POULTRY NOTES

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 208, 3 September 1927, Page 18

POULTRY NOTES

•j (BY R. J. TERRY) j

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

CO OI'SRATIOX.—No good purpose would be served by discussing the why and the ■wherefore. Co-operation will always t*» difficult to run Successfully when applied to poultry farmers unless there Is a strong penal clause Against marketing their goods elsewhere; otherwise there is a temptation to send the pick of their goods to the open market and market lower grades In their own co-operation. SQUABS. —t am very sorry, but I have previously had to wafn readers not to Invest their money in squab farming, the chief reason being that I do hot think there fa a sufficient number of people in Auckland who would continue to nay the price required by the squab farmer. They hilght bay a few pairs as a novelty, but the squab farmer must have t steady demand if the squab production Is to be a commercial success. "This would not prevent you endeavouring to get a private connection, but I think It would be trine to have something more than mere promises. LUCHKNE.—The plant is not lucerne, but melolotis, sometimes called King Island melolotis. The leaf and general growth of the plant before It flowers Is similar In appearance to that of lucerne, but the taste of the plant is different; the flowers are yellow, and have a decided perfume. Which taints butter, and would probably taint eggs ll fed to excess. It grows in the winter add spring, and is surfacerooted, whereas lucerne crows best during the summer months and is deep-rooting. The plant is quite common Oil the reclaimed land on the Auckland seal rout.

TURKHENS.

CANADA SAYS I AM WRONG.

I have received the following letter, which 1 think it is only fair to put before my readers:— "Mr. R. J. Terry, c/o. 'Auckland Star/ N.Z. Dear Sir,—ln the i**uo of the "Star,* date June 18, there i* an article apropos the crossing of turkey* with hens, ahd i* read under the poultry notes. The previous statement given by the 'Star' is absolutely correct so far as successful crossing is conccrned. and I have seen the birds as mate* in exhibition pen* no later than last ttecember at the Edmonton winter poultry show. They have been shown now two successive years, hence they are more or less a novelty. The breeder has named th*m turkhens, and the specimens I refer to were raised in Alberta, the breeder being optimistic as to their Sossibility in various ways. It is difCUlt for me to describe their appear* ance, excepting to say that the visible characteristics of the hen and turkey are traceable. The one thing that struck me most was a peculiar twisting of the heck the birds had, and it would seem that if there was a missing link it was there in the long, bare neck. However, it you and your readers arc sufficiently interested in this bird the secretary of the society mentioned will put you in touch with the breeder. I expect to be in Auckland towards the end of the present year, and probably will have more information for you. Best wishes. Yours faithfully, A. A. Hassan." It U probable that when my correspondent wrote this letter he had not seen my subsequent statement in the "Star," where I say the whole thing was a fake, and that tlia so-called cross is simply the fowl known as "naked necks. It appears to be a'fact that they are being advertised in America as a cross between a turkey and a hen, and I still say it is impossible to eross a turkey and a hen in a natural manner and breed from the progeny. It is evident that my correspondent has written id good faith, and. like many others, has been I hope, when he visits Auckland, he will look me up and we can chat the matter over.

WYANDOTTES TBS LATER BREEDS.

"Hawke's Bay" writes that the varieties of poultry in New Zealand are too few in number, unless one wants to keep poultry on purely commercial lines, but if eggs are a secondary consideration and hobby the first, then one naturally wants something superior to or different from one's neighbours, just as one would import seeds or bulta of new flowers. A great deal of the pleasure of poultry keeping, like flower growing, is the showing of your best to friends. Do I know of anv Wyandottes which are really out of the ordinary? Well, "Hawke's Bay's" request is not a difficult one, as I do not think there are any Wyandottes here with the exception of Silvers, Whites and Goldens. For instance, there are Buff-laced, Blue-laced and White-laced Blacks. Black White* laced Wyandottes might be described as still in the making, but you may easily imagine what a good specimen would look like. Imagine a silver-laced with the colouring order reversed. Instead >f a silver background with black lacing, you have a black background with a white lacing round the edge or tne feathers. There are also cuckoo. In plumage appearance the cuckoo resembles the Plymouth Bock, being barred across the feathers. Thus it is totally different from any other member of the Wyandotte family. It is a very handsome bird, but has not made much headway, possibly owing to its resemblance to the Plymouth Bock, as at first glance it might easily be taken to be nothing more or less than a Rosecomb Plymouth Rock. They aro very strong good constitution birds. Good specimens of the Pile would be extremely handsome birds. It is a comparatively new breed, and really good specimens are not plentiful. It is supposed to have originated from a combination of Golden Wyandotte, White Wyandotte with a dash of Partridge Wyandotte blood. It is a typical shaped Wyandotte, as there has not been any introduction of alien blood for the purpose of securing colour and marking. They possess the true type and other Wyandotte characteristics of comb, lobe, wattles, legs, etc. The colour aimed at is that of the Pile Game. The cockerels should resemble the Partridge cockerels, except where the Partridge it black. The Pile should be white and mivus hackle striping. The pullets in colour, face, eye, lobes, legs and beak should match the cockerel, the breast should be of a rich salmon colour shading off towards the thighs, the body, wings and tail should be a creamy white, as free from red or foxiness aa is possible. In breeding care will have to be exercised to secure the cockerel* ae pure in their white At possible, free from lacing or sootinesa, and rich in wing colour, whilst the pullets should be very clear in body, colour and sound on breast. Good coloured specimens would certainly be worth showing to your friends. The Blue Wyandotte might almost be termed to be still in the experimental stage, to you would be in at the commencement with this breed. It is really yet undecided as to what the blue shall be, some contending for a self colour, whilst others declare this to be impossible of attainment. These latter eeek to produce a bird blue in body, but possessing dark hackles. The dark'hackle

birds are richer and deeper in body tone than the clear hackle bird*, and the colour is mora lasting. Tba richer coloured bird* present more contract, therefor© are more pleasing to the ere, for contrasts which blend and harmonise are essentially more beautiful than something which appears to be of one faded hue. There are fe-r, if any, Columbian Wyandottes in the North Island. The markings of the Colombian Wyandot tea art similar to thoso ot tba Light Brahma, and these seen in contrast with the lovely clear pure body colour and bright orange yellow leg*, make a picture that must appeal at once to those who have tba artistic faculties well developed. The chief difficulty in breeding Columbiana is to obtain a sufficient amount of marking in the hackle without producing colour In other plaeea where it la not wanted. There are also Partridge Wyandotte* and Silver Pencilled Wyandotte*. There are plenty of Silver Laced in the North Island, but I do not think there are any silver pencilled. So yon will seo that you bar* quite a wide choice without going outside of this breed, which 1 agree with you is in most eases fairly quiet and not addicted to flying. The cockerels of all the varieties would be fit for table earlier than would Orpingtons.