POULTRY NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 10, 11 July 1936, Page 25

POULTRY NOTES

AROUND THE SHOWS

POINTS ABOUT CLASSES

The show season for poultry is over for this year, and a short review of poultry exhibitions in the North Island will interest many readers. Most people keep fowls in order to secure fresh eggs; householders keep them te eat up table scraps and to supply the daily egg for breakfast, while there are also a large number of whole or part-time commercial egg producers. But of all interested in poultry, the true fancier can be called the backbone of poultry breeding. Years ago many fanciers bred for appearance only, and such breeds as Cochins, Brahmas, and Polish are an excellent example of their ability to produce showy birds. of wonderful feathering and type; some of these breeds have died out altogether, and certainly none have been seen in this country for many years. Today fowls, even when kept as a hobby for (. xhibition purposes, .must lay reasonnbly well, and most of the fowls exhibited are reasonably good layers. Certainly if buyers want the highest egg-producing strains they should purchase their requirements from commercial egg producers who keep fowls for this purpose only, but it is not unusual to find these very experts seeking the advice and stock of- the true fancier to build up stamina and breed points in their utility stock. Classes are provided in our poultry ex-, hibitions for both fancy (or open) and utility classes, and our judges penalise any exhibits ifi the utility classes which show any extremes towards the fancy side of breeding. The egg-laying competitions, conducted for fifty weeks each year, are really the commercial egg producers' "show," for it is quite impossible for any judge to tell how many eggs a bird will lay, although if he is an expert he will be able to tell quite easily if a bird has those characteristics which usually denote high eggproducing ability. These include fineness of bone, quality of skin texture, clean, bright face and bold eye, fairly tight, short feathering, and an active appearance denoting vigour.

Apart from pigeon and cage bird shows, about twenty poultry shows are held each year in the North Island, the number of entries varying from 300 birds up to. 1400. The majority of the entries are made by breeders that exhibit only good quality .birds though each season sees a few .novices joinI ing the ranks. Much thought and work is devoted to the ■ preparation s>nd training of exhibits prior to show day, and a major --win carries,with it much credit to the breeder. Only after considerable experience can a competitor expect to win the coveted "best in show" award, 'though just sometimes a novice will carry off this prize with a bird well reared and prepared which has come from eggs purchased from a leading breeder. So keen are the majority of true fanciers that they will often give away eggs from their best birds 4n order -to promote; keener ' competition and make new enthusiasts. THE FANCY CLASSES. These classes, sometimes called the open or standard classe, are for fanciers ; who breed for outward -"poiiitss in their stock.. Standard type is essential, and the detailed points connected with feathering require much attention in some breeds. It is a'pity that the real old fancy breeds, are not popular today, and it is quite possible that some of them will be revived as time goes on. Practically the only fancy breeds receiving any attention-today are game fowl and the large featherduster Black Orpingtons. One sees some excellent exhibits in Wyandottes, Sussex, Minorcas, and Hocks, but most of them lack the true, pure f aKcy blood, making them quite distinct from their cousins in the utility classes. In many breeds there should be only one class, as there is no difference at all in the . standard' for , fancy or utility excepting that in the utility sections exhibits must weigh within certain weight limits. In the fancy classes, the.larger an exhibit the better the bird, other things being equal, though fanciers should, always endeavour to avoid extremes. The fancier is often criticised, and rightly, too, for some have ruined many excellent breeds. The Minorca was spoilt by the English extremist who. wanted long legs and ■ large;'head .points—utterly disfiguring the breed as set.out in.the old/standards. ■■■- As a rule the number of entries in, the >fahcy. classes is disappointing, i and.'often it is "much easier to win ■ prize cards in this section than it is I in' the utility classes, owing to lack of i competition.; . :• : Possibly one of the reasons for, lack of interest!in fancy poultry ;is due to the keen interest in game' and game bantams, and these. classes of ten pfo- ■ vide keen-competition with high, aval- - ity exhibits'. To the novice the classU c flcation of the many varieties of game • birds is most bewildering, and often J even experienced poultivmen know - little of the finer points connected with 1 game breeds. One show last year even ' provided classes for "Wheaten Coc'kl erels," a state of affairs which must 5 have caused a smile of contempt from every game enthusiast. Pigeons • and r cage birds have many devotees, too. : THE UTILITY CLASSES, t It was about 1911 that the -utility t classes were first introduced: into' our i poultry shows. About that time it waj i most desirable that novices shbuld; conr centrate more on'"egg-producing fowls v than on fleshy, exhibition birds'and'unr doubtedly the introduction •of. the f utility classes was a good, move, since - the idea was general in nibst xouns tries. Trouble, however; soon-develop-ed, i'or the fancier found that the major awards were being given to the" utility section's-and so he "came-over" and competed in the utility sections with wholly or partly-bred fancy birds. 'So for many years we have had dis- , satisfaction from some exhibitors who , consider that show points are awarded , too easily to fancy-bred birds. But the . truth of the matter is that the true ' fancier knbwshow to breed and how to exhibit in order to win, and no mat- ": ter how strict a judge may be, most of his awards will go to the fancier _ type of breeder. The commercial egg * producer may have hens that will lay 300 eggs a year, but such hens will not 7 stand a chance of winning in the shows ,_, unless they conform to the standard '" and are free from serious defects. The man who tries to breed the 300-egger V and the perfect show bird in the. one y strain and one individual'cannot sue- *' ceed. If any readers are trying to '*? now, let them take sound, advice and ; give up. Make two lines, one for show'e ing and one for high-egg, production, and the road will be wider and easier. White Leghorns and Slack Orpingtons usually provide the largest poultry classes at most shows because ig these two breeds are kept by most >y breeders. Rhode Island Reds are gainin ing very year in'popularity, and it is ir not uncommon to find as many as .11 twenty birds in a class today with as r. many as fifty Reds at one show, in Minorcas are nearly; always popular, tit and one finds that certain districts le favour certain breeds. For example, Light Sussex are popular in the Tara-

naki shows but none is seen up the East Coast. On the other hand, Brown Leghorns are. very popular at Gisborne, though very few are seen in Wellington Province. White Wyandottes of utility quality are scare enough, too, though they are quite popular around Auckland, as are the Silver-laced Wyandottes. The novice has such a wide choice of breeds and varieties of breeds that he is often bewildered into making a choice, or else is liable to make the mistake of keeping too many varieties. Once experience is gained, one breed will keep the best of breeders busy enough developing a good strain. SHOW WEAKNESSES. Some of our poultry shows are' on the down grade. Management is weak, support is poor, and the true fancier spirit is sadly lacking. There is a type of exhibitor who shows purely for profit instead of for fun and anything savouring of commercial practice will tend to spoil-a show. Feelirig can run high, but an exhibitor must learn to take a beating and he must always be prepared to accept the judge's decision as final. There is so much to learn and one is so tempted to see quality only in one's own birds, forgetting that many others think also that they have a top-notcher. Undoubtedly counterattractions in the way of amusements have reduced the interest in hobbies. Quicker transport and high wages tend to spoil home life, and the open spaces and commonness of animal life in our country detract from an interest in breeding livestock. Breeding fowls for poultry shows is indeed an important part of poultry activities in any country, and some governing bodies have overlooked the fact that amongst our exhibitors are men of no mean ability; men ,who could easily help in the management of our poultry troubles and politics. Commercial egg production is a business and a difficult one, too, but there is more fun and pleasure in breeding show birds than many who have not tried would believe.' Speaking to an old. exhibitor recently, the opinion was expressed that half the trouble today was that; breeders did too much buying, and too little breeding There is no real pleasure in winning with an exhibit which is not the result of personal endeavour.