POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 190, 8 May 1937, Page 10 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

The Age of Breeding Stock

HENS OR PULLETS FOR MATING?

iB? New Laid.)

With the breeding stock being reviewon the eve of the J 937 ’ reed'ng season, | interest attaches to the ago of breeders ' and the question of whether hens or put- I lets provide the better mating. A few years ago it was generally held that youth | should figure on one side of the mating—in other words, if hens were used they i should be headed by a cockerel; if pullets. a second year male. Discussing th? position obtaining to-day. Mr. W. z L. Hindbough writing in “Poultry M oriel, and referring first to the females which so far as numbers are concerned are the most important part of the mating, says:—

The choice lies between pullets and hens. It is an important one, because not only is the success of an enterprise likely to be influenced by it, but also th? method of working must be planned accordingly. There are two main advantages in the use of pullets. First, there will normally be available at the right time a sufficiently large number from which the necessary selection can be made. Secondly, in a well-managed flock there will be no difficulty in securing an

adequate supply of hatching eggs whenever they are wanted. This is due. in

part, to the naturally high rate of production by pullets, ahd also to the tact that they' will have got well into their stride by the normal “setting” season — no necessity for nursing through a moult. But these (alleged) advantages are mixed blessings. It is considered by many authorities that the undoubted strain, of production militates against reproduction by making it impossible for the pullet to provide in full measure the essential elements necessary to fertilisation and the subsequent stages of development. Some breeders, to overcome the difficulty, advocate the use of early-hatched pullets which have been through a partial or complete autumn moult, after, say, I a couple of months’ laying. The rest I entailed by such a moult means that they I will start up again with nothing remaining of the handicap imposed by prolonged production. But there are managemental factors involved which make it a tricky business for all but masters of the art. especially with heavy breeds, j With white Leghorns and other light breeds there is more margin, and, consequently, the method with them is simpler for the less experienced. The main disadvantage of pullet breeding is that, however watertight the system of selection, based as it may be on appearance and handling, on pedigree, and on the early stages of performance which will be known at the time, it is

impossible to forecast accurately in every case actual performances or still less to guarantee, ns things are to-day, that a fowl will survive. All of which means that, in the event of any large proportion of breakdowns from such causes, there will be a considerable wastage of progeny, if. indeed, that stage, is ever reached. In any case, the breeding programme will be seriously dislocated.

Advantages of Using Hens. The chief advantages which accrue from using hens as breeders rre the knowledge that they have survived one, two. or more years; that they are still adjudged fit; and that they have such and sueli a record of performance to their credit. The fact that known records are being dealt with means that the development and/or maintenance of a strain becomes more certain than where pullets are being used. It can be done with pullets, it is true, but there is a substantial element of “hit or miss.” Hens used as breeders will have been through their moulv, and will theiefore be well rested, and, where the management has been sound, in good, hard breeding condition. Management is important and will be an important influence always. Egg weight in a fowl’s second season is, on an average, ■ about 9 per j cent. Chick weight is closely correlated to that of the egg, and it follows that hen chicks, in the maes, are likely to be rather more stiirdy than those from pullets. This rather suggests a premium on rareability. It is cle’r that the balance of advantage lies with hens. That i this is widely realised cau be judged from the number of leading breeders who include four, five and even six-year-old fowls.

As between cockerels and cocks the choice is not so clear-cut. Owing to their undoubtedly greater activity younger males are probably more t?erviceabl efor all but “key” matings. For such matings some knowledge of actual breeding worth is essential. The uee of such old males is not necessarily a handicap. The Desirable Cockerel.

