THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1366, 17 February 1912, Page 19

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

(By Chantecler.)

The Lais Mr. John Rote. Tho following notice of the lato Jfr. John Rose appears in tlio February number of th© "Nov Zealand Poultry Journal":— Once again ive have to record the death of a leading pcultrymau. Well known to almost every poultry-keeper, tiie death of Mr. John -Rose, manager of Buriiham Poultry l''nrm, will come as a great surprise. To those of us who had been watching his failing health during the past few months the end did not come unexpectedly. Possessing a brave spirit, he endeavoured to disguise from friends the cause of his apparent weakness; and so as to create no concern to his family, he fought bravely against tho encroachments nf 'his complaint. Thoso who saw him in his genial mood during the visit of the conference delegates to Burnham will hardly credit what has happened. It is scarcely seven years since he took up the management of the Burnham Poultry Farm. By his energy, knowledge, and painstaking effort ho soon transformed it into one of fho best poultry plants in New Zealand. He was ono of the pioneers of chick-raising in numbers, and many a beginner received his first lessons in chick raising from Air. Hose. Years ago lie was a successful fancier, and loved the Black Spanish. With these ho captured, prizes everywhere, until their want of popularity led to his abandonment of them. His great love for poultry was manifest by tho devotion ho gavo to his work. He was a fine judge, and possessed a great knowledge of poultry culture. Managers for Burnham will be easy to get, but not men of Mr. Rose's type. We regret wo did not get more from his pen, and feel glad that the "Journal" has printed many of his contributions. The Value of Culling, Now that winter is approaching and feed is expensive, every poultryman must cull. There are some poultry breeders who are wise enough to cull every month in. the year, but they are few. It is one of the standing characteristics that a man understands his poultry business when he shows the ability to cull. It needed no great intelligence to predict that in taking over the managership of a poultry farm it would bo a payable ' concern when the first thing the mail did was to cull out 200 wasters from a flock of 1000 birds. His predecessor was feeding scores of birds that never paid for their food, and nover would. These were promptly sent to mnrket, and their room given to the remaining birds. When you go on to a poultry; farm and note a lot of wasters showing up, you may well know the owner knows little of his business. There are several reasons that prevent the drastic culling needed for poultry. It is a mistaken policy to allow sentiment to rule in placo of judgiueut. To keep all birds simply because they are bred from certain stock, or because they are pete, or a big price was paid for tho eggs, is to give way to a suggestion that will incur a tax and a burden on the producers. The man that thinks he will breed no wasters, even from the best of stock, is mistaken. A fair proportion will lack vitality, bo deficient in egg-lav-ihg characteristics, and leave no margin for profit. It may seem hard to part with them, but it must be done, and only tho best to be retained. Business acumen must be exercised for best results.

Then there is the. man who is always going to send away his culls. He knows they are there, but the weeks go by and somehow or other tho wasters are continuously fed. There are those second and third-year hens he meant to leg band and keep separate, but ho does not know one from the other, and so. the whole aro retained. He has a whole bunch of cockerels that for weeks have been eating their way freely into the corn bin. Many of them arc unfit to retain as breeders. They have bad combs, wry tails, straw Colour, or some glaring d«•fect,; and yet for, weeks they aro fed. They are a drawback to the best birds, and instead of improving in condition for the market, they grow hard and less in valne ; Then there are those cluckcri. No time to take them to the cluckero 1 pem, or send bo market. -They are allowed to monopolise tho nest each day, break the eggs, get down in condition, until at last they mix np with tho others and fail to contribute the egg basket for months to como. They are constantly fed and are a dead loss" to the owner. All because the culling was left day after day. Then there is the early moulting hen. _ She soon sheds her coat, and looks so prime tlmt her owner is persuaded into tho belief she will soon' lay. She is allowed to stay on, though she may never lav an egg. Then there is the delay in picking out the non-layers. Tho prico of a system is cheap when it is remembered what information it gives in this line. To cull you must know the laying hens, so as to got rid of them. Those that have not been lnying up to now are not worth tho food they eat. Each evening .vou meant to test the birds, but somehow or other it is never done, and the chances arc all the wasters will be fed through the winter. Don't delay another day. Cull now. Our own method is to bo always on the watch. Every day at feeding timo our eight hundred birds are criticallv scanned for tho wasters. Every pullet is carefully watched. The slightest sign of a weak constitufion, a light frame, a dull comb, a listless eye, open plumage, and tlio bird is placed nsido to be sent to market for what it will bring. Tho cockerels undergo close scrutiny. They must show no sign or lack of vitality; there must be a bright eye, good colour of plumage, and close representation of the standard. It is astonishing how few are fit for breeders. Out of Hundreds of cockerels hatched vou may only get a score or two that will pass the tost. The layers are watched most closely of all. Most of tho hens aro sold at tho end of their first laying season. Only tho best are retained tor breeders. The constant layers, tho healthy symmetrical birds, the active and profitable workers, tho wasters, cluckers, machve, dull-eyed, mopish, open-feather-ed birds are all sold off. It ia astoundin" what an excellent flock of workers is left after culling in this way. When you go to the breeding season with a flock of birds nf this quality, you are bound to £>ood percentage of high-class stock, Lulling is the secret of success in poultry f u i urc ; , Kveu 111 do,lbl ' cull. It is better to loso ono medium worker than keep a dozen wasters. Don't keep everything and anything so long as it has feathers on it A glance at a flock whose owner kno.vs how to cull is a sight worth seeing; while he who neglects culling spoils the best birds by the inclusion of wasters that ought to bo sold at tho earliest possible momeht. Value of Export Trade. The rapid production of high-class layers may ccrtainly affect the egg market in New Zealand, and at any time wo may ta «l to open up, an export trade for our surplus. The danger of an oversupply oi eggs is not very apparent, as the demand keeps up with the supply in a most satisfactory way. Prices at the present are as high as wo care to see them. The moment they rise to Ib. Cd a dozen, down goes tho demand, and it takes months to restore the demand Most of our workers cannot afford eggs at Is. Od a dozen, and it is because e-gs rise high in winter they becomo cheap in summer. .This may seem strange to many, but it is so. Were wo able to store ouc-tiurrt of our summer supplies for w 'Vi H l "' We cmild e BBs at Is. to is. 3d. all the year round. Wo have never been an advocate'of high prices in winter; an average of Is 3d. a dozen all tho-yea? for our supplies suits us better and benomes a Paying proposition. When vou accept 9d. n dozen for five months in "the year, and the supply from your liens is Elf'J 1 '" 0 , 15 a 4 istinct I®* even though for a few weeks you enpturo °s a dozen ior winter eggs. Tho problem poultrvmen want to settle i s a more mill table prico all the year to encourage tho buying public and keep c( m s average price. This could be done if there were a iiniori anions: poultrvmen and proper storing facilities adopted at each of tlio centres in the Dominion. It wns not our purpose to discuss eggs, but poultry for export. Tin. following report from the Government furnishes us with some food for reflection:—

