, convinced me that these fanciers, most successful in their own sphere, have no sound knowledge of " commercial " poultry or egg production. To any man considering entering into commercial poultry farming. I would say " keep away from the fancier." There is only one in a hundred who could successfully "extend his operations to a commercial scale. The Poultryman's Preparation

The keeping of a few well-bred fowls in good surroundings calls for very little effort or hard thought. Think for a minute of the undomesticated fowh It required no attendant to look after its needs, and, wandering as it did over a very large area of land, rarely passed over the same ground twice. It was therefore not deriously subjected to diseases of its own making. Birds concentrated year after year on a small area, do, by their very domestication and the encouragement of high production, create problems unknown to the wild bird, and rarely appreciated in the fancier'B yard.

For your preparation go to the commercial egg producer who has shown by results that he is himself successful, and try to obtain a course of practical instruction by working in his employ. Experience of this kind will serve to emphasise facts that can be absorbed by a close study of'suitable literature. After taking such a course of practical instruction, earnest work in applying the same will ensure good results. Skill comes through practice, but the successful poultryman remains a keen student all his life. By combining his practical experience with his studious investigations he increases his skill and knowledge until he reaches the point where he is considered, in his particular calling, to be A leader.