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Poultry: In Austria the breeding of poultry is a very important factor in Agriculture. In 1998 13.5 million chickens, 645,000 turkeys and 26,000 geese were kept on Austrian farms. Production was distributed as follows: boiler-fryer and roaster chicken 81%, stewing chicken 1% and turkey 18% (ducks and geese less than 1%). In 1997 per capita consumption of poultry in Austria was 9.9 kg. The following species are kept as domestic breeds: white Leghorns, partridge-coloured Italians, Rhode Island Reds, white Wyandottes as well as the native partridge-coloured Styrians and red brown "Sulmtalers". Styrian poulards and capons have become known throughout the world. Efficient breeds were introduced in 1872, later special associations dealt with the breeding of pure-bred poultry. Austria´s best known turkeys are the bronze and the white Turkeys.
Between 1997 and 1998 egg production rose by 1% to 1.7 billion. In
1998 about two thirds of egg production was based on battery keeping,
one third on free-range poultry keeping. In the food industry the
share of eggs from alternative husbandry has been increasing since
1992.