What is needed in a desirable breeding cockerel is discussed by J. Ainley, who stresses in “Feathered ’World” the need of securing a male bird that has been tested as a breeder. With an improved cockerel, says Mr. Ainley, one is more or less at sea as regards knowing what he will breed. All the more reason to be satisfied that there is sound breeding behind him, because there is always a danger of his throwing back to any inferior parentage. A cockerel with sound pedigree will give a more uniform standard of progeny. In other words, the number of culls will be less, and experience has proved that there are always plenty of culls from the very best bred stock Thus there is a certain quality shows up in a great laying fowl, and this is passed on to the sons by such a hen. In choosing a stud cockerel one has to look .for this quality, and the mere adept a breeder is in detecting it the better chance there is of obtaining the results required when mating. Make sure that vigour and stamina have been taken into consideration first, as that is of importance. Mr. Ainley says the first point he looks fm in choosing a good stud cockerel is a good head. The bird must have a clean open face with a bold red eye, set well up in the head with well-defined and large pupil, also nice comb and wattles, which should be silky to the touch—beak to be short and stout. After this hr examines the body, and likes a good broad, fiat back, keeping broad well up to the shoulders. He also likes a deep chest and a well-fleshed breast. A fowl of this description. when grasped with both bahds, will feel heart-shaped and well balanced, with a good width between the legs, which are preferred of medium length, carrying good pigment, and with flat'rather than round bone, smooth to the touch. Toes must be straight- and well spread. With regard to feathering, one must have at all costs hard, short and close feather with wings tuck“d well up to the body. As to size, Mr. Ainley says he has found from experience that a medium-sized eoc- . kero- is the best to breed from, because x ' small one gives pullets too small which mature too early and lay a small egg; on the .other hand.’ one too large gives pullers lacking speed. Another strong point he always looks for is a good temperament, and in this connection likes a fowl which shows fight rather than fear when being handled or when going into the pen. Ono which screams and puts up his nock feathers is useless. A good cockerel will also go into the middle of a batch whim feeding and not stay on the outskirts. Cockerels of the standard mentioned are difficult to find but remember that the male is more than halt the breeding pen, and it is most essential to be very thorough in the selection

The points to be avoided are: Sunken eyes or light in colour, overhanging eyebrows and long beak. rough-textured eumh and warties, nr purple in colour; long narrow back and shallow, body: loost. slack or over-abundance of feather: long shanks, and narrow between legs, or knock-kneed.

Nn Mm-e "Jap” Sexers for N.S.W. During the past two hatching seasons in New South Wales, chick-sexing operations throughout the State have been controlled by Japanese experts, but during the coming hatching season no Japanese

>w- operators are to be allowed to operate u. i The New South Wales Department of >rs I Agr’eulture considers that there are now ][. | sufficient qualified local sexers who have > w Government certificates of competency to fi. I meet all likely local demands. Up to the 1 present 31 sexing certificates have been , issued, comprising one special class, ten ? first-class, and twenty second-class. It is J " considered that a number of the latter L ,p should be successful in qualifying for higher certificates in the near future. The ■ department has deeded that no further ■b second-class certificates will be_ issued, ae and candidates at future examinations g, musl qualify as first-class or special-class sexers to obtain certificates. _ id « se Making Up the Breeding Pens. Referring to the all-important task of making up the breeding pens in preparation for the approaching hatching season ! Mr. Jas. Haillington, formerly poultry A I expert in the New South Wales Departi tnent of Agriculture, writes as follows in p i the “Sydney Morning Herald” : — ' Of . the two recognised systems of mat- ! ' ings, that consisting of one male with 11 I the usual complement of hens, normally ’’ 1 eight to 12, according to breed and con- ; n ditions, is much to be preferred ; and it is only in this way that a superior class ■ of breeding can be carried on. It fol- _ lows, of course, that a number of such , pens will be required in anything like 1 big operations, nevertheless it is usual where large numbers of chickens have to •Y be hatched to make flock matings of up to 100 hens with their complement of males. To have a chance of . being suc- , eessful, such matings, even if they do ■’ | not involve the same amount of skill in e selection (which, of course, they "rarely . get) are dependent very largely upon the judgment and experience brought to bear I I on their composition and their subsequent i management It is not sufficient, as may .’ | be thought by the beginner, simply to , I make up matings of this description and leave it at that, or fortunate indeed would ' I he be if everything went well, which only occasionally happens. Generally speakt ing. hpwever, no sooner are such matings . made than problems begin to present ' themselves. To have the best chance of 1 i success the male birds should have been chosen from a flock that have been ' brought up together, but even these are

