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Evening Star, Issue 12764, 17 March 1906, Page 11

[Br Minorca.;] B;eing desirous to encourage and stimulate the poultry industry, we have arranged with «. member of the local Poultry Club to edit this column, and" will be glad to receive and publish any items of news or notes which will bo of service to readers. Contributions and questions for answering should bo addressed to "Minorca/' Poultry Edflor, 'Star' Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. "Minorca" will only answer communications through this column. Breeders will he pleased to learn by advertisement above that Messrs Howison and Son have just landed a- shipment of the Humphrey green bone and vegetable cutter. This is a splendid machine, being very easily cleaned, asd also saves the trouble of breaking up the bones. The machine will take $ largo bone, and by the turning of a side wheel the bone is brought into gradual contact with the knives. The ground or ra.lb.er cut bone is produced in a granulated form, which is much better than the hash form produced by some machines. Mr Howison will bo pleased to show tho machine to any fancier. A White Leghorn pullet owned by Mr Cheatle, of England, has n. record of 250 eggs for the year. A Buff Plymouth Rack, the property of a poultry farmer in Worcestershire, laid 255 eggs in twelve months, and 265 in fourteen months three days. Pure-bred ponltry should be in the yards of the farmer as well as the up-to-date fancier. It costs no more to feed pure-breds ihan it does scrubbers, and when yoa market them they will bring a much better price. REMINDERS. 1. Ten hens should be mated with a cock of the lighter breed, and eight or lees of the heavier breeds. 2. Depriving fowls of green food and then giving them a largo quantity at once conduces to bowel disease. 3. Bones are phosphate of lime or phosphoric acid and lime. They therefore provide lime for the shell and phosphate for the system. 4. Grit, ground oyster shell, pure water, and a dust bath are as important as regular feeding and warm shelter. 5. Charcoal cut into pieces the size of peafi ia relished by fowls, and is a fine help to digestion. 6. A trap nest for tho breeding pen is a good investment. 7. Do not depend upon oveter shells for grit, nor is it wise to think "that in providing oyster shells yon have furnished the lu abundance of material for the shell. Oyster shell is carbonate of lime and non-soluble, and onlv by an abrasion of the pieces rubbed against one another in the gizzard can the particles of the shell be utilised in the make up of the egg. 8. To secure strong chicks use a cockerel of medium size from ten to twelve months old, and mate him with six to ten healthy two-year-old hens. n ' 9. Do not feed soft food to excess. Remember that nature provides a fowl with a gizzard, whose object in life is to grind grams m the natural state, and to reduce to food materials that are required for the growth and welfare of tho birds. Next to poor brooders and lice, sloppv foods" kill more chicks than any disease. 10. Make friends with your birds, and watch them carefully when they are out in the open The.closer you can imitate nature while the birds are confined the more successful will you be in getting good resuite. ANALYSIS OF AN EGG. On examining the analysis of bv various authorities, we find that they contain an average of about 13 per cent, of proteids —flesh-forming matter; 10 of fat-heat-pro-tlucmg matter; 2 of salts—chieflv boneforming matter; and 75 per cent, of water It may not be generally known that a chiok is almost if not entirely formed from tho white of the egg, and that the yolk remains on the outside of the body of the chick until a short time before it emerges from its shell It than passes into the bird through its vent, and is used as food. The proteids in the yolk nourish the chick, and the fat supplies heat and force. The fat of an eg<* ia

in the yolk. In this there is a wonderful' natural provision, - because fat : contains about 80 per ceut.. of hfiatrproducmg matter ready for immediate use. Oily fat, such aa that which is- found in an egg, is the most easily digested of alj heat-producing matter. - ROAD DUST. This is fcfcout the'time of year, when some, well-meaning and thoroughly conscientious but absolutely misguid*d.\ brother rises up with the annual admonitaon to us nil'to lay in a good stock of road dust, in> which the hens may take their dust both, during the winter. ' Now, the writer may be as misguided as those who recommend the us© of road dust for the fowls, but for the life of us we cannot see what value this stuff has to recommend its use for the purpose stated. On the contrary, there are many reasons, in our opinion, why it should not be used. —What is Road Dust?— It is simply the pulverised earth of the highway, made by the constant friction of waggon wheels and hoofs. It is nearly 25 per cent, pulverised horse manure. It* is aJ,eo strongly impregnated with sal-ammoniac—a product of the urine of horse?. It contains many impurities besides those mentioned, but these are sufficient to everiastimgly condemn it as a suitable substance in which to compel a self-respecting hen to tike a bath. If you want to convince yourself of the absolute unfitness of road duet for your fowls, go out into tho road, scoop up a panful, pour water on, it until it is well moistened, set it under the stove in the kitchen until it gets wanned up, and then stay in the kitchen—if you can. The heat and moisture will quickly demonstrate to you how full of impurity it is. We usually have a supply of raid duet on hand to put down in our earth closet from time to time, and this is the only thing it is fit for. We do not even u?e it to cover tho droppings boards in our poultry-houses, preferring good clean sand instead. —Hard Coal Ashes are Satisfactory for Dust Boxes.— The above naturally prompts the question: "What shall we use in the place'of it?" Wo will answer the question by asking one. What is the purpose of the dust bath? Primarily it is to help the fowls to rid themselves of lice. The chicken louse, like our common house fly, breathes through the pores of its skirt; therefore any fine dust or powder which will penetrate* these pores will suffocate the louse or fly, causing its speedy di-ath; and any fine powdery substance in which the hens can wallow will answer the purpose. . Tho ashes from either anthracite or lignite coal, either clear or mixed with dry, clear dirt, are excellent.