Shipment of Poultry to London. Thn Government, in connection with it* exhibit of th» Dominion product! »t th*

Festival of Empire, held in London, wisely made a display of dressed poultry. The preparation was entrusted lo Mr. 11. l'ounsford, of Christchurch. No belter nmn could have been chosen for this purpose. The birds when packed were a treat to see, and showed the possibilities of high-class trade that might be done in New Zealand. The birds were valued in London by Messrs. Pratt and Carr, Smithfleld, ami their expert opiuion_luu just been received through the nigh Commissioner. The Smitimeld iirm slates that the birds were of excellent quality, were well dressed and graded, whilo the packing reilected great credit on Mr. l'ounsford. The value they placed upon them was its follows. •

Black Orpington chickens, 3J1I). to lib., ■J to JV months old, 3s. each; White Orpington chickens, 41b., 1 months old, 3s. lid. each; Silver Wyandotte chickens, 4.J months old, 3s. Cd. "each; White Leghorn chickens, 3Jlb„ 5 months old, 2s. 9d. tfuch; Silver Wyandotte liens, 5J11)., 1J years old, 2s. 3d. each; White Orpington liens, 511b., I.J years old, 2s. 3d. each; Peking ducklings, 531b., 14 weeks old, 3s. each; Indian Runner ducklings, 41b., 11 weeks old, 2s. Id. each; Wliito Rock chickens, 51b., 15 months old, 3s. Oil. each; Peking ducklings, 51b., 14 weeks old, 2s. i)d. each; geese, 91b., 4s. fid. each; turkeys, 91b., Cs. Gd. each. These represented the prices ruling in September, which is not the best month for poultry on the London market. Of course, the cost of preparation, freezing, carriage, and marketing must be deducted from the abovo prices. The most satisfactory return is that for White Leghorn chicliens—2s. 9d. for a 3Jlb. bird at 5 months old. Probably had similar birds been landed in London in the early months of the year tho returns would have been even better. This report in the face of the prices we are receiving in New Zealand is not very encouraging. No doubt wo arc having all exceptional season. At the date of writing, February 10, the prices obtained for table chickens in open market, live weight, is much better than the prices obtained in London. However, the experiment is useful, and the Department is to be congratulated on making it. Like the experimental shipment of eggs, the information is a guide to us should a year of low prices come upon us. Poultrymen are extremely fortunate this season, as there is a scarcity of table chickens and ducklings.

The White Leghorn Problem. The worst feature of the ejjg producing Leghorn is tho placing of the cockerels. Most breeders sell them at 2d. and 3d. each as soon os they can tell tho sox, othors keep them three and four months, whan they become worth 2s. to 2s. Gd. a pair; but at best they aro a drug on the market, and the worst possible bird to sell in open market. The London prices aro better, and a trade could.be worked up to prepare and ship the Leghorn cockerels at five months old. To do this some enterprising firm could buy up all tho birds, fatten them, and prepare them for export. It is questionable if it would pay unless the birds could be bought cheaply when three or four months old, as the cost of koeping them would be too great. If bought cheaply by the exporters then we fail to see how it would benefit tho producer. However, further experiments along this line will be made, and once it is demonstrated what can l>o done each producer could prepare his own birds, and, with others, join in a shipment to the London market. It is expected that this coming season the high prices obtained for (lie heavier breeds will induce many producers to breed fower White Leghorns. There is 110 doubt that while they hnvo increased our egg production they have caused a famine in table poultry. The experiment gives us no encouragement for the shipment of poultry with the exception of the Leghorn cockerels, and if it can help us to dispose of these at a profit, it will have done a good work.