POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 45, 16 November 1929, Page 34

POULTRY NOTES

(By "New Laid.") Weights nt Birds and Eggs. Dr. Edward Brown, in his department of “Feathered World” for September 6 refers at some length to observations and tables recently issued by the Ministry of Agriculture for Northern'lfeland with regard to the relationship of body size of mature pullets to those of fedlindity and size of eggs laid by these jnfiJjts. This is directly in line with the' m<JS£ interesting table of information and the lengthy remarks of Mr. George Robertson, given before the annual convention at Guelph in 1928. In fact the connection is so close that it is almost startling and should lead breeders on both sides of the Atlantic to further and more definite study of relationship of body size of hens to size of eggs particularly. Dr. Brown is quite outspoken. But two breeds, White Wyandottes and White Leghorns, were studied from the fact that other breeds were few in number. Dr. Brown further remarks: —

“Of the birds entered in the respective tests those which cTid not commence laying before the tenth day of the tests, or that did not .lay a total of 90 eggs during the year, were excluded from the calculations. No doubt the tables would have been .more valuable had all the competing birds been included. Such, however, 'was hot done, and we have to accept the records as published. The important fact is brought out that greater size of body at commencement of laying in the birds under consideration was accompanied by a smaller proportion of second-grade eggs, and that there was very little diminution in the average number of eggs produced. Let it be said, however, that both with the White Wyandotte and the White Leghorn the proportion of second-grade eggs laid was higher than should be the case, and that further efforts should be put forward to secure adequate size of eggs, even if there were some reduction of the number produced. These returns would indicate that such need not, in selected birds, be the result. To form a final judgment we should be able to see what the other birds did than those chosen. The following table gives the information as published, but I, have worked out the percentages of second-grade eggs for the six years.

WHITE WAYANDOTTES.

“It is evident, therefore, so far as these observations are concerned, that small bodies mean small eggs, provided.that the breeding and other factors are complementary. , ■ . ± “The ■ tables themselves are intensely interesting. It will be found that there was no reduction in the number of eggs laid as the weights of the subjects increased, and this is a matter that is often disputed. If the total weights of the eggs laid in each division had been given it would undoubtedly have been found that the ‘light weights’ were sadly lacking in ■ food production.”—‘‘H.B.,” in “Canadian Poultry Review.”

TARANAKI EGG-LAYING COMPETITION . / Following is the , official report for the thirty-Second week, ended November 13, of the Taranaki Egg-laying Competition Society's competition:—

The following abbreviations are used: — W.L., White Leghorns; W.W., White Wyandottes: R.1.R., Rhode Island Red; G.W., Golden Wyandottes; K.C., Khaki Campbell Ducks; 8.0., BufiC Orpington. Ducks.

»XWtOM Cl *. M IS M o os wa -O -. M*’ 3 Q j O n CT r*- . 2 ’ ’ rX ? £ 03 wttl 3 ’ F* M - • ‘ .O* B • • • • • 7 So oS Ci W 00 4*. a t« to to to to to QOOOO W to 00 OS O( Average Production COM ACS a Q b b U b b 6 years M Average KSSE3 o W 51 02 bo to C4 4*. -1 O Co 4*. CH p No. 2nd Grade Eggs CltO b bo Jx to b 6 years Percentage of 2nd Jxbob co w-i o< oct Grade Eggs