not "tro!ible ; proof.” But to gather up ■’ promiscuous lot of male birds from different sources and place them in such a per is to court disaster from quarrelling. II not infrequently, happens that half of them will be rendered useless within a few days, and a proportion of the remaining birds will be being slowly starved into a state of uselessness by being kepi .’way from the food by the bullies. Indeed, this is one of the constant sources of worry with flock matings, but one to which the inexperienced farmer maybe quite, oblivious. Following . this kind of happening, often too few effective male birds are left in the flock,, and once this . occurs, to put others in is to start another wrangle, probably with the same result: hence it is that this class of matings is often more or less a failure. In all this the uninitiated will do well to avoid theorising or making comparisons regarding the relative proportions of . the sexes on the basis of controlled matings | of which he may have read, because, in I reality, there is no analogy between the systems. Controlled matings, although serving a very useful purpose for pedigreeiug purposes, have nothing in common with the class of work under discussion.. In the making of flock matings it is a mistake to suppose, as many do, that the smaller the flock the better. Last season a number of inquirers seemed to have been imbued with the idea that two males with their , complement of 'hens would: constitute an insurance against infertility. . Occasionally,' such a pen might turn out quite successful, but .the probabilities are all against it, and practical experience suggests that much’ better results would be likely if a small lot were divided into two pens. This means that the smallest flock mating it is advisable to make is with at least three males and their complement of hens, and that 50 to 100 hens with their complement of males are preferable. The aim in flock matings should be to get the proportions stabilised 'at about 10 or 12 to one according to breed and conditions, giving the maximum in the case of light breeds, and the minimum in heavy, or, perhaps with some variation' in the case of aged birds. In order so to stabilise the groups it is usually advisable to place in the pen more male birds than the proportions indicated, in order to make up for wastage, which is almost certain to take place within the first week or two. There may. of course, be battles in plenty without much wastage, but even if the first stage is negotiated with little or no loss, it will nevertheless occur later on from starvation if not from actual fighting. In such matings it is a case of the “survival of the fittest.” or at any .rate of the bullies, and one must be prepared to meet contingencies as they arise.

Origin of Faulty Eggs. Poultry-keepers who dispose' of their eggs direct to customers are often perplexed when they are faced with cora- [ plaintc concerning some of the most objectionable faults that have been found I with perhaps, only a very small proportion of the eggs supplied; such,, for exI ample, as blood spots. In such cases it !is quite a common thing to blame the I ration being fed or some particular item | in it. Rarely, however, has the food anyI tiling to do with the trouble. Very little data has in the past been available on .the. subject, and poultry-keepers have had to fall back upon their own experiences I or traditional ideas for an explanation, i The official organ of the Scientific ; I-lrerdcrs’ Association (England) gives the result of an investigation into the causes of faults in eggs, carried out at the Suffolk egg trials, of which the following is a summary : — • ‘ The number of birds concerned was 360. and the number of eggs examined laid by them was 66.278, and the faults were traced to their source. The examination disclosed that 1317 eggs had 1467 . faults, therefore, some eggs had more ( than one. but the proportion to the total examined was only 1.97 pel- cent. The comment is that “there was but little grounds for complaint.” Interest, however, attaches to the character and origin of the.se faulty eggs. I Of the 1467 faults in the 1317 eggs, ' -127. or 25.2 per cent., were in shell texI lure and shape, which were not regarded ' as serious. . But, of the really serious r faults, such as blood spots and streaks. . and including meat.spots, there were 855, the balance being made up of minor faults 'of one sort and another. Some of these I were not very clearly defined, or classified in such a way as to be readily under- . stood. What stands out, however, is that I five hens were found to have been rei sponsible for no less than 16S of the i worst faults, and five more between them i for an additional total of between 20 and I 30. Only 77 hens out of the 360 laid all faultless eggs. This confirms a good deal of experience in the matter, that is, that a small number of hens are usually responsible for most of the faulty eggs.

Care of Laying Pullets. Even a pullet flock from good blood can vary between 30 per cent, and 70 per cent, production, according to the management they have. Pullets need (.'ireful handling once they have started to lay if the very best is to tie obtained from the whole flock during the winter. There should he no changes from one house to another, the feeding should be regular and of the same ingredients, and no new birds should be added to a pen once laying lias commenced. If a wellbalanced food is fed to Laying pullets, it is almost impossible to give them too

much food, but it should not be too bulky at this time of year. The Handling Test. Frequent handling of growing stock is a necessity. Thin, weedy birds are a sure sign that something is wrung and calls for immediate remedy if the best results are to be obtained. An English authority. Mr. A. F. Tooey, maintains that the handling test 'as usually carried out is a farce. Far too much importance, he says, is attached to head points, and generally, if a bird cannot pass this test she is doomed. There are two outstanding head points which need consideration, xhe beak should be shortish and thick, and the eyes fairly prominent. The idea that a good layer must have comb and wattles fine and silky is wrong. Most of the best layers are fairly rough at these two points. “Pelvic bones which are pliable are a sign of selective breeding for these points, and do not denote a good layer Stamina is not usually allied to ■ fine bone. In handling, the only two points really worth consideration are ! width of back and depth of body Mr. I Tooey says‘he has selected many laying I trial' winners, and judges on the back I and depth of body only, and has always found that a bird 'ip to standard in these respects is seldom weak on head points.”