POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20905, 12 July 1933, Page 14

POULTRY KEEPING

PIGEONS AND CAGE BIRDS. [B.- TANCIER.] ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Lincoln.—With each machine sold directions are given, and they should be followed. When buying one make sure a book of directions is sent with the incubator. NOTES. The United Pigeon Fanciers' Club will meet to-night. The Lyttelton show will be held next Friday and Saturday, and will be the last of the Canterbury shows this season. Exhibits must be penned to-morroxv night and cats by 10 a.in. on Saturday. A Christchurch fancier said the Rangiora show was very enjoyable, but the attendance did not seem so good as usual. Next Tuesday the Utility Club will hold an educational meeting in the new club rooms, Chamber of Commerce buildings. Mr J. Liggins will lecture on the incubation of chickens, and Mr J. W. Liggins on ducklings. Mr C. A. Gallop won the prize for the best bird in the Rangiora show with a White Self Tumbler. There will be a railway excursion on July 22 to Hokitika, the second day of the Hokitika Poultry Show. This will finish for the season the shows held under the rules of the [South Island Association. The New South Wales Egg Board [has chosen Mr G. N. Mann as its I London representative. He sailed I in the Otranto on June 24. The board's first shipment of eggs this season left on July 11 by the City of Tokio. It consisted of 4500 cases. | Where Budgerigars are being kept outside, says an Australian writer, ! care should be taken not to expose them to brilliant sunshine since they are very liable to sunstroke. It has been noticed that exposure- to the sun for any time will make them very uncomfortable, and if there is i much heat, then worse may happen, possibly death. Stray beams of sunlight penetrating into an otherwi.se shady building very often cause an out- ' break of pecking amongst fowls that have no special tendency to cannibalism. Professor W. C. Thompson, of New Jersey Experimental Station, and one-time principal of the Poultry Institute, England, suggests that a bird to be saved for the breeding pen must, have laid at least 175 eggs as a pullet ; that at least 50 of the eggs must have been laid last winter ; that at least 60 per cent, of the eggs must have weighed 24 or more ounces to the dozen ; and that at least 35 eggs were laid during the summer-autumn period. Canary Club's Disqualification. The disqualification of the Canary Club is a matter for regret, but the Association had no option. The rules of the governing body are reasonable, and it would not be in the interests of the fancy to have open shows just when a club thought fit. The show period must be regulated, and ways and means of alteration are provided by the rules. The other complaint was about entry fees, a matter that concerns clubs holding shows and not the Association. If the Canary Club was in earnest about the reduction of entry fees it should have resigned from the club concerned and not the Association. Had this been done the Canary Club could have carried on. Mixed Shows. The value of mixed shows does not seem to appeal to the bulk of cage bird fanciers judging by the support that has been given the various poultry clubs who have catered for this section, and this seems to me a great mistake, says an Australian writer. Canary shows do not attract the general public as much as they should, and the bulk of the visitors are fanciers and their friends, consequently the fancy does not make the advancement it should. On the other hand, mixed shows always have good attendances, and should prove good advertising grounds for the canary fancy. South Island Association. Since the South Island Association was formed more than 30 years ago it has had a good deal of trouble, but only two clubs have flouted its authority. This is a fine record, especially when one considers the fighting nature of those who keep the humble hen and the gentle dove. It is the opinion of the writer that the Association would benefit if lit reduced its work and controlled fewer interests. That is a matter that might be considered at the next annual meeting. Specialist Clubs. The idea of specialist clubs is to promote interest in whatever variety they take up, but besides that it is to the interest of such clubs to render assistance to those clubs that hold annual general shows such as the Christchurch show and others of the same sort; also agricultural exhibitions. All that as a whole has been well done by specialist poultry clubs, but at times they show keen opposition to what might be termed the mother clubs—those clubs in districts that cater for all varieties. The work of the specialist clubs in the interest of one variety is very fine, but to benefit the fancy as a whole is finer, and, I trust, will dominate. Change in Time of Feeding. What with either frost or wet mornings it has not been an encouraging time for those backyarders and farmers who delight to give their fowls a warm mash and a drink of water with the chill off. Then there are times when one gets up late and the diet of the hens is poorly mixed or left until later. This is not good for the egg yield. Fortunately the mash can be given in the evening right through the cold weather, or the year for that matter, and the grain given in the morning. This is a better and more convenient way to feed than the old rule of mash in the morning and grain at night. This plan has been discussed by experts the world over and by them considered an improvement on the old style of feeding, both as regards time and egg yield. On the above subject Mr N. D Kay, F.lnst.T.C, has a special article in its favour. He says: Here is an economical moist mash suitable for use in "inverted feeding." It is primarily intended to be used with wheat alone as scratch grain, and it will prove a happy combination of low feeding cost

xvith satisfactory egg production (ratio 1 to 4.7) : Pollard 601b Bran 25 Lucerne dust .. .. 5 Cod Jiver oil .. .. 1 Buttermilk powder .. 2 "Meatmeal . . .. 7

1001b • 55 to 60 per cent, protein. Salt 20oz should be dissolved in the warm mixing water; and a portion of this should be poured over the lucerne dust to steam it. If the lucerne dust is not available, increase the bran to 30 per cent.. The buttermilk poxvder should then be mixed to a paste with cold water, and added to the rest of. the mixing water, finally stirring in the cod liver oil to secure as much emulsification as possible. The mash is then properly mixed, and he suggests one ounce of mustard as a correct dose for 100 foxvls and for each foxvl txvo ounces of dry matter. The Weight of a Chicken. A study of the weight of White Leghorn chickens as compared with the weight of the egg is very interesting. Generally speaking, it will be found that where a 2oz egg is set for incubation, the actual weight of the chick when hatched is loz 6 drams. The rate of growth is fairly rapid, and at the end of ; four weeks the average xveight should be soz 8 drams; at the end of eight xx r eeks, 15oz 5 drams; at the end of 12 xveeks, 28oz, and at the twentieth week, 470z. It will be found that the amount of food consumed by a White Leghorn during the first 20 weeks will be sJlb of! grain and 941b of mash.—"Poultry" j Pigeon Feeding and Exercise. For racing pigeons equal parts Scotch tares and partridge peas, one j part barley hulled, or two parts peas.' If tares cannot be obtained, the other part I xvould make up of crushed dry bread or dried crust and wheat and maize. For fancy pigeons the barley may be left out if they have plenty of exercise. To feed peas or tares alone is a waste of protein, and to feed wheat alone a waste of heating matter and a lack of the flesh forms desired. A

few hemp seeds now and again will be a nice change and make the birds tame, and one part linseed in the moulting season will be beneficial. A little green food three times a week will add to the health and a dose of Glauber's salts once a week will hurt none and may improve the racers. Boil half a pound in a quart of water, and add one teaspoonful to every quart of drinking water. Pigeons find a lot in the garden which the owner cannot supply or seldom does.