or less ignored in many cases during the war are now being strictly enforced. It is to be hoped that town poultry.-keepers will so regard the requirements of hygiene and sanitation in thickly populated areas that no serious cause for complaint with subsequent restrictive action on the part of local authorities may arise, as undoubtedly " backyard " poultry-keeping can give powerful assistance in reducing the necessity for large importa- tions of foreign eggs.
For backyard, allotment and garden poultry-keeping the inten- sive system of housing is usually adopted, though in some cases where sufficient space is available open or covered runs for the birds may be provided in addition to the house. Under the strictly inten- sive system the birds are permanently confined to the house which should afford four or five sq. ft. of floor space to each bird. It is essential that the floor of the house be kept dry and some 4 in. to 8 in. of bedding should be provided amongst which grain should be scattered from time to time so as to induce the birds to take necessary exercise by scratching amongst the litter for the grain. The intensive house is usually of a lean-to open-fronted type so de- signed as to admit as much sunlight as possible on to the floor in the winter months and yet to keep out rain, snow and wind. It may be built of wood, J-in. tongued and grooved match-boarding is often iised, asbestos sheeting, or even mainly of felt. As a backyard or garden poultry house is often of a more or less permanent nature it is usually more economical in the long run to use sound materials which are likely to need little repairing. A house of this type, which should be high enough to permit of easy cleaning, may be built for iix or eight hens in quite a small backyard, and provided it is kept quite clean and no male birds are kept no offence is likely to be caused to neighbours even in a crowded city district. In circumstances such as these, however, it is inadvisable to attempt hatching and rearing, and the egg supply is likely to be more satisfactorily main- tained if fresh pullets are purchased at the end of each summer and the hens disposed of which have been kept intensively for about a year, and have temporarily ceased laying and commenced to moult.
If space permit a covered run may be provided adjoining the house, but the floor material, especially if of soil or sand, must be kept scrupulously sweet and clean. The top surface should be raked off and renewed from time to time and occasionally a little disin- fectant powder may be sprinkled in the run. Extra accommodation of this sort is, however, not really necessary for laying stock kept under proper intensive conditions for one year only, and most backyard poultry-keepers with limited space at their disposal will find an intensive house constructed on sound lines most suitable for their purpose.
The Sussex poultry-fattening industry, which had become of considerable importance in the three south-eastern counties prior to the war, has become almost extinct owing to the high price, and the difficulty in obtaining supplies, of the Sussex ground oats which were invariably used for cramming the birds. Apart from the fact that it was considered uneconomical in war-time scarcity to use concentrated feeding-stuffs for the production of the highly finished, crammed Surrey fowl, supplies of store chick- ens were difficult to obtain, feeding-stuffs were very short and were rationed, and, owing to the shortage of fresh meat, chickens found a ready market in almost any condition. Thus the old Sussex fattening industry gradually died out, though of course chickens continued to be reared as far as conditions would per- mit and were marketed as a rule without cramming or special fattening.
There have been some indications of a revival of the cram- ming practice, but Irish supplies of store chickens having been diverted for direct sale in London and elsewhere, and poultry- raisers having accustomed themselves to selling their birds for direct consumption without additional fattening, it may be that any general revival of cramming will be long deferred. Much will depend upon the public demand and this will no doubt revive to an increasing extent if supplies of the former high-quality crammed chickens become greater. The practice of trough feed- ing chickens in fattening coops for a week or so in order to give them a little extra finish is still continued to a certain extent dur- ing the late summer, and this practice has much to commend it. Less skill is required than in cramming; it is more economical of feeding-stuffs, and though the chickens cannot be as highly fin- ished as by the crammer, good-quality table birds can be produced which are readily saleable at satisfactory prices.
Like the Sussex cramming industry, the old-established Ayles- bury duck-fattening industry, as well as duck-fattening farms outside Buckinghamshire, became practically extinct during the
war, but duck farms were bound to reappear as feeding-stuffs became cheaper and more plentiful. In 1921 the tendency ap- peared to be to keep the lighter breeds of ducks, such as the Indian Runner, the Khaki Campbell, and the Buff Orpington, for egg production rather than for table purposes, and much attention has been drawn to this aspect of duck-keeping owing to the laying competition for ducks conducted by the Great Eastern Railway Co. with the Utility Duck Club.
For many years the poultry industry received little recogni- tion or assistance from the state authorities in the United King- dom. Considerable changes in this respect, however, have been in evidence during recent years. State aid has been mainly directed to educational activities, and there are now few counties which do not possess an instructor in poultry -keeping, whose duties con- sist in giving instruction in this subject by means of peripatetic lectures, classes, and visits to poultry-keepers. Most of the agricultural colleges, dairy institutes and. farm institutes also provide regular instruction in poultry-keeping to their pupils, and in some instances such as at the Harper Adams Agricultural College, Shropshire; the Lancashire County Council School at Hutton; the Glasgow and West of Scotland Agricultural College Poultry School at Kilmarnock, etc. courses of training are pro- vided for students desiring to specialize in poultry-keeping.
Poultry-breeding centres have been established by the Board of Agriculture in cooperation with local authorities in almost every district in the United Kingdom, for the purpose of distribu- ting good pure-bred utility poultry usually by the sale of eggs for hatching or day-old chicks to smallholders, cottagers and allotment holders. This scheme has met with much apprecia- tion and success. Table 6 shows the number of distributing sta- tions established in England and Wales and the numbers of eggs and chicks distributed since 1919:
TABLE 6. Distribution Stations.
Jt
OH
c
goi
U.2
y C
o o
S3
3
Total
||
"1
<*s3
uS
"p.S
Eggs
iu
t/5
bo
t/}
c ^
9
H
i
Q
I 9 i9
156
3
4
163
52,980
2,974
1920
122
39
8
4
173
141,611
20,934
1921
138
84
9
4
259'
Includes 24 stations which undertake distribution of ducks' eggs.
It is significant of the interest now taken by the State in the development of the poultry industry that the Ministry of Agri- culture and Fisheries has created a separate Small Livestock Branch, on the staff of which technically qualified officers were appointed. One of the chief duties of the branch is to supervise the poultry educational work of local authorities in respect of which grants in aid are made by the Ministry. It is the duty of the technical head of the branch to advise the Ministry on mat- ters relating to the industry.
Valuable work is done in Britain to assist the poultry industry by poultry societies and clubs, such as the National Utility Poultry Society, the Poultry Club, the Northern Utility Society, the Scientific Poultry Breeders' Association, the Midland Fur and Feather Federation, and many others. These clubs organize lec- tures, demonstrations, laying competitions and shows, and do a great amount of voluntary work in an advisory capacity. In 1920 a central organization known as the National Poultry Parliament was set up mainly through the efforts of Mr. Edward Brown, F.L.S., who was unanimously appointed the first presi- dent. This poultry parliament, which meets once or twice a year to discuss questions relating to the industry, is representative of societies, clubs, educational authorities and institutions and trad- ing organizations. The parliament has appointed a smaller exec- utive body known as the National Poultry Council, and one of the first important steps taken by the council was to set up a national examination board to conduct an examination and to award to successful candidates a national diploma, which is intended to be in the main a standard qualification for persons desiring to obtain appointments as instructors in poultry- keeping. (P. A. F.)
