Poultry production in the eastern counties

Extract

The Eastern Counties is an area extending from the Wash to the Thames; and includes Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Isle of Ely, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, parts of Lincolnshire (Kesteven and Holland), Norfolk, East and West Suffolk, and Essex. It is well farmed, is largely arable (arable land 77.3%, pasture 19.5%, rough grazing 3.2% (1944)); and well suited to the production of abundant supplies of cereal grains which form the main basis of poultry diets. In addition, the soil types range from light sandy soils through alluvial and fen soils to heavy clay; from sandy heaths to low lying rich meadow and marsh land, and the climatic conditions are such as to suit poultry production. It is therefore not surprising to find poultry keeping in all its branches forming a profitable side line to the practice of general farming. The low lying meadow and marsh areas are particularly well suited to the rearing of ducks, on the lighter sandy soils numerous flocks of turkeys are kept, while throughout the area where suitable rough grazing exists small flocks of geese are reared. Fowls are also well distributed throughout the area on the better drained soils. The extent to which poultry are kept in the Eastern Counties can be appreciated by studying the census figures, no less than 17.7% of the fowls in England and Wales, 20.8% of the ducks, 12.6% of the geese, and 21.5% of the turkeys being reared in the Eastern Counties in 1948.