POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19769, 6 November 1929, Page 6

POULTRY KEEPING

I —* — j PIGEONS AND CAGE BIRDS. j ; by rAN'~:r.R : j " "**•-.-« r* pf t „ )itrr, r •{-«««. »3<J «»• b!rd " , wiU - Tai in" * «*3T Wcdntsj \Vh*r.- '.reeding i« finished the app;jnn, ». „,;rh a* incubators. etc.. 1 . .■t<\ |.p v. •:I rVnr.M and put away ' Ti.e n»r.nur«* pit '-rred< t'.ie*. which »•:, -ry *h" tap-* worm eggs to the . I; i- ?a:>r to .-loan up and • <••<••!••• roaonrf in a dry place, j S. • rral big breeders' inform me the i for chi-'ks if not so good this ! Orh-rs »..y they have done I «-r!i. ' Mr K. <°. Halr.es. of Geneva. New ! York, hj;.» \•■l>'p>"'l a strain of White ' \Vv. that lav a pure white ■ • B.i brooding" 1" a n»-.r style of J raising chick*. A r■ >«■ j11 i- heated arid | !.• r- of * arc placed on top of o'hf-r with bMt-.ir.s that draw i ! out as iri ianarv cages, and food i trough" in front of the cages. This mutt l>c a fcUur ar.d heat saving j 4ystem. A fence 2ft high will keep ducks In - bounds. The heaw varieties of fouls i V. Ml require -*> ft to That_ height will . i.„iiue the lighter breeds in some i but :s"t a!I. W!..n this is so cut ' th*" f«"n primary feathers of one wing only. Thf primaries are the tea ; feathers of the w\' Z furthest _ away i from the body when the wing Is ! «pr>-nd. ; I rc;jd the other A:- y that the song j nf the nightingale had been heard at ' Mour.t Lilfit. Auckland. Thii would j doubtless come from one of the bird? ! imported by Mr Horton. or it it was a young bird singing the imported i• i; •i * hav<* become • j'»i ** k 1 acclimatised. The «ot of this bird i* er". charm ! mfi and the little Rlnck is the t onlv rival of the nightingale. The i latter builds its nest in thick bushes. Th>' construction is rough and of leaves and drv prass. The hen lays four to j .«ix eggs of a gr.'esti-h colour. The I .J it mainly insects. » < 'ertain vegetables and minerals, if ( tised in the soft food, given when the birds are moulting, will colour the plumage Oi birds. Pome foods will J improve the colour, and others will ' make the plumage look artificial. This colouring is imt allowed by poultry and pigeon exhibitors at shows, but canaries and other cug<" birds have classes offered for colour fed t.jrd*." The time to give the colour tVr.l i; about a fortnight before the ! -.,r-!« come into moult. This with canaries is when the young birds are from six to eight weeks' old, while the old birds may break into the moult anv time after New Year's day. On the banks of the river Styx, where it is crossed bv the North road, there is a tine dairy farm owned by Mr E. H. Wheeler, who a year or two ago owned some notable White Indian Runner ducks, and other fowls. When 1 called a few days ago with a friend there were still a few White Runners on the farm, among them a fine drake, and the owner hopes to again have some rare stock. But though Mr Wheeler has neglected dn<-ks a little he has not been idl», having devoted much time to the growing and breeding of the king of fodders, lucerne. In this he has met with much success, and those interested should pay a visit to the farm. The breeding season for the production of pullets that will lay in nutcimn and winter next, is now practically over. The breeding of bantams, pigeons and canaries may be continued for some time yet, and the production of table fowls even longer—until the autumn, much depending on the weather. The autumn is also a good time if one has some particular reason to get what may be called a "catch crop." This late breeding demand# fresh birds, i.e., birds that have not been at work since the first of spring. Late breeding has a tendency to lower size, and it makes for shortness and tightness of feather. Consequently those who breed late and desire big birds and loose feathering, or feather formation snch as crests and muffs, must feed for feather. New Breeds. There have been several breeds produced and recently standardised in Britain and America and elsewhere that are little known in New Zealand, and in some cases unknown altogether. Consequently a few remarks on each should be o"f interest. Australorp. —This breed is wellknown in New Zealand as the Utility or Australian Black Orpington. It conforms most to the original Black Orpington, prodnced to the English public in ISSS and first seen at Christchurch in IS9I. But I mention the name Australorp because it is the name used in England and America, and not so well-known. This breed holds most of the laying records for hens. Barnevelder. —A Dutch general-purpose-fowl, much after the style of the Black Orpington in shape and utility characteristics, but more attractive in colour. A few have arrived in New Zealand. The Coveney White—Briefly a White Leghorn with a cup comb, prodnced by Mr Stanley S. Porter, Covenev Manor, Cambridgeshire. The "Black Marie.—The name does not seem to be a happy one for this general-purpose fowl, which takes its name from the Black Maria shells used in the Great War. The breed was created bv Mr F. W. Myhill, of Hethel. It is a good layer of tinted eggs, and the h»ns are good sitters and weigh from 31b to 61b, the cocks being 21b more. The colouration is the same as found in Birchen game, a colour wellknown to fanciers. The March Daisy.—Another general-purpose-fowl, of English origin, made „p of Malay Old English Game and Buttercup. The hens are sitters and lavers of brown or tinted shelled eggs. The comb is rose shaped, and the colours Whcaten, BufTs and Whites. The* are a line table fowl. The Buff Medwav.—A Buff Orpington, except that it has muffs and beard like the Faverolles, introduced by Mr W. H. Morton, Gillingham, Kent. .Terser Block Giants.—Originated by farmers in the new Jersey district, America, from Dark Brahmas, sh.nns, and Black Javes. The hens are sitters and layers of brown shelled t eggs. The weights are big; the standard savs cocks 131b, cockerels 111b, hens 101b, pullets Sib. A few have reached New Zealand, and lately a Jersey White Giant has come to light. Old English Pheasant Fowl.—This » breed is doubtless sprung from the Old Golden and Silver Pheasant fowls of Yorkshire and tliTb North of England. Colour and markings much like the Spangled Hamburgs. They are lavers, and are also noa sitters. But they differ in shape of comb and ear lobe, and are at least one pound larger than the Hamburgs. A Sydney correspondent asks if there are any Pheasant fowls in New Zealand. I have not heard of any. „ Sicilian Flower Birds.—This breed wa* imported into America over sixty yeara ago, and to Britain in 1911. Some

think jthe breed is the parent of the Buttercup. Anyhow it has the usual characteristic® of the Leghorn, and only differ! in the colour and in having a cup shaped comb. The Chanticler (Canada) and the Paradiso (Spain), are two other new breeds. * The new varieties of ducks will be dealt with next week.