POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22240, 3 November 1937, Page 8

POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

[By "LEGHORN."!

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT "Disheartened," St. Albans.—This correspondent inquires if Anconas are particularly susceptible to disease. Anconas are just as strong and hardy as any other variety of fowl, providing they have been bred from healthy and mature stock. The best method of securing good stock is to purchase your birds from a reputable breeder. The other points in your letter I shall answer by letter.

Maintaining Stamina

To protect the poultry industry and mantain the constitutional vigour of the Dominion's poultry flocks, the New Zealand Poultry Board, with the Department of Agriculture, proposes to institute a scheme for the voluntary certification ofv breeding stock. The birds certified must be of fair standard in varietal purity, vigour, constitution, and producing capacity. The method of certification includes inspection of the birds and plant, and the placing of sealed rings on certified birds. This effort on the part of the promoters should be commended, and 1 hope breeders will support the scheme. From the breeders' viewpoint the proposal has much to commend it, and from the buyers' viewpoint it will remove the present uncertainty regarding the quality of stock purchased. Breeders in Canterbury will probably form a poultry breeders' association, and for this purpose, and to enable the whole proposal to be examined and discussed, a meeting of poul-try-keepers will be held in Chnst|church soon.

Care of Growing Stock

Success depends to a great extent on the ability to rear the young growing stock in such a manner as to obtain best possible laying results during the months when eggs are high in price. Consistent good laying during the high-priced period can hardly be expected, but a fair average and periods of payable laying may be expected from the young stock. The results will depend on the treatment, care, and feeding of the pullets from the brooder stage onwards. The warning against overcrowding cannot oe repeated too often. Cockerels should be separated from the pullets at an early stage. Avoid stuffy, badly-ven-tilated houses; open-fronted houses with plenty of space left between root and top of rear wall, for free passage of air, should be built. A sharp lookout should be kept for any sign of mopiness. Much depends on being able to recognise at a glance any general off-colour in the young stock. A sicKiy grevish hue in head and face colour, a slight wing-droop, a suggestion of hunched-up head and neck carriage and general inactivity may be taken as warning signals. As a tonic, minced or finely-chopped raw onions mixed with the mash are beneficial in such cases. Tonics or medicines will, however, avail "tile if conditions are wrong. Some of the contributing causes to look for are vermin-infested or stufly houses, and "fowl-sick" yards, that is. yards or pens which have been occupied for a considerable time before the young stocl' is moved into them. Yards intended for growing pullets should be spelled for some months and allowed to freshen up. A flock of pullets in a fresh run which has a coating of gras? or vegetation has a big advantage ove? stock confined to bare, stale yards. Feeding is of the utmost importance. Pullets, in fact all poultry, should be encouraged to eat as much as possible if best results are to be obtained. Papanui Egg-Laying Competition The following are the results at the end of the thirtieth week of the Papanui egglaying competition (209 days):— TEST I—Single Bird Test Eggs. A. Lucas (No. 2) .. • • 155 H. Whyte (No. 1) .. -• 153 S. F. Marshall .. ' ,5} T. Cairns -• '• Jri Miss H. Keddell •• -• J« M. C. Mills •- •• 146 F. C Innes - " }*} H. Whytc (No. 2) .. -• 141 G. D. Hollyman -- -.140 J. R. Griffen -• ••J?® H. .Williams (No. 2) .. -■ 139 Miss F Kerr -• -- 137 Green Bros. .• " ], H. Williams (No. 1) .. -■ 13j> L. P. Hawke •- ..135 E. P Anderson (No. 2) .. 135 Ted. Turner •- •• 134 J. Liggins •- •- 134 D. J. Hawke .. • • 132 C. N. Goodman (No. 1) .. ..126 TEST 2—Three-bird White Leghorn Test. Eggs A. O. Oakley .. .. 463 A. C. Goodlet .- ..457 L. Brumby .. .. 436 P. Knight .. -. 436 G. Millar (No. 1) .. -.420 W. M. Evans .. -.420 E. Fuchs .. .. 415 . Mrs J. A. Ritchie .. ..405 D. .T. Hawke ... -- 402 H. Williams (No. 2) .. ..398 G. H. Bradford (No. 1) .. ..395 E. Tilley -. •' 39 i A. W. Pritchard .. ..387 T. S Dove - - • • 385 A. Edwards •• ..380 Mrs B. Andrews - ■ •. 380 TEST 3—Three-bird Australorp or Black Orpington Test. Eggs. C. O. King .- .- 485 S. Brumby (No. 2) .. ..422 A. S. Cormack .. ..417 G. D. Hollyman (No. 2) .. ..417 K. D. Martin .. ..411 G. D. Hollyman (No. 1) .. ..380 D. J. Hawke .. ..369 W. N. Jepson .. ..362 TEST 4—Three-bird Test. Any Other Variety. Eggs. W. J. Scott .. ..437 E. R. Buckley .. ..410 C. Stone .. ..398 A. W. Pritchard .. ..311 T. B. Grant .. ..284 TEST s—Six-bird Team Test. Each Bird Single Penned. Eggs. S. E. Davey and Sons (No. 3) .. 871 G. H Bradford (No. 2) .. ..868 S. E. Davey and Sons (No. 1) .. 800 H. Williams .. ..799 D. A. McKie .. ..797 A. D. Russell .. .. 789 E. P. Anderson .. .. 770 Calder Bros. (No. 2) .. ..759 L. E. Ancall .. ..757 G. H. Mitchell .. ..731 T. S Dove (No. 1) .. ..728 G. D. Hollyman .. ..720 G. H. Bradford (No. 3) .. ..711 E. Tilley ... .. 708 Mrs B. Andrews .. .. 705 S. E. Davey and Sons (No. 2) .. 702 TEST 6—Duck Test. Eggs. A. G. F. Ross .. ..517 F. Ashworth .. .. 493 L. Williams, .. .. 467 W. A. Toon .. .. 467 G. Wright .. .. 463 ' Mrs C. J. Collings .. .. 448