POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 93, 9 June 1911, Page 2

POULTRY COLUMN.

(By Our Special Contributor.) Tho editor lias asked me to take char,to of a column devoted to the Iv-idtiy Tnduatiy, and I should lie pliascd to have the assistance ol all utility amf fancy men In I lie district, ,"■) that the column may he ol some practical service to a most important industry. All over the world the poultry industry is assuming; hie; proportions, ami the largo amount of experimental work has resulted in such pi<>gress that the average hen ol to-day lays probably about twice as many eggs as its predecessor ol (iltoen, years ago. It will he my aim to Ining under the notice of the readers of this column what has been and is being done in this direction, and to encourage as much as possible the breeding of purebred birds cn sciontike lines. I propose to give week by week the scores of the loading Jens ol pullets and ducks at the laying competition in Christchurch, and hope to encourage tire best breeders to advertise their stock, so that all readers have a chance of getting the best stock procurable. An egg circle lias recently keen formed in the district, and it .will lie interesting to watch its progress. '1 lie benefits of co-operation have teen marked in the case of the dairy industry, and should he equally marked in the case of poultrymen. One egg circle, that, at Masterton, has been a success, but others have not been. The local egg circle deserves the hearty support of all interested in the industry, so long as it is run on sound lines. The following article on co-opera-tion from an English source may be of interest to my readers:— CO-OPERATIVE POULTRY FARMING. , (By J. M. Blackwood.) There is as: much necessity for cooperation in the matter or actual poultry-farming as there is in the case of the egg trade. In country dis tricts the pi ices given for table poultry, and for birds for stock purposes, are certainly not very profitable to the grower. In fact the average farmer or cottager certainly does not make any profit at all from the fowls he keeps fer the sake of a supply, and a rather uncertain one at that, of new-laid eggs. • . The housewives look upon the fowls as their particular monopoly, using for the most part corn grown on tlie farm, and no account is being kept of income or expenditure. The eggs are generally sold for what tlie higglers will give, as are the surplus cockerels, it not consumed in the house. Better Prices. If co-operation was taken advantage of, the various members of the movement could market their pioduce as a whole, thus having the higglers’ profit for themselves. Poultry could then be kept at a fair profit, whereas previously a debit balance .was more common. The introduction of- co-operation will make it possible to forward large consignments, whereas foi morly very few people kept enough poultry to market eggs or dead fowls in any quantity more than once a week/ The quality of an egg depends upon its age, and eggs a week old will not fetch the same price as those which have been laid, say, two days. Co-operation makes more frequent maiketing possible, and greatly enhanced prices arc the result. It is the same -with the killing and marketing of dead One man cannot, by himself, send a. proper consignment to market, nor is it worth’ his while to purchase appliances for the special fattening of his surplus stock. To make remunerative prices, table poultry must, lie properly fattened, as a lean fowl is not worth the marketing. We do not sell cattle or sheep to the butcher or salesman until a proper period of fattening has been gone through, and the same course should he pursued with our f6\Vls. As has been ’bhserved, one man cannot afford to sot up a plant to fat an his particular small lot of chickens, and hero again co-opera nop is the cure. If a large number of people join themselves together they can mutually afford to establish a proper fattening plant, and also probably do hatching and rearing as wed, to jrnop their poultryman fully employed. Extending tha Ir.dusiry. It is our want of unity ir ‘ purpose in the raising and, marketing of poultry produce that allows the foreigner to place his goods so profitably upon our markets. If cooperation wore more largely gone in for we should be better able to compete with our continental neighbours, who have made collecting and marketing a fine art. The prices for home-grown prxhiee would automatically increase, and this would force the higglers to give better prices in order to prevent the spread of co-operative methods forcing them to go out of the business altogether. Another advantage of establishing a local station for hatching and rearing fowls would he a vast increase in the number and quality of the fowls kept in the district. In many country areas the class of pniltry kept is entirely unsuitable for table pm poses, there being a groat preponderance of Leghorn type present. This class of fowl has gradually got the upper hand, as laying birds wcreThc necessity, their table qualities being of entirely secondary importance. The want of co-opera-tive effort has made the rearing of chickens for edible purposes quite unprofitable in such districts, hut the starting of a fattening station would soon necessarily lead to alterations. An incubating Station. to order to improve the class of table fowl, we should have to import suitable stock, such as Buff or White Orpingtons, Light Sussex, Dm kings, or Faverolles, to got the very lest results. If an incubating station were stalled in conjunction with t.!ie fattening business, then eggs could lie bought, and incubated, the chicks being sold, either when newly hatched or when older, to the members ol the co-operative body. They could also bo sold to others at a slightly highci price, which would give a proper privilege to the co-operalois. Thus wo sac that the better clars of stock would ba disseminated in the district, from which the fallen ing centre would be aide to draw supplies sidled to its purpose. In future seasons, too, the eggs for incubating business would hugely, if not entirely, bo bought loom the shareholders who had taken up the keeping of suitable pure-biod poultry. The writer can testify to the iniinense increase of poultry-keeping that would take place in a distiicl w here such a business was stai Led. The oxtui in ice 'oven for the eggs for incubating induces, the keeping of pure-bred fowls, while through co operation the pi ice of 1 ic.mli eggs also greatly increases. hi nnny esuntry districts early

