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Economic Position of Poultry Industry. [Aug., 



ECONOMIC POSITION OF THE 

 POULTRY INDUSTRY. 



Edward Brown, F.L.S. 



The poultry industry has made great progress during the last 

 six years. Those who were engaged in the business of poultry 

 keeping before the War, and continued under the trying condi- 

 tions of shortage in feeding stufts, are rewarded by the more 

 favourable situation now existing. Even those branches of 

 poultry keeping which were regarded as more or less experi- 

 mental seem now to have established themselves, and there is a 

 clearer appreciation of the food value of eggs and poultry than 

 was the case before the War. 



Eggs have increased in price to a greater degree than most 

 other regular articles of food, and what has been of great import- 

 ance to the producer is that prices have been high in the spring 

 and summer months when production is at the maximum. The 

 prices of poultry, however, have not advanced to an equal extent, 

 although the price of ordinary farm fowls increased more than 

 for specially fattened kinds. During the early days of the War 

 there was almost an entire cessation in the demand for fatted 

 poultry, and as a consequence fattening plants reduced their 

 output. With the shortage in feeding stuffs in 1917 onwards, 

 the trade became unprofitable, and as a result of the fixing of 

 maximum prices at a little more than 100 per cent, 

 higher than the pre-war rates for poultry of fine quality, a 

 considerable number of poultry fatteners in Sussex and West 

 Kent went out of business. At present there is little prospect 

 of the restoration of the industry on a large scale, as there is 

 not sufficient margin between cost of production and the market 

 returns, to i^rovide an adequate profit. 



The raising of ducklings for market has also suffered to an 

 equal if not greater extent. Geese, on the other hand, have 

 grown somewhat in favour, regaining among industrial workers 

 a measure of the popularity they had many years ago. No actual 

 figures are available as to the reduction in the number of turkeys 

 raised in recent years. As they are essentially farm stock, the 

 extra cost of feeding and raising has not been so great as in 

 other branches of poultry keeping, and the chief reason for the 

 decrease which has occurred appears to be that farmers have 

 found other undertakings more profitable. It should, however, 

 be possible to raise the breeding of turkeys to its former position 

 within a comparatively short period. 



