464 



Profitable Egg Farming. 



[Aug., 



the highest part of the roof in the front. The total length of 

 the brooder house is 170 ft. and it is 12 ft. wide including the 

 attendant's gangway, which is 3 ft. in width. It is divided into 

 30 compartments or pens to take 125 chickens in each. 



The incubator capacity is 4,000 eggs in 400-egg machines of 

 the hot-air type. The attention to these machines absorbs a 

 great deal of time and it is probable that a Mammoth machine 

 will be installed in the near future. 



The breed kept is White Leghorn. Incubation commences 

 the first week in March and the last batch of chickens is hatched 

 out at the end of April. 



The marketing of eggs in this area is carried out on co-opera- 

 tive lines. In 1912 the Oakley and District Co-operative Society 

 was formed, and now has a membership of about 70. It also 

 deals in food stuffs for the benefit of the members. It is run 

 on somewhat unusual lines, as the eggs are not purchased by 

 the Society from the producers, but the Society finds a market 

 for the eggs and all payments are received and dealt with 

 through the Secretary of the Society, each member notifying 

 the Secretary of the number of cases that he has despatched 

 every time the lorry calls. 



A levy of 3d. per case of 30 dozen eggs sent is charged to 

 members to cover administrative expenses. All the eggs are 

 sent to London and the majority go by road transport, which is 

 provided as a private enterprise by one of the members of the 

 Society. The lorry calls at the farms for the eggs and also 

 brings back the empties, thus saving much valuable time to 

 the producer. 



It is the aim of the Society to obtain as high a price as 

 possible for the members' eggs, and as these are packed and 

 loaded direct by the producers into the lorry, the working 

 expenses are cut down to a minimum. 



Whilst what has been done in this area indicates that poultry 

 farming, if properly organised, is undoubtedly a successful form 

 of agriculture, it should be borne in mind that in common with 

 other businesses it calls for hard work, knowledge, power of 

 observation and business capacity, if the best results are to be 

 obtained. What the future may bring forth it is impossible to 

 say, but so long as there is a sufficient margin between the 

 cost of feeding stuffs and the selling price of eggs, it is a form 

 of agriculture that is capable of development in many parts of 

 the country. In recent years the high price of eggs has doubt- 

 less stimulated poultry keeping, but even with a somewhat 

 narrower margin between the price of eggs and the cost of 