WHITE LEGHORNS. Wc ok Total td ding. date. en 1. ,T. W. • Carrick,.. No. 1 ...... 6 . 136 2. J. W. Carrlckj No. 2 162 . 3. .7. W. Carrick, No. 3 5 143 4. Gibbons Bros., No- 1 1 02 5. Gibbons Bros., No. 2 5 140 6. Gibbons Bros., No. 3 ...... 7 156 7. G. L. Gaylard, No. 1 ...... 6 147 '■ 8. G. L. Gaylard, No. 2 6 173 ' 9. G. L. Gaylard, No. 3 ...... 5 164 10. K. Wright, No. 1 ...' 6 136 , 11. E. Wright. No. 2 5 144 12. E. Wright, No. 3 6 84 13.' Barker Bros., No. 1 6 143 14. Barker Bros.. No. 2 171 .15. Barker Bros., No. 3 6 128 16. A. J. Davey, No. 1 6 150 • 17. A. ,T. Davey, No. 2 ..... 6 107 18. A. .7. Davey, No. 3 6 137 19. R. Cannon, No. 1 5 174 *20. It. Cannon, No. 2 6 183 21. R. Cannon, No. 3 7 188 22. A. M. Williams ............ 5 152 23. C. W. Taplln 6 185 24. ,T. A. Mackay . 4 175 25. L. Mitchell o 164 26. G. Clark, No. 1 7 161 27. C. Clark, No. 2 ... 6 88 28. E. M. Galvin 6 140 29. .7. W. Carrick 6 123 30. .7. J. Davidson 4 159 31. W. L. Conway ..' 6 177 32. M. Scanlon 7 205 33. W. Fcrgilson 140 34. F. S. Allen 6 171 35. J. Magill 6 173 36. C. Murray 6 RHODE ISLAND RED. 131 37. W. E. Watson, No. 1 3 ' 107 38. W. E. Watson, No. 2 5 106 30. W. E. Watson. No. 3 5 121 40. A. J. Lacey, No. 1 6 130 41. A. .7. Lacey, No. 2 6 172 42. A. .7. Lacey, No. 3 5 125 43. A. J. Lacey, No. 4 5 GOLDEN WTANDOTTES. 146 44. Gibbons .Bros., No. 1 .4 161 45. Gibbons Bros., No. 2 5 46. Gibbons Bros., No. 3 0 BLACK ORPINGTONS. 159 47. D. M. Waddell. No. 1 6 227 48. D. M. Waddell, No. 2 6 133 40. C. Murray 0 WHITE WYANDOTTES. 84 50. Gibbons Bros., No. 1 51. Gibbons Bros., No. 2 6 160 6 120 52. Gibbons Bros., No. 3 3 138 53. V. L. Gane 6 131 LIGHT SUSSEX. 54. EH. Kirkwood -1 0 122 55. A. J. Davey .... 4 113 ■ LANGSHANS. . 56. Gibbons Bros 0 116 BROWN LEGHORNS. 57. F. W. Walker, No. 1 5 133 58. F. W. Walker, No. 2 4 159 WHITE ROCKS. 50. E. M. Galvin 6 FAWN RUNNER DUCKS. 91 1. J. Magill I..'....... 6 165 . 2. ,7. W. Carrick y 94 3. V. L. Gane 3 178 5. D. Riley 6 WHITE RUNNER DUCKS 170 6. J. W. Carrick, No. 1 6 115 7. .7. W. Carrick, No. 2 5 124 8. ,7. W. Carrick, No. 3 5 131 ■ 0. D. M. Waddell 7 142 A.O.V. DUCKS. 10. Gibbons Bros., K.C 6 155 11. .7. W. Carrick, K.C 8 208 12. V. L. Gane, B.0 6 THREE-BIRD TEAM TEST. 122 (Light Breeds.) 1 J. W. Carrick, W.L. ... 6 7 5 18 441 Gibbons Bros., W.L. ..657 18 488 G. L. Gaylard, W.L. ..665 17 484 E. Wright, W.L 6 5 6 17 364 Barker Bros., W.L 6 7 6 19 442 A. .7. Davey. W.L. 6 6 .6 18 394 R. Cannon, W.L. ...... 5 6 7 18 545 (Heavy Breeds.) W. E. Watson, R.I.R. 3 5 5 A. J. Lacey, R.I.R 6 6 5 13 330 J7 427 Gibbons Bros., G.W. .. 4 5 0 ' 9 477 Gibbons Bros., W.W. .. 6 6 3 15 427