POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19485, 15 November 1926, Page 22

POULTRY INDUSTRY.

SOME BREEDING PROBLEMS. PRODUCTION OF EGG LAYERS. THE IMPORTANCE OF TYPE. BV C.H. Most breeders know from long experience that breeding to produce great layers ; is not as simple as mating high production to high production to produce higher j production. There is a limit fixed by : nature in tho species beyond which even an ambitious, active, high-strung hen cannot go with safety. Unquestionably the limitation in hens is greater than in dairy ! cows. In her flow of milk the cow is merely yielding food for her young, and that quantity of food may be considerably increased, but the hen, in laying an egg, is carrying on tiio infinitely higher process of reproducing her species. Tho trap-nest record does not indicate the value of a hen for breeding. Tho type of tho bird is as important as her egg record. Tho permanent progress that has been made in pedigree breeding to increaso egg production has largely come through breeders keeping constantly in mind tho relation that substance, conformation and temperament bear to production. Champion hens are of value in directing the attention of tho poultry keeper to the importance of tho individual, and once he commences to study his flock as individuals he begins to appreciate that there must be great strength of constitution to enable the hen to stand up under tho severe strain of converting large quantities of feed into a large number of eggs and at same time produce a firm shelled and highly vitalised egg for hatching purposes. High Laying Records. That great improvement has come from breeding the progeny of high layers is understood by all. To infer that because some champion layers have not been, reproducers, wo should discontinue the practice of pedigree breeding for eggs, or discount every bird whose dam was a good layer, would be to-gather a decidedly erroneous impression. What we are seeking to point out is the fact that a hen may be a freak layer, and a breeder who is honest with himself may find himself not knowing how much blood of a phenomenal layer should be injected into his own flock. No super hen has been produced. We still have just the ordinary fowl-species with which to work. Our present day 300 egg hens are simply the unusual spinners in this tribe. They are more the product of breeding than they are of chance. Both have combined to give birth to such individuals. The public is prone to attach extraordinary significance to very high egg records. But the poultryman who buys new blood or foundation stock should not become over' enthusiastic about the offspring of a sensational record hen. He will show good judgment in buying into a pedigree family of high normal layers and in not insisting on paying a much higher price for something for one or two individuals that are featured as having the highest trap-nest records. A phenomenal layer may be only a sport. Nothing can prevent the occasional occurrence of such a specimen within the flock, but it should be understood that the breeding power of a 300egg hen is a question that is open to discussion. Plenty, of Range and Grass. It js natural and proper that the owner of such a specimen within the flock should want to breed her. He does not know, no man knows, the limit to which egg production may be carried with safety. He. has naturally aimed high, and as the years go on, and sports appear within his flock, he must experiment with them as available material that may help to reach his goal. However, it is hardly wise for the public to attach too much value to the purchasing of a hen simply because its dam made a sensational trap-nest record. A good place for the growing chicks is in houses located in colonies in an orchard or shaded paddock where they can have plenty of range, grass and shade. If a stream or creek should wind its way through the orchard or paddock, the location would be about ideal. The grass should be kept short at all times. One year we placed our movable colony house along the banks of a stream that never went dry. Here it was necessary for us to put up artificial shade, because natural shade was not available. We made a frame six feet by eleven feet out of six-inch boards. This frame was placed on legs about 15in. from the ground and sloped toward the north. The frame was covered with hay and either wired down or weighted down with fence rails or rocks. Movable colony houses of various sizes should be blocked up from the ground about 16in. to provide a retreat for the chicks when attacked by hawks, and to provide shade. Growing stock, in order to do well, requires plenty of shade, fresh water and green grass. Collecting and Grading Eggs. The poultry-raiser who is catering for market requirements should collect his eggs daily, or even twice daily if the weather be warm. They should bo stored in a cool (50 deg), dry, well-ventilated ' room, larder or cellar, and should not be placed near anything of a strong smelling nature. No eggs that are double-yoked, dirty, mis-shapen, or cracked should be dispatched to egg-merchants; nor, if possible, should fertile eggs be forwarded, since, if the weather be warm, they are liable to partial incubation, while such eggs also go bad sooner than those thai are infertile. Never hold eggs for a rising market. Dispatch them never less than once a week, and if you want the best prices market them thrice weekly in spring and summer, and twice a week during winter. Not only should an egg bo standardised as regards freshness, in order to obtain the best markets, but it should at the same time be standardised as to size, quality (by this is also implied food value), and colour. Size and colour are both easy to deal with. Presuming that the eggs are being disposed of through a middleman, whose clientele demands the highest class products, a standard of freshness, size, and colour can easily be achieved. A box of eggs is being dispatched. The highest price is expected for them. Is it too much to expect that they should be of tho highest quality ? Each egg should weight over two ounces, the different colours should bo together, while the shells should be free from dirt or stain. It is not enough to take an egg from a dirty nest and wash it. What is required is that the eggs shall be taken from clean nests and that the shells shall have upon them that bloom and gloss which add to their appearance. Position of Perches. It may be argued that only on the largest farms can standardisation be carried on successfully. This is not so. Even where only a few hundred eggs are being produced each week, it is just as easy and equally profitable to standardise all the produce. It keeps the buyer, and he, after all, is the man that counts in commerce. Ii he can get from you just what he wants, it is you who can dictate terms —not he.

It is wise to have all perches on one gorund for light breed or sitters. It is a good plan to suspend wire or iron supports from the roof of any poultry house. Th® perches can be easily slipped in these, and there is little fear of red mite. The ends and under sides of the perches should occasionaly be painted with a solution of crued creosote and kerosene, as this penetrates the wood and kills off all insect pests?