Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 361

4. Poultry breeding in the Kvutzoth. The number of hens per family in the Kvutzoth varies from 25 to 100. The minimum of hens per Kvutzah is 1,000, and in some there are over 2,000. A large area is required for the incubating of thousands of eggs, and the coops are therefore at some distance from the houses. The work is tiring and requires a certain amount of skill, and for this reason poultry breeding in the Kvutzoth has not yet reached a high degree of development. The attached table shows the income and expenditure for poultry breeding in the Kvutzoth in 5694. 5. Breeds of Poultry. Formerly settlers kept local breeds, but they could not satisfy economically the demands of the Jewish settler. Both the number of the eggs laid and their size is small, and therefore select breeds were imported from abroad, especially the White Leghorn, which lays a large number of eggs per annum. The average number of eggs laid per hen in the settlements is 150. In 5689 experts began to visit the poultry flocks. Every year, before the incubating season, a committee visits the settlements which sell eggs for incubating, selecting the most suitable flocks. It is necessary that these fowls should not be under ten months old and should weigh at least 1.5 kilograms. Incubating eggs must have a white shell and weigh at least 53 grams. The settlements must keep detailed records of the poultry coops, and from these records it is established whether the eggs of the family in question are suitable for incubation. In 5695, till June, the examining committee, as shown in the attached table, No. 6, approved 32,300 hens for incubation. Twelve farms are already included in the pedigree chart of the fowls which lay an average of 170-180 eggs per annum, and weigh 9.5 kilograms, and 700 hens were approved for the pedigree chart. For further improvement in poultry keeping, a high breed of cocks was imported from England. Table 6. List of Settlements whose poultry has been approved. 1. Beth-Zera ....... ......... 1,240 2. Beth-Alfa ............... 850 3. Gan-Shmuel ............ 550 4. Geva.................. 1,410 5. Gneiger ............... 680 6. Gebeth ............... 1,220 7. Degania A................ 750 8. Degania B................ 760 9. Hasharon ............... 750 10. Heftzi-Ba ............... 510 11. Jagur ............... 1,117 12. Kinereth ............... 1,300 13. Mishmar-Haemek ...... ... 1,212 14. Merhavia ............... 700 15. Kvutza Mizra ............ 1,040 16. Ayanoth ............ ... 740 361