1910.] Poultry Fattening Centres. 29 



POULTRY FATTENING CENTRES. 

 J. W. Hurst. 



The economic advantage, to both producer and consumer, 

 of properly fattened fowls is a matter regarding which there 

 can be no dispute ; but the fact remains that the demand is 

 limited to certain markets, and production is at present only 

 remunerative in a few districts. The annual loss entailed by 

 the premature killing of lean fowls cannot be estimated, but 

 it must be very considerable. 



The eighth annual report of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture and Technical Instruction for Ireland contains a per- 

 tinent remark, based upon Departmental experience, to the 

 effect that "a station cannot be established successfully unless 

 adequate supplies of suitable birds, as well as the necessary 

 feeding stuffs, are readily available in its neighbourhood. 

 Highly efficient management is also an indispensable condi- 

 tion for success." 



Supply of Birds for a Fattening Centre. — The question of 

 adequate supplies is of primary importance in the establish- 

 ment of a fattening centre, and it is in connection with this 

 initial requirement that co-operation and organisation are so 

 essential. Large numbers of the birds used in existing 

 centres bear the burden of double carriage — both as lean and 

 dead fowls — an addition to the cost of production which 

 could be minimised by an increased number of centres. These 

 would reduce the distance from which the supplies would 

 be drawn and increase the incentive to breed more exten- 

 sively. Leaving the Irish supply of fowls for the Sussex 

 fattening centres out of the question, there are a number of 

 districts in England and Wales whence considerable quanti- 

 ties of lean chickens are also sent, and where the breeders 

 are numerous enough to form the nucleus around which 

 others would spring up if a practical scheme of fattening 

 centres could be formulated. It would, however, obviously 

 be useless to open up an establishment in even the most 

 favourable locality without first arriving at some agreement 

 with the principal breeders within a reasonable area, because 

 only by a successful commencement could others be induced 

 to appreciate the benefits of such a combined effort. It re- 



