1946 -1951.

While still at Hereford Cathedral School I was very much involved with my father’s flock of Pedigree Utility Rhode Island Reds.Plus 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 Verandahs and transferred to Motley Verandahs. During my year here we experimented with ducklings in turkey verandahs 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 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, Hayboxes 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 the 18 years I have be writing the Poultry column for Smallholder Magazine UK, 8 years Feathered World and 4 years Fancy Fowl. 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 T.V. 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’.

During August 2003, David spent two weeks with the Canadian Wildlife Services trapping and recording wild ducks on the marshes in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was an excellent hands on experience which one could never learn by reading even the best books. During that time he was accompanied by two experienced brothers, Chris and Josh Novak from Sackville. See picture at the top.