128 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



upon aspects of the subject which he has not 

 treated of. During late years, poultry fattening 

 in Sussex has been developing somewhat new 

 phases, besides considerably extending ; and in 



the September and October of 1900 

 Developments we went (by the aid of our trusty 

 in Sussex. tricycle) over a large part of the 



district, with the object of obtaining 

 information about these, and especially about 

 that production of ground oats upon which the 

 Sussex industry so largely depends. Our intro- 

 ductions were sufficient to obtain what we desired 

 in nearly all cases ; but we were sorry to be 

 confronted almost on the threshold of our in- 

 quiries by evidence of the real harm that had 

 been done by certain writers upon this subject, 

 who have sought to strengthen their attacks 

 upon what they are pleased to term " poultry- 

 farming," by exaggerated descriptions of the 

 profits to be made by poultry fattening as apart 

 from it. The result has been to induce persons 

 who knew nothing of the business, to embark in 

 it after perhaps two or three months' " tuition," 

 or sometimes without even that, only to give it 

 up after eighteen months or so, with much loss 

 even to themselves, but having done evil which 

 has not stopped there. These novices entered 

 into competition as regards both buying chickens 

 and selling them, with others who did make a 

 living by it, and by their unwisdom and ignorance 

 have raised the price of the lean and lowered 

 that of the fat ones ; not perhaps to any large 

 extent, but enough to make a perceptible differ- 

 ence to those seriously engaged in the industry. 

 Various examples were mentioned to us ; and in 

 the very rare instances where information was 

 refused in response to our own inquiries, such 

 reasons were avowed for the refusal. 



This business is one of all others not to be 

 rashly entered, least of all by the very class who 

 seem most anxious to do so. It cannot be learnt 



in a few months, as they seem to 

 Fattenmg think.* Much of it can, of course. 

 a Critical ht n 1 1 -111 



Business. "l""- rsrown has described the pens, 



and the food, and other matters ; and 

 for years we have had all such details at our 

 own finger-ends ; yet we would view the pros- 

 pect of having to embark in such a business with 

 absolute dismay. For such knowledge alone 

 will not enable anyone to make it pay ; what is 

 above all needed is that instinct, or rather 

 intuitive knowledge, born only of first-hand ex- 

 perience, which enables the practical fatter to 

 know what is each day required for each bird : 



* Mr. Rew mentions a case where a small farmer in the 

 district itself, determined to add the fattening business to the 

 rearing he was already carrying on. He sent his son, a bright 

 lad, away for two years to learn about this in the fattening sheds, 

 and only then started in it at home. 



if one has rather too much food, or another too 

 little, or another has had what fatting it can 

 stand, or another is slightly ailing. Then the 

 fatter must also know what amount of work 

 ought to be done by his assistants, and how to 

 get that much out of them without ill-will ; what 

 a chicken he buys is really worth ; at what stage 

 his fatted bird will pay best to sell, and so on. 

 To know about these things theoretically, is not 

 really to know them practically ; but in many 

 Sussex families they drink it all in with their 

 mother's milk. Finally, it cannot be said too 

 emphatically, that fattening is neither an easy 

 business, nor a very " nice " business for the class 

 who seem so specially anxious to embark in it. 

 When we come to the sour milk, and rendering 

 the fat, and killing, and plucking, and other 

 things, it is well to consider what the business is 

 like, before going into it ; for it cannot all be seen 

 to by deputy. And it means work early and late ; 

 for idle hands cannot be afforded, and the profits 

 are not what many suppose. The very best, pay 

 the best, and a first-class fowl at 7s. 6d. pays 

 very well ; but the demand for such is only 

 limited, and the top of the ladder is not gained 

 in a hurry. The margin is very narrow indeed 

 now, for a large quantity of really good birds ; 

 such as form the greater portion of the birds sent 

 up from Sussex, and always must do so. To 

 take a concrete case : one fatter who usually 

 sends up five dozen three times weekly, and at 

 that season* was sending only four, or twelve 

 dozen per week, had to pay is. gd. each for 

 his chickens ; the carriage and commission 

 would be 3d. more, and he expected to get 3s. 

 That would give him is. on each bird for food, 

 labour, rent, and his living or profit. It will 

 be seen how little would turn the scale. 



This narrowness of margin is one of the 

 recent phases of the industry. Years ago the 

 same fatter just mentioned, for similar chickens, 



which were bought in the neigh- 

 Fattemng bourhood and not Irish, would have 

 Increase. S^*^ ^^- more increase of cost, and 



had, say, is. 6d. to " play with." The 

 fall has been partly due to the cause above 

 alluded to (which we have emphasised because 

 requested to do so by some of those affected by 

 it) and partly by increased supplies, the demand 

 for which is, after all, not unlimited. On the 

 other hand, ground oats is now cheaper, and 

 cramming machines save much in labour ; but 

 for these two economies, many stated that 

 they could not now make it pay. In reference 

 to this, several complained of the high cost of 



* September is not a very good time of year, and many 

 titters, at the time of our visit, did not care to send up more 

 supplies than were advisable to "keep their market." 



