Report of the Poultry E.vjiert. 911 



average class of chickens on the market during" the past season was 

 superior to anything produced in previous years, and taking into con- 

 sideration the present low price of grain and other poultry foods, it 

 should encourage the producer to keep on improving his stock. If 

 the right class of birds come to hand there is no fear of the market 

 being over supplied, and our exporters have every chance of 

 sharing in the enormous amount paid annually to importers of poultry 

 and eggs into England, running into over £10,000,000 per annmn. 

 At the time of year when poultry are most plentiful here, they are 

 very scarce and are consequently at their highest prices in England. 



An idea of the extent of the British trade in poultry and eggs can 

 be gained from the following facts published by the British Board 

 of Trade Journal : — " The values of the imports for the past two years 

 are— Eggs, (1902) £6,308,985 ; (1903), £6,617,619. Poultry, (1902) 

 £1,059,044; (1903) £1,203,086." The increase in the value of 

 both items last year over 1902 was £452,676, Russia and Denmark 

 taking the lead in the export of eggs. The quantity of eggs 

 imported last year was 2,271,661,560, representing an average 

 expenditure of 18s. for each household in foreign eggs. This is 

 exclusive of eg'gs sent from Ireland. The estimated value of the 

 total consumption of eggs and poultry in Great Britain during 1903 

 was £17,420,705 divided as follows :— Imported, £7,820,705; Irish, 

 £2,300,000 ; British, £7,300,000. The weight of eggs consumed last 

 year is estimated at 250,000 tons, and the poultry at 65,000 tons. 

 Of the eggs used, it is considered that about five per cent, were 

 purely for manufacturing purposes, one firm in London using at least 

 a million per annum, although its product is not a food. 



Time for Exporting. 



The best time for exporting so as to command highest figures for 

 chickens or ducklings is to land them in England from March to 

 June, while turkeys should be sent during September or October, and 

 must be on the London market before Christmas. Either turkeys, 

 chickens, or ducklings may be killed when in prime condition, and 

 can be kept in cool chambers till required for exportation. The 

 weight of turkey gobblers should be from 12 to 20 lbs., the heavy 

 weights being in the most demand, providing the condition is up to 

 the mark. Turkey hens should run from 7 to 10 lbs., and no birds 

 should be over 12 months. Chickens should be from 3 to 44 lbs., 

 and their age from 14 to 18 weeks ; ducklings should average about 

 4 to 4^ lbs., and they should not be more than 10 to 13 weeks old. 

 Nothing but high conditioned birds should be sent. Liberal feeding 

 will encourage weight, and the sooner the birds are ready for the 

 market the less will be the feeding bill. All classes of poultry 

 intended for export should be put up and fed with suitable food, so 

 as to induce both growth and condition. 



The use of the crammer in rearing poultry will enable breeders to 

 force their chickens on rapidly, but can only be recommended where 

 poultry is kept on a large scale, or where birds are wanted to catch 

 a particular market. The food for the crammer must be of the 