hatching, is seldom-resorted to; hence the pullets do not stair to lay when eggs are scarce in (he autumn. 11 eggs or chicks aie obtained early in the season from the incubating centre, earlier laying will result, thus gaining the best pi ices for now-laid eggs. Dow To Siarl. There is much to be considered in planning out the nucleus ol a cooperative attempt in the batching, i oaring and market ing ol poultry, as well as the buying of eggs and chickens from inen'ioers ol the body. Local conditions play a very important part in siicn a business, pi ices foi eggs and poultry necessitating carotid eonsidei atian. 11 the returns foi ponltiy produce are good and profitable, there is not the same urgent necessity lor co-operation, and ‘the chances of success are much smaller. Co-operative methods will only gain ground wlieie there is room for improvement cither in the prices obtained or in methods ol marketing. In such districts people ought to join together to sell their produce in large common consignments. The connection bet ween a co-opera-tive egg depot and similar work in actual poultry-farming is very important. In fact, it is douotful if one concern could lie successfully run without the other. Small Beginnings. The only really largo co-operative business in this country sprang directly from the local egg depot, which had been established for some years. Nearly three years ago an incubating and fattening station was established by the members of the egg depot, and last year over 25,000 clucks were hatched. The addition of a fattening" business will give members an outlet for their cockerels, which would not be obtained under the old conditions, and also there is the advantage of being able t.o buy pure-hred stock from the incubating station. There is also the question of finding an outlet for tlie increased produce which will result from co-operation. To make co-operative poultry-farm-ing successful we must be certain of sound local support, and this should be carefully inquired into before deJinitc steps are taken. The Objects of the Society. We are assuming that an egg depot for the collecting and marketing of this produce is already established, and that the poultry-farming is an addition. If not, then, of course,, egg-collecting should form a branch. In addition to the egg depot we would undertake in the new venture the collection and disposal of eggs and poultry, incubation of eggs, rearing and fattening of poultry, and also breeding the same; to hire and Kurchase land. buildings, poultryouses, and all essentials for such work; and to enter into contracts on behalf of the depot, and to obtain and disseminate amongst its members useful information respecting aviculture. NEW ZEALAND EGG LAYING ' COMPETITION. Week ended 31sL May, 1911. Misses Bradley, W.L. ... ... 251 G. Id. Robinsog, 8.0. ... ... 213 T. Kennedy, S.W. ... ... 213 A. Tisch, W.L ... 197 Heretaunga Poultry Co., W.L. 196 A. R. Browns, W.L. ... ... 191 Heretaunga Poultry Co., W.L. IS9 A. E. Wilson, WAV 176 Mrs R. AV. Hawke, ... ... 172 D. Y. Gibson, W.L 166 A. R. Browne, AAGL. ... ... 163 T. Collins, W.L 160 COMPETITION FOR DUCKS. Heretaunga Poultry Co. ... 253 AA r . Knight. ... ... ... 213 P. J. Keller 179 A. R. Browne ... ... ... 170