I will, admit that even a Barred Rock hen is not handsome when she emerges from a heap of coal ashes, and I can imagine what a white fowl would look like under the same conditions; but if she comes out happy and contented, having left the lice dead in the ashes, I prennne she thinks" it is none of vour business whether she koks " fit to be seen " or net. Many, however, who read this article burn wood instead of coal, ami of course cannot use wood ash, as it contains so much potash (lyci thait it would prove injurious to the fowls. My advice to such is to go to eomo hillside and get a barrel or two of fine sandy lcnm—good clean mother earth—and store it in some dry place for your winter use. —Dust Baths are Necessary. —

j But is this -winter supply of material in ■which fowls male take this dusting (purely and primarily as a means of ridding themselves of vermin) neeeisfiaiy? We think not. They will take a dust bath from, instinct and when they are free from lice, jnst as a hor?e, no matter how much he lias been rubbed and groomed, will, when turned into the field, get down and roll on the ground. Therefore, we believe this opportunity to satisfy the instincts of their nature should be provided for the fowls during the winter months, ae it is natural for them, and it keeps them happy and contented, but not solely and onlv for the purpose o? ridding themselves of ifce. The- droppings boards in all our poulhyhoit=es are cleaned regularly every morning, and clean sand put cm them; the litter in the houses is replaced with fresh, clean straw just as soon as the old gets broken up fine and fouled ; the perches, which axe removable, axe taken out one© a, week and sprayed with liquid lice killer, as are also all cracks and crevices around the roosts. We have not eeen a reel mite for so long that we have forgotten what they look uke, and we believe that if fowls are oroperly oared for the lice problem wilf be reduced to a minimum. It is neeesearv occastonally to take a. fowl and give it a, thorough dusting with some good lice powder, but.the one important thing around the poultry-houses is to follow the advice of the inhabitants of "Spotless Town": Clean up; % out; whitewash. And then do it all over and improve en it, and vou will not be compelled to expend «) much useless energy in fiVhting lice. Provide a' dust bath for you* fowls for the same, reason that vou prlvide them with food, water, grit, oyster shell, li me charcoal, etc., but do not. i? Vou have anv regard for your fowls, compel them, in t + T °! ]ic f' to faJke adu to that filthiest of substances, road dust.

THE LINCOLN COLLEGE (UTILITY COMPETITION OFFICIAL

80. Competitor, a « r-j J? . - Wgt. IP. Presents (Christch'ch), Silver Wyandottes" y~~~-^-^-^^t^l?& 2HL S. Cox (Sockburn), Buff Orpingtons ... " ~ o l ? I * } 4 20 2 % 779 3H. Pannell (Christch'ch), Black Orpingtons ~" %959? 7?J? 1 13 » SOl 4J. J. Royds (Christchuroh), Buff Leghorns ' '** n 1 1 1 \ \ \ U 1 6 i 7 °5 SH. C. Lane (Spreydon), Silver Wyandottes Z " 1 0 2 1 2 I } ■,% ? 8 « 603 6R. Willis and San (N.B'ght'n).B. Orp'gtns -Z,232 li 0 \ ■ \ Z'Zi 702 7H. P. Pocock (Alex'draS.i. B. oSS... H ] 2 R \W| 729 8 Alexandra Poultry Co. (CO.), W. Pith E'kf.. Z 1 211 1i I ??t 571 9 John Tindall (Chch), Silver Wyandottes... , $ ®* 10 A. H. Bristed (Linwopd), B. Orpingtons... .... 0 2 0 2 9 i \ in ? 2 s 82 * 11 W. B. Cowlishaw (Chchf, B. Orpingtons.: 2 1 5 , 850 12 Mrs Mills (Dunedin), White Leghorns 2 1 \l \ 3 802 13 A. F. Anderson (Chch), Brown Leghorns ... Z 2 1 1 1 1 o 1 q 1 nl Sll 14 F. C. Hack (Upper Riccarton), S. Wyndttes « 3 5 m 22* lSKshamP'ltryWi (Makikihi), 16 Chas. Petersen (Timaru), Black Orpingtons - ... 3 3 3 4 5 4 k 91 %iL 17 R. W. Hawke (Papanui , White Leghorns ._ . 2 " 593 18 J. H. Shaw (Riccarton), Brown Leghorns...... - 1 3 0 3 i 2 ? 1? ? «1 010 19 John Mann (Templeton), W. Wyandottes. .„ ... 0 1 0 2 0 2 n I n of 2££ 20 R. E. M. Evans (Chch), S. Wyandottes