THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4450, 10 May 1930, Page 4

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

In liis survey of the Poultry Industry in New Zealand, Mr. E- JFawcett, AI.A. (Government Farm Economist) says: — Many difficulties have to lie faced at the outset in attempting a study of the distribution and consumption of eggs. The estimated number of layers at the commencement ot. the .1928-29 season, apart from those 'kept by Maoris, is 3,985,000. and these at nine dozen per head would give a total production ot 35,805,090 dozen eggs. Of this total about 14,375,000 or 40 per cent, go on the market. The number estimated as going on the market is dependent upon the estimate ot the number of homes with fowls and of the consumption rate per family. Rural families with fowls have been assessed as 94,000 in number, consuming on the average 125 dozen eggs each. The estimated number of urban families with fowls is 80,000, and their average consumption of eggs Ims been taken as 90 dozen each. The former thus account for 13,100,000 dozen, while the latter account for 7,740,000 dozen, making 20,900,000 dozen iu all for the 180,000 families keeping fowls. The replacement of layers in flocks as deducted from census returns appears to be about four in every nine, and at this rate approximately 1,770,000 layers would need to be raised during the season. For each layer raised it •takes, roughly, four eggs, so that the total eggs used for batching would be 7,080,000, or 590,009 dozen. This amount, together with the 20,900,000 dozen consumed by the 180,000 families keeping fowls, when deducted from total production (viz., 35,865,000 dozen) leaves Hie 14,375,000 dozen eggs which, as previously stated, go on the market. Included in this total are eggs for export, overseas ships’ stores, pulp, and chilling, and fresh eggs to pastrycooks, amounting to approximately 29 per cent., which do not (•liter the retail trade, as they are handled by wholesalers only. Eggs exported plus eggs for stores of overseas shipping total about 260,00(1 dozen, while eggs pulped amount, to about 760,000 dozen.

The total number of eggs which went into consumption for the season was 35,1.13,000 dozen, which, with an estimated total number of families of 327,000, works out at aboufc 107.4 dozen per family. The total eggs preserved during- the sea son has been estimated at 4,000,000 dojzen—about 1,000,000 dpztan 'to rural families keeping fowls, about 600,000 dozen to urban families keeping fowls, about 800,000 dozen to urban and rural families not 'keeping fowls, and the balance (.1,600,000 dozen) to pastrycooks.