Turkeys in Demand

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 223, 9 December 1927, Page 8

Turkeys in Demand

AUCKLAND’S CHRISTMAS FARE

Busy Days For Poulterers

GEESE that cackled on Capitol Hill earned for themselves immunity from the onslaught of the ancient Roman poulterer, but the concession was not extended to others o their tribe, and in a week or two scores of Auckland geese, as well as other fowl will be offered up in the annua Christmas sacrifice.

/“''EESE have lost their former popu- ' lari v» and it is only at Christ mas that the dmrmrd i.\r t»; an is keen. Poulterers are not sorry, for they are exceptionally difficult to pluck. “I could pluck half a dozen hens in the time occupied with one old goose,” said a butcher s man to-day. But while the day of the goose appears to be fading, that of the turkey appears to be waxing year by year. This Christmas fewer people may feel inclined to pay up to 30s for their Christmas turkey, but as tines improve they will gladly buy at that figure One Auckland firm has handled as many as 1,500 turkeys in Christmas week, and even now cannot meet

the demand. Quotations have been asked for by small-goods houses in Wellington and the South Island, but. the reply has always been terse and to the point: “Can’t supply.” VANCOUVER TURKEYS By the last mail boat a consignment of turkeys arrived in cold storage from Vancouver, British Columbia. In elegant condition, the birds were such as to be an epicure’s joy, and reflected the fact that in late autumn or winter the turkey is at its best. The development of the Christmas turkey as a tradition in England is due mainly to the application of selective principles. In England the turkey is at its best about Christmas time, consequently it has been chosen as the popular offering for the festive dinner fable. Communicated to New Zealand, the

tradition of the turkey overlooks the fact that here the birds have passed their best by the time Christmas arrives Not often do those who run turkeys attempt to feed them for market purposes. For preference they allow the birds to roam over the farms, wild and shy, nesting and roosting in the open. Raids by poachers are not uncommon, and in certain sporting circles a turkey is regarded as a lare prize. Meanwhile, the farmer is waiting for a favourable market day. when he sets forth gun in hand, overlooking the extent to which the commodity is damaged by shotgun pellets. Since spring the turkey? have concentrated as far as possible on their favourite diet, crickets, which make them lean, stringy, and much less palatable than they would bare been if taken in the heart of the winter. Few turkeys are raised near Auckland City, but in the outer districts there are farms galore where turkeys roam. One firm is expecting a shipment from Coromandel, and another from Whangaparoa. “So far turkeys have been scarce, but they will start to come in next week, and Tuesday, December 20, should see large numbers auctioned,” said a dealer. lie added that the ordinary poultry farmer could not run turkeys, owing to the limited size of the holdings, only four, five, or six acres in extent This was unfortunate, as the class of bird supplied would be much improved by systematic feeding, such as a poultry farmer was accustomed to give. FATTENING UNDER PRESSURE How far forced feeding is valuable in preparing birds for the market may be judged from the methods adopted by English dealers. Geese held for the Christmas season are actually fattened under compulsion, food being bammed down their gullets. One Auckland concern follows similar lines in preparing ducks for sale. During a blissful fortnight the birds are fed, and fed, and fed again. A minimum of exercise, and confinement in half darkened pens, complets the process, and the birds go prime to the slaughter. Ducks and fowls, as well as turkeys, are sought by Christmas epicures, and in Auckland during the next few weeks the business in these classes of poultry will be heavy. Most of the birds come from such districts as Henderson and Papatoetoe, where there are many poultry farms, breeding ducks, fowls, bantams, and even pheasants, while an occasional turkey is introduced as a cheap but effective incubator, capable of hatching 40 hen eggs at a sitting. In the case of the common “chook,” Christmas again mis-times the bird’s development, for chickens hatched in the spring are rarely at their best until January. This summer they will be >even later, because breeding was late owing to the wet spring and a series of untimely thunderstorms. But Christmas and the Christmas dinner cannot be deferred, so the poultry must be taken as it Is, and even at that it will be sufficiently appetising.