1158 



Notes on Poultry Keeping. 



[Mar., 



against production. It is desirable, therefore, that all possible 

 economy should be practised in this direction with the object of 

 cheapening production. The possibilities of obtaining high egg 

 production by using feeding stuffs of an inferior quality were 

 explored to some extent during the War, and although the results 

 obtained in some cases were surprisingly good, further experi- 

 ment is required in this direction before definite recommenda- 

 tions can be made. The inferior feeding stuffs used during the 

 War period have now fallen out of favour and are replaced gene- 

 rally by good meal and grain. Even palm kernel meal which was 

 used to a considerable extent has not gained in popularity, though 

 it is a distinctly useful food for poultry if used in moderate pro- 

 portions, namely, 10 to 15 per cent. It is also comparatively 

 cheap. The tendency at one time to a freer use of clover meal 

 has apparently ceased. The rise in the price of this material was 

 not accompanied by an increase in quality, but rather the 

 reverse. Where clover meal of good quality and reasonable price 

 can be obtained, however, its value as a food for laying hens 

 deserves close attention. Fortunately fish meal has improved in 

 quality and the present price makes it a cheap form of animal 

 food for poultry. Substitutes, such as bracken root meal, dried 

 tomato skins, seaweed meal, &c, which were tried during the 

 War, are now receiving little attention. The cost of such substi- 

 tutes and the results obtainable from them require to be 

 carefully investigated before any recommendation could be made 

 regarding their use. 



The specialist egg farmer is the producer most likely to feel 

 the effect of the fall in egg prices, because he has to purchase 

 practically the whole of the food requirements for his birds, 

 whilst the general farmer, whose birds are able to find more of 

 their food from foraging over the land, is in a more favourable 

 position in this respect. The specialist producer, however, not 

 only secures usually a larger proportion of eggs in the winter 

 months when prices are high, but also as a rule adopts more pro- 

 ductive methods of feeding. The bulk of the eggs produced in 

 this country are probably produced on ordinary agricultural 

 holdings, but considerably increased production from farm 

 poultry could be obtained, particularly in the winter months, if 

 farmers were to adopt more efficient methods of feeding. The 

 aim should be so to supplement the food obtained by the birds 

 in foraging that they may receive a sufficient and properly 

 balanced ration. Many farmers buy no special food for their 

 poultry, which are fed entirely on the products of the farm. Up 



