POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20083, 12 November 1930, Page 8

POULTRY KEEPING

(By Fancier.)

NOTES.

Orer 200 entries have been received for the poultry section of the Canterbury A. and P. Show. Exhibitors are reminded that birds must be penned to-night. Last Monday night Mr Harry Beardslev, a . lifo member and past president of the Christchurch Poultry Club, gave an address to fellow-members cn the finances of the club. . The annual meeting of the South Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association will be held next ednesday in Hokitika. It will be the lirst time the Association has met ou the "West Coast.

Messrs Geo. H. Bradford, of the Canterbury Co-op. Poultry Producors', and Mr G. 11. King of Nelson have just received from Australia a valuable shipment of Baldhead pigeons. A fancier speaks highly of the quality of the new arrivals, but they will bftve to be good to excel some past champions Bhown by Mr Bradford, who has long fancied Tumblers, especially Baldheads .and Black Mottles.

The self or whole coloured Tumblers are more largely kept than the Bioolours, of which there are a host of varieties. It is worthy of note here that tho Self Tumbler Club and the Almond Club standards demand a round head, while the 'standards of. the clubs devoted ■ to. the other .varieties, including Muffs, demand an oval-shaped skull. "Poultry" says the correct.proportion of cod liver oil to ffive to 50 chicks daily is:—From I to -t weeks 1 tablespoonful, from-4 to 8 weeks li tablespoonfuls, from 8 to 12 weeks 4 tablospoonfuls; after that give at the rate of 2 tableepoonfuls in every 101b of pollard and. bran used as mash. The United Pigeon Fanciers' Club has extended . its classification.* for 1 its second produce sliciw, which will.be held on the first Saturday in May, 1931. The classes number 16 including two for juniors and two for racing- Homers. Further particulars may be obtained from the secretary, Mr F. W. Chambers, 12 Soiithley street, Sydenham. This i? the season for bird nesting, a pleasure I enjoyed when a boy; but now regard in a •very' different light. The mortality is ' very great among ■ youngsters taken from a nest because the nestlings are . usually fed. in tho wrong manner and kept in unsuitable cages. But where the right sort of birds are taken and at the correct age, one can rear a nice homo pet. I was reading of a Victorian poultry farmer who gave 3o to 60 per cent, green food according to the season. This is higher 'than I have heard of though I read once pf SO per cent, being advocated by a one-time State poultry expert of Victoria. ' The amount of, green food would be governed by the nmount of water and protein in it, and lucerne chopped fine would be the best where a large amount of green food is used. The Flying Tippler is not common outaide of Britayi, where it has proved the best of the high flyers, 191 hours being its longest' flight. Tipplers seldom tumble. ~ The flying "Cumulet is another high flyer. In France and Belgium it is also named the Volant. An American variety called' the Flight appears to me to be a cross between the Volant an£ the Magpie pigeon-High-flying Tumblers are found in many lands and in many colours and shapes. ..The best known in. Britain are the "'Wests" and the Birmingham Boilers. Both have flown about 17 hours, but as a rule the birds do not 3tay long on the wing. The Oriental Roller is of Eastern origin and is found in many colours. It does not fly so close together as a "kit" of Britishers and it can be made to drop ■like a stone. . The Low.tan is also of Eastern origin. In appearance it is like some of tho ."toys" of. the Archangel stamp. It is often called the Ground Tumbler, or Carpet Tumbler. The breed was brought to Australia and this country from I India by men employed on the ships which used to take horses to India. Glass Substitutes and Ultra-violet Kay. Science constantly brings us new information and modifies our farm practices. A few years ago it was. discovered that ultra-violet light was beneficial and necessary to farm animals, but that the-ultra-violet ray of tho sun does not pass through ordinary window glass. Materials have been prepared which will take the place of glass and still permit the ultra-violet rays of tho sun to pass through them. Experiments have been carried on by several stations, to show the value of these products in admitting ultra-violet ray to the poultry house, says "Hoard's Dairy- j man." Poultry exposed to th 6 ultra-violet light develops no leg weakness, produces more eggs and of a higher hatchability. The health of the flock is better. ..This is due to the fact that the. nltra-violet supplies vitamin D and this vitamin has the power of assisting the animal to assimilate more mineral matter. <6 Farmers who hava purchased this material to "take the place of glass in their poultry houses have become dissatisfied with it in some cases because it does not last but a short while unless handled in the right way. If they will make arrangements so this material can be swung out of the bright summer sunlight and f used, only in the late autumn, winter* and early spring, it will last for many years. Summer exposure destroys these materials rather quickly,. but if protected from the strong rays of the summer sun they will last many years.