POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 180, 27 April 1929, Page 32

POULTRY NOTES

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"New-Laid”)

The King’s Poultry. His Majesty the King is a poultry breeder— as was Queen Victoria. The King a farms are at Windsor. An exchange states: "There was a large attendance at Slough Christmas Poultry Show and sale and among the heavy consignments ot birds were sixty-three from the Kings farm at Windsor. They were not exhibited for prizes, lint simply sold to the highest bidders. Fifteen ot the King’s turkeys fetched from £1 7s. to £1 13s. each. Thirty-six cockerels from the Royal farms realised from 9s. 6d. to 12s. apiece, while twelve ducklings fetched from 3s. 9d. to 5s 6d. each. It was reported that His Majesty the King had. during his serious Illness, been supplied with eggs by a little girl “Poultry,” the well-known Englisn paper, has the following paragraphA Curious Story.—The ‘Daily Mail in its principal news page on Wednesday, January 2, published a message from a ‘special correspondent’ to the effect that eleven Rhode Island Red hens belonging to two women in Cheshire town, have supplied the eggs forming the chief diet of the King daring his illness. According to the statement, Lord Dawson of Penn asked a brother of the two women, a director of a prominent dairy company, to supply him with two dozen eggs, and the brother passed on the request to his sisters. Last Thursday a dozen eggs were sent to London by railway. Within an hour of their arrival they were inside Buckingham Palace.” We can only imagine that the ‘Dallv Mail’ has been inadvertently misinformed by a local correspondent, who is not aware that the King has his own poultry farm at Windsor, whence new-laid eggs are dispatched daily to the Royal family and are specially marked for the Royal table. It is unbelievable that while these supplies nre available from Windsor Lord Dawson of Penn should have to appeal for eggs to a dairy company, and that the King should have to rely for nourishment upon a small poultry yard in Cheshire.” From Nest to Purchaser.

“Poultry” (England) says:—Writing on the Government egg marketing scheme in "The Grocers’ Review,” a correspondent, who signs himself "A Commercial Producer,” says:—“The greatest anomaly connected with the egg-producing industry I can think of is, that, according to the Minister of Agriculture and the daily Press, the only person who knows nothing about the marketing of eggs is the man whose living depends upon his selling them to the best advantage.” We fear this is true of many farmers and others who should derive substantial profit from the production and sale of eggs. It may be remembered that when the British Government some time ago were asked to enforce the marking of all eggs imported into England, the request was refused until there was definite improvement in tlie methods of marketing English eggs. It was stated in evidence by London traders that they preferred to deal in imported eggs, because they were reliable in quality and grade, and that the reverse was the case with regard to English eggs. The average farmer also does not understand the marketing of eggs. The greatest impediment to commercial poultry farming in this State is -the wretched quality of the eggs received from many country districts.

Farmers and others do not realise that the egg is fragile and that price depends on quality. The poor quality of most country eggs at this season of the year precludes trading. Stale eggs are valueless for cold storing, and can only result in egg pulp of very inferior quality. A great many farmers assert that poultry and eggs are too unimportant for them to consider. Others nre glad to sell as many eggs as possible, but very few understand the care that is necessary in the production and marketing of high quality eggs. Even careful poultry owners do not realise that for market purposes eggs should be infertile, and should he gathered two or three times a day and stored in a cool spot, such as a cellar or dugout anil dispatched to market twice a week in cool weather, and thrice in warm weather. Tlie time is drawing near when sonic action must be taken to absolutely exclude from human consumption any but eggs of good duality. There is a large and growing demand for high-class eggs.. Buyers arc. prepared to give good prices for quality, and they will not accept stale eggs or those with a large air space—a sign of age. Eggs left in nests on hot days rapidly deteriorate through evaporation of the moisture content. This is continued if stored in hot sheds, and when exposed to the sun in transit. An egg only three days old, if so exposed, will have an air bubble or space (generally at the broad end of the egg) equal in size to an egg two weeks old which had been stored in a cool place soon after it was laid. If producers want good prices, they must adopt modern methods. Transport of eggs by the usual methods does not make for quality. Standing on hot railway platforms and travelling in hot trucks or vans are certain to cause great deterioration.

The demand for high quality eggs was poor at first, because most people expected eggs, to be doubtful in quality until proof to the contrary was obtained by examining the contents. Consequently, the breakfast egg was not in demand; the boiled egg was generally a risk. As people gradually became aware that certain guaranteed eggs wore reliable in every way they increased their purchases. People who rarely, if ever, essayed a trial of a breakfast egg now have cultivated a dally habit of eating one or more, and so the demand has grown. It frequently happens that even methodical people suffer. Some occasion may arise when the eggs are not collected as. regularly as should be the case. When such eggs are tested at the depot, or by the purchaser, the large air space acts as tell-tale evidence of want of care. It stands to reason., that if proper care is taken on the farm it must be followed up by delivering the eggs to a firm that is prepared to treat them properly.

The ABC of Culling. Cull out the hens with long toe-nails, hard abdomens, thick pelvis bones and shrivelled combs. This is advice which will prove of considerable value as a guide to what birds should not be kept. Long tone-nails indicate indolence and infrequent visits to the nest-box. No bird witli a hard abdomen has yet'proved itself to be a good layer, nor has one with thick pelvis bones, while a shrivelled comb can always be regarded as an outward and visible sign of non-laying capacity.”