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Evening Star, Issue 12551, 8 July 1905, Page 11

Their oviduct, or egg-passage, is wonderfully constructed. It is attached to the ovary where the eggs first form. They hang much the same as a. bunch of grapes, and can be seen by a microscope -when not larger than the point of a pin. They aie so constructed that the largest ones ore at the bottom of the ovujy, tr, rather, U»y are encased in a skin, and as they grow'they lower themselves into the top of the oviduct. After the egg ii severed from, the ovary it has to pass through the oviduct or eggpassage, which is from 12in to 19in lons. We have found it Tin longer in some fow;s than in others. It is while the egg is passing through this pipe or passage that it is I shelled. The egg-passage does not lie in one > straight line, but is constructed much the rame as the entrails of a fowl, and rather mote of an S or pothook shape. If an egg • is examined in a fowl before it leaves the ovary there will be found some small blood 1 veins upon it. These leave the egg before ' it passes into the oviduct. i Should a hen be startled or very much ! frightened or over-reach herself the 'ittle blood-vessels become ruptured. This is the cause of small dark spots 'being found i in. a new-laid egg: they are usually found in the large end of the egg, not in the yolk but xi the top of it, just between the v 'oik and white. eromefimes it is caused by the male bird being tot, heavy. Wbe-i these s-pots are i found in u boiled egg people think they are j not new-laid, and that they may have been t s;it on. In some cases they are as large as a pea. After a hen has been frightened, it frequently happens that a shell-less egg breaks in the egg passago. When tWs is the case the fowl may be seen standing very erect, with her tail down and head up. The# feathers are usually wet behind, while the other part of hef plumage looks ' verv rough. If not attended to fowls often j die when this o«.-ura. | They are usually found dead on the J nest, and the cause of death is frequently \ put down as egg-bound, when it is really : the *kin of the soft egg left in the e.;g passage ; this irritates the fowl and caul's her to strain. a.s she cannot pass it. This causes a rupture of the egg organs, and of:en of the body too, and is often the cause , of the laying hen being so large and down ■ behind. When any of these symptoms appear the hen should be caught and examined. The skin of tie egg can usually 'be found just inside the egg-passage—occasionally it is al- [ ready protruding; if so, it can bo easily i withdrawn by gently puUing it when the hen endeavors to pass it. It must be done very steadily : if not, it will break inside. When it is broken inside it can be withdrawn by tweezers. A small piece of linen rag should be tied on the end of tiie tweezers, and a little oil put on the rag. When this is dene it is not so likely to break the skin or hurt the fowl; if this precaution is not taken inftunmation iolThU is partly caused by the hen straining herself. She should have a teaspoonful of salad oil and a little warm water given her, also a Utile soft food (not much), so that she doss not lay any more eggs until tho oviduct is strong again. If so it causes irritation, and the fowl becomes very ill. Ground oyster shells are used for laying hens, as they supply the material for making the shell. Flint dust is also a fine thing for the 'laying hens, as this prevents their laying shell-less eggs when everything else fails, and in the bleeding season, as it makes the shells of eggs brittle, whiclh is of great assistance to tire young birds when j "hatching. I BANTAM BREEDING. 1 (Continued.) Dnekwings next demand attention. They ate lovely colored birds, more easily bred than Plies, and command ready stiles at good pries. Up to the present only the ! Golden vatie'.y is tolerated in the show pen ; in tlii- country. The male is easily described. In every r-spett save top color and wing secondaries, wliich are white, he is colore! as a Black-red. He must have the same cherry-red face and appendages, including the most impoita,ut factor —a red » ar (not one trimmed up with s-eis'-ors) In shape, s<yie, reach, eye, and quality of feathering h-,s must bo identical with ti:e .Black-red. Then for bright crimson on shou'dei-s> and back substitute a <Uep straw color, more or less ebaded with maroon. which gives a veiy blight, brassy look right across the back of the bird down to the tail, shading off to a creamy white on saddij. matched by the same color <>•! neck. Tlte hackle feather both on neck and saddle shrrald be as free from dark striping an possible. The secondaries of wings ehould be a clear white running right through to end of feather, and five from chocolate- marking on the outer edge of the ton feathers. A great many otherwise good birds fail here The puller for exiiibition is di-tinsruished from the Black-red by the sr.bstitutinn of a lovely pile slate or stoel-grey color; tirs is exquisitely and finely pencilled over in the best specimens, but coarseness will show itself in indifferently-bred birds, and the fatal blotchiness will in such also appear on wing ends. Some strains will show a tendency to shaftiness of feather, which is also a defect. The legs, as in the cock, should bo willow. One of the mnst difficult points to secure in her is the de;p salmon brea-t. with a soft, even bodv color of the liirhter shade. With a light body eolor the breast is apt to lun pale. If .very pale, then it. militates greatlv against a show bird, but a fairly deep breast is no serious drawback. With regard to mating, cockerels are invariably produced from tte Black-red cro's. whilst pullets may be either l>ure Dnekwing-bred, or, like the cockeTV : , be the result of a erossc. To produce cockerels you require a typical Black-red cockerel, similar in every respect to (lie one described for Black-red cockerel production. He should bo mated to smart, reachy. good-phouldered. and . short-bodied pure Duckwing-bred pullets, with nice sil- : very white hackles. These should produce : excellent-colored Duckwirg oockeiels, but the majority of the pullets from this cross would be Black-reds, and these must not be allowed to mis with the pure Black-red pullets, or the result the. following year to • the Bluck-red pullet pen will be disastrous. If these Duckwing-bred JSkick-re<i pallets : are sound and even in eolor they can be mated back the following seitson to a silver Duckwing cockerel, with a view to the production of first-class exhibition pullets. The ' | only other way to breed pullets would bo | ■ to mate up perfectly-colored show pullets ■ ro a light-colored Duckwing cockerel—pure Duckwing-bud on both sides. The silver ' •

fB? Minorca.] Being desirou* *o encourage and stimilfcte the pcuKrv industry, we have arranged with t member' cf the local Poultry Club to edit Uii' column, and vill be glad to receive and publish any it"ui3 of news or notes will be of service to readers. Contributions and questions for ihou'd be addressed to " Minorca.'' Poultry Editor. 'Star' O.Tice, and received not later ban Tuesdav of each week. " Minorca.'* vill only answer communications through ihii column. TO CORRESPOXDEXTS. ! " J.O.R.''—Th? cockerel is quite old Enough if mat-.d with hens two and a-liaif years old. Give the breeding birds as much room as possible. ;ind see they have plenty exercise- scratching for their food. You can put from six to twelve hens with him. "leghorn."—-If the bird Ires not knocked himself about he will be nil right. Pen him up for a few days, and give helm a good wash. Of course" you cannot tell what chance be will have unless- you see him bwide the other birds. Mr Omand, of Maori Hill. Mr Dempster, of Clyde street, or Mr Caiuln. of J'oruingtun. could give you the information you require. Xo charge is made for any information, bat want of time is th* trouble in regard to your request. Mr Hyde, the Government poultry expert visited rhe Taieri poultry show week, and had a chat to several of the fancieis. Mr Hyde thinks that if fanciers put prices on birds in the show which they were willing to accept, instead of fancy prices. they would do n large business with the j farmers. Fanciers ate complaining because 'th-\ address of the s-ocivtarv of the De.'-.fdiu Club i is not given, and finding him is hard work. 1 At the B'cvb«-im comretitinn the Wh'uLegfeorrai are doinsr bv far the best, and at Lincoln the Si'v-r W-ando-t.-s h-.ve the b";<: «'' it. with B"fJ 0-ri : n"t'->rs seeond. TVs shows that it is th? strain :end i-ot tic br-ed that te! : s. ; Mr Shrimnlor. of M:>.. r : Hill, repo-ts that • for the war .-lyied 30: hj J-nv hi- b-us 1-id j 13.744 eg-.-, cf th- casl: value of £B9 1* 4 1 : ! and In ad :i io-i 410 eYcls v.-np >ohl and a ! fiock of forty hiyic - lens which had reached j the secotid year. Mr Shrmipti.u believes" in j •obdrvision and fr th nt ilnnge f-T t!i= i iens. At p-rsc-tt his 120 li-ns ar» divided i into e-ic'it jw-tts. Owing to the high price of j potatoes and pollard, the cost of living )kt i • head has gone up to about ss. iiartead ol 4s 6d, as in fmin-r years. It should, how- ' ever. hj» remerehered that over 500 chkks were fed ogt of the >ame food. Kggs wore ' T T : d every dar elaring the \-car. and Mr : Shrimrton ir t nd.« to start early next month ] mth his incub:»tors. in order to keep up ' the supply of winter kiyers. s * SHOW DATES. • .Tulv 13. 11. 15 -Dunedin (Championship ' iMlow). Ju!v 13. 14. 15—X'elson. ; Jnlv 18, 13— Pelorus (Havelock). .Tulv 19. 20—Tuaoeka. ' .Tul'v 21. 22—W.stport. i July 21. 22—Momeka. ' .Tulv 22—Tapanui. 1 .Tulv 25. 26 Rangiora'. ] Jury 26—Bi-v.ce. ; Arbor Day—Greymouth. Week after Arbor Dav—Hokitika. ' August 3. 4—C.utha '(BaMutha). ; SHELL-I>ESS EGGS ; Poultry-keepers arc often tioohled by ' their fowls laying soft egrrs. There ar.- ' several cawes. It gentndly for want of shell forir.mg material, but not this in all cases. Sometimes when hens have tjcen ' t laying a large number of egg-* they ' eggs faster than Xature can shell them. We ■, have had fowls lay one perfect, and one , shell-less egs in twelve bours. j This is not an exception, but often ,oo rurs where good layers are kept. At one time we thought, it was impo stoic for a ' fowl to lay two penect eggs in twenty-four hours, or, rath»r. to shell them in that time; but we have proved it is not. having had them do it, and pullets under eight- j months old. Fowls are not always cut of order when they lay shell-less eggs, as ( manv think they are: that is, if they are , supplied with everything necessary to form ] the shell and 1 eep the egg-organ* in a healthy state. j A fowl often lays ticuble-yolked eggs. ] This weakens the organs, and often causes . soft eggs to lx" Laid afterwards. When \ fowls over-fed and become very fat :nTernany. they frequently produce soft eggs; also, when they have been laying a long , time without a lest, their egg organs natur- | ally get weak, especially if they lay large • eggs.

YHK LINCOLN COLLEGE (UTILITY POULTRY CLUB'S)" EGG-LAYING COMPETITION. STATEMENT FOR WEEK ENDED JULY 2, ISCS.

Waluen's pen produeH 1 undeMveigbt egg on June 27; treated in usual manner—ijt., weight allowed for only.

Duckwing cockerel, useful as k» is as a pullet-breeder, is entirely at a discount in the show pen. Duckwing oocktrels can also be produced from a deep, rich, top colored cockerel mated \p Duckwing outlets. If they are a little ruddy and shafty on sides, all the better. In mating up your pens, always look for snaps in your pullets and color in tb« eookerels. (To be continued.)

."* — "5 — W jjirjit. No. Competitor. 5 £ 5 ~~2~ E -2 rt ™ S3 2" V "IT ~r 2 1 11 49~ lb? OZ. 7 ; ~ 1 P. Presents (Cli risfchurch), Silver Wyandottes 2 H. S. Cox (Sec 3 H. PonncJl (Ch * J. J. Rcrds (Cr 5 H. C. Lane (Sp kburo), Buff Orpingtons 2 2 1 2 4 2 2 0 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 1 1 3 3. 2 1 4 23 146 3 16 6!3 14 98 2 10 35 2 2 1 1 is 4 30J tehurch). Black Orpingtons tri stchurc Silver Wyandottes reydon), 6 K. Willii and £ on (N. Brighton), B. Orpingtons 3 4 4 4 2 4 3 24 73 3 35 7 H. V. Pocock (j Mexandra S.), Black Orpingtons... 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 3i! 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 4 11 1 6 87 — Si lot lu A. «- tsnscea lunvacoi, isiui urpingtons 3 2 5 4 4 3 4 25 140 2 151 11 W. B. Cov.-iUhaw (Chr'sfjhurchi. lihick Oripnnton. s 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 63 12 Mrs Mills (Dunedin), Whit*- Leehorns " 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 34 3|. 3? 13 A- F. Anderson (Christchurcli), Brown Leghorns. 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 37 37 14 F. C. Hack (Upper Hiccarton), E. Wyandottes 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 4 30 8i 15 Bishara Poultry Farm (Makikihi), B. Orpingtons. 2 0 2 1 1 1 2 9 56 1 li 16 Charles Petersen (Timaru), Black Orpingtons _ 31 x a 17 R. W-- Hawke (Papanui), White Leghorru IS J. H. Shaw (Riccarton), Brown Leghorns 0 2 3 1 5 2 3 14 113 1 12i 13^ 8 14 i 1 npleton). White Wvandottes... . (Christchurch). S. Wyandottes.... (Fermide). Bufi Orpingtons., hristchurch), Black Oipingtons_ 2 4 3 2 2 4 2 2 3 0 1 2 1 4 3 2 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 3 2 15 182 2 21 148 2 16 145 1 15 65 1 2 2 1 2 0 R. E. M. Evan 2 1 Edmond Wilder 23 Mrs Alexandra Studholme (Hinds). Anco :;i[i 4 4 0 3 4 4 1 20 80 2 .Ltg. 9 24 H. Paimcll (Christchurch). S. Wyandottes 3 2 1 0 1 4 1 12 62 1 6,5 25 H. Hawko (Greytown North). S. Wyandottes... 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 31 248 3 32; 26 A. M. Price (Christchurch). Buff Orpingtcns 3 4 1 3 4 2 4 21 210 2 8 27 G. Rollinson (Kaiapoi), Black Orpingtons.... -35 23 F. A. Rollinson (Kaiapo 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 3 2 0 1 3 1 8 119 3 15 80 1 154 124 29 Ernest Scott (Dunedin), Brown Leghorns 30 Arthur Gapes (Christehurch), Black Langshans... 31 G. H. Blair (Timaru), White Wyandottes 2 2 0 2 2 0 2 10 77 1 6 32 G. R, Hutchinson (Auckland), 6. Wyandottes— 1 0 1 4 1 2 3 12 17 1 °T 33 Mrs Symons (Christchurch), Buff Orpingtons 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 6 33 __ 32£ 34 G. E. Hutchinscn (Auckland), B. Orpingtons — — — — — — — — 1 0 1 1 0 r 15 8 — 9* 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 i 0 0 4 19 0 1 29 ~ 9ii 37 H. Walden (Greytown N 38 E. Steer (Greymouth), White Leghorns — 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 57 — Zi Totals 54 48 47 5 5 59 59 59 381