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1946 - 1951.
While still at Hereford
Cathedral School I was very much involved with
my father’s flock of Pedigree Utility Rhode
Island Reds, including a small Pedigree Brown Leghorn
flock of my own.
1951 - 1952.
I left school at 16 to start
full tome training on a Ministry Approved
Poultry farm in Surrey, rearing Chickens, Ducks
and Turkeys for the table all year round. Ducks
and Chicken were started off in Tier brooders
and at 2 weeks of age Ducklings were transferred
to Fold Units to complete their growing period.
At 6 weeks of age Chicken were moved into cooler
units for a further 2 weeks and then transferred
to Sussex Night Arks until two weeks before
killing, when they were moved into individual
units and fed a mixture of fattening meal and
whey, mixed into a porridge consistency and
fermented for between 2 to 4 days depending on
climatic conditions. This was then fed strictly
‘to appetite’.
Turkeys were started off in
small oil heated outdoor units, hardened off in
Sun Verandas and transferred to Motley
Verandas. During my year here we experimented
with ducklings in turkey verandas and found
that the wire floor cut their feet as their
weight increased. The wire floors were replaced
with slats 3.81cm (1.1/2”) wide, 1.27cm (1/2”)
which proved very successful. The farm had its
own supply of meal and was hand mixed by shovel
every Friday by myself and another junior.
During this period of training the owner
branched out into pig production which added on
to our daily chores and learning.
1952 - 1953.
My second years training was
on another M. A. Farm. This General Farm involved
a Pedigree Friesian Dairy Herd, a Pedigree Herd
of Wessex Saddle Back pigs and Pedigree Poultry
and arable Utility Poultry breeding consisted of
Free Range Houses, Semi Intensive, and Fold
Units with grandparent stock being bred from in
small orchard units. All birds, parents and
grandparent stock were trap nested for accurate
pedigree recording, and a few pullets were each
year entered in National Laying trials.
Reproduction was by artificial incubation. One
was expected to work on all areas of the farm as
and when required.
1953 - 1955
National Service in the
Wiltshire Regiment as a Basic Training
Instructor.
1955 - 1956
Attended Merrist Wood
Agricultural College as a General Agricultural
Student.
1956 - 1962.
At the age of 21, I was appointed
Poultry Manager to one of the first and later
largest Egg Producing Units in the South of
England. At first I built up a Pedigree Utility
Poultry Breeding Unit to supply our own
requirements and during that time came 3rd in a
National Laying Trials. The expansion of the
laying flock was to quick to enlarge the
breeding flock without loosing quality so our
replacement stock was bought in at day old, and
reared on site via tier brooders, hay boxes and
Range Shelters. With several thousand growers
out all year round predators proved very costly,
so we turned to Straw Yards as an alternative to
Range Shelters. As expansion increased so
rearing again was altered to large broiler type
houses, young pullets started on litter and then
on slats until moved to their laying quarters.
During this period I co-opted a few other like
minded egg producers and together we founded The
West Sussex Commercial Poultry Association
attracting a large membership and leading
speakers throughout the U.K.
1962 - 1969
With a partner qualified in
engineering we set up a firm called “ Southern
Engineering Services “ which was involved in the
maintenance of Poultry Equipment and the
installation of Packing Station Graders coupled
with a 24 breakdown service in the South of
England. We ourselves purchased a small holding
producing and retailing eggs from our own 5000
birds door to door via six small egg vans along
a 35 mile stretch of the Sussex Coast. Because
of UK Egg Marketing problems I, along with two
other Egg Producers founded the “ National
Producer Retailer Association “ (NEPRA), forcing
the Government of the day to set up the “
Rowland Wright Commission “ to look into Egg
Marketing controls. As a result the “British Egg
Marketing Board “ was dismantled allowing
Producers free market at improved prices. This
Association subsequently merged with the “United
Kingdom Poultry Producers Association” (UKEP)
who now represent 70% of all UK Egg Producers.
UKEPRA are still the only powerful Ginger Group
egg producers now left in England and Wales to
represent them, with SEPRA north of the border.
1969 onwards.
I founded Southern Pullet
Rearers (SPR) in 1969, which over the years has
changed course from solely pullet rearing to
supplying most types of poultry houses for Free
Range Production suitable for units of between 4
- 500 laying birds. Practical Advice and
assistance is provided to those wishing to set
up independent Free range Egg or Meat production
Flocks. Until June 1995 we were the largest
registered Utility Poultry Breeding unit in the
South, but due to ill conceived and inept EC on
Animals in Transport Legislation which included
poultry, our breeding stock had to be sold. In
all other aspects our firm goes from strength to
strength. About 1980 concerned because new
enthusiasts wishing to keep Pure Breed Poultry,
who in their ignorance as first time buyers,
were purchasing poor quality birds at Poultry
Auctions or at Show & Sale events thinking they
were buying quality stock. I conceived and
introduced a system of Card Grading where the
potential purchasers were able to read qualified
judges comments on each bird entered before the
actual Auction or Sale. SPR held Carded Poultry
Auctions in the South over the following 12
years to establish the system. This was
subsequently taken on board by the Rare Breed
Survival Trust at whose Auctions poor quality
birds were fetching embarrassingly high prices
and in each subsequent year the quality was
improved. This was later introduced to their
sheep auctions and is becoming a more accepted
practice were organizers of such events are
concerned with the general standard and
improvement of all stock sold.
For over 22 years I have
written the poultry column for Smallholder
Magazine UK, having started a year after it came
into circulation, and 4 years writing in Fancy
Fowl. I am still writing Poultry Talk for
Feathered World, keeping readers up to date with
legislation as well as providing valuable
information on all aspects of poultry keeping,
including a coloured tear out section on poultry
diseases and common ailments. Articles have been forwarded to
California for a General Farming Magazine which
is in the process of being republished. In 1996
in partnership with Alexandra Bastedo and Mary
l’Anson, a TV producer for Video Arts and the
John Cleese Company, we set up our own Video
Company, “Light Sussex Productions “ to produce
the video ‘ Poultry Matters’, the first of we
hope a forth coming series as well as the
production of videos for other welfare concerns.
I published my first Poultry Book (Poultry for
the Garden) in 1975 and a second called
‘Practical Poultry Keeping’ published in 1996 by
Crowood Press. The latter was specifically
written as a poultry book of reference, and in
2000 ‘Turkeys. A Guide to Management’.
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