POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19805, 18 December 1929, Page 8

POULTRY KEEPING

PIG SONS AND CAGE BIRDS. | i.BI PANCIM.; i Items of interest to keepers o! ! poultry, pigeons, and cage birds will | appear :a Tarn Paass «v«rr Wsdceat UE7. ! | ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. ! F. D. Cashmere.—The time to put eggi in preservatives is v-bea they are _ cheap. ' F.-rgs put down this month, all other : things being equal, -a-ill naturally keep a month ia'.er than those put down last month. I like earthenware jar? be«t. but petrol tins are in common usf>. A vessel ♦Mt holds a gallon of water w";i take '■ about forty eggs, and so m. i ; NOTES. i Lasi wef-k two pairs of Yellow Clean j Legged Tumblers were landed in j Christchurch from England. The new j owners are the veteran Mr A. T. Smith I and his nephew, Mr A. B. Smith. Mr C. Cussen. the local Government poultry expert, says that out of 27,000 poultry-keepers in Canterbury only 1000 are organised. Mr Cussen's remedy against present low prices for eggs is more export and better or ! ganisation. | The United Pigeon Fanciers" Club has i decided not to attempt the stupendous [ task of altering old and -world-wide 1 pigeon nomenclature. But the club ini tends inaugurating a system whereby more entries will be made at certain ' shows by assisting exhibitors, especially ! juniors. The club received a letter from Mr W. H. Walker, of Sydney, asking if it could spare some marking rings. The secretary, Mr P. W. Chambers, was instructed to do his best to assist Mr Walker and his Sydney friend?. Parrots number over 300 varieties which differ in size and colour, but little in shape. Parrakeet is tht common general, term for the many small kinds, and cockatoos and cockatiels are merely crested parrots. The many families of parrots are mostly tropical birds, but some are found in New Zealand and Patagonia. They are most aborene in habit, and are fruit and seed eaters, the Kea being a depraved exception. The African grey is credited with the most intelligence. Young racing pigeons usually show fear when put first into the training hamper or pannier. Thiß 'may be overcome by putting them in frequently at night until they are used to it. Letting them see the water and food dropped into the pannierg is also to be recommended. Young birds should, of course, be flown well round their homes before being sent any, and short flights around their district, with no flocks flying, are needful before the birds are sent off in the training hamper. Some confusion exists about bone meal and fresh cut bone. The fresh i stands high as an egg food as well as j a flesh former, and little is needed. It ' 6hould be cut fresh and may be given j alone or mixed with the soft food. The i shoulder blades contain less nutriment than thighs and some other bones. The dry bone meal is given for growth chiefly and is made from cooked bones which are ground. The food should be dusted with the meal as one would dnst pepper. A Common Delusion. i The "backyarder" keeps a few fowls which provide a home hobby and frequently augments his none too large income. This encourages the "backyarder" to ponder and often conclude that several hundred fowls wity present a better return than is contained in his present pay envelope. With more haste than wisdom our "backyarder" joins the ranks of the egg producers, and finds the hours of labour longer than union allows without time and a half rates, while the cash returns from \ a thousand fowls are not in proportion j to his experience with a few dozen birds. This is very disappointing, and gives a bad impression! which does much j harm. Hard work and long hours are the lot of most in the poultry business, and this year has been worse than most years I can recall. In poultry culture, as in other jobs, the competition is great and success uncertain. j Among the Doos. A few mornings ago I called at 65 Torrens road, Hilmorten, with the object of inspecting the lofts of Mr A. Smith, better known as "Dick." This fancier was out of town, but his father Mr W.G. Smith, kindly allowed me to inspect the lofts,- which are in an ideal place for pigeons at liberty. The varieties kept are chiefly Clean Legged Tumblers, yellow, red, and white Selfs, red and yellow Mottles, Baldheads, blue and silver. Muffs, and some performers which are used as "feeders," also a few black Magpies and Blondinettes are kept. The collection is a good one. The yellows just landed are less coarse than some other importations, but display a »fault common with English birds which have landed here. Two of the Balds stand out for substance, and the white Selfs are verv fine. The Muffs are above the average. Poultry on the Tana. The farmer is in the best position to make poultry pay. He has the ground to spare, and suitable food which would otherwise be wasted.] All classes of domestic poultry may be I kept on a farm, whereas the cottager j has a disadvantage in keeping other ' [ sorts than the common hen. Fowls may be kept near the dwelling house withi out being a nuisance, and there they can be fed and the eggs gathered with little trouble. The ducks, because of their noise and odour, should be kept further- away than the- hensi They require a dry place to roost on, but may be allowed ditches and creeks to range on. Natural shelter will do for cover, but to' make sure of the eggs, don't let them out early. A few yards of wire netting round the shelter will keep them in and a feed at night will cause them to return every night. The branpollard mash with 50 per cent, chopped green stuff and 10 per cent, meat will do on a farm range. If grain is given it should be placed in shallow tins, full of water. Geese may be treated much the same. Turkeyß and guinea fowls require ground and natural shelter. Both are best away from the other: fowls. Table pigeons will ne«d a big I roomy shed and will find a lot of their own feed. Young stock, male birds, turkeys, and guineas may be run on the ; stubble, but not egg producers, as it would take up too much time to gather j eggs. If there is no natural drink j which the fowls can get at, tanks ! placed in cool places on the fountain ! system, will do with little labour. The farmer's flock is best of a size that will not interfere with the ordinary farm work, and any sort will do, but as he has no time to attend to artificial incubators and broods, the sitting breeds had better be well represented on most farms. Of course one can get day old chicks from breeders, but as the farmer is often not within coo-ee of the butcher he needs a large fowl for a change of diet. The surplus eggs and ! stock on the farm may be held much j longer than where one has to pav for all one's feed, and where room is not plentiful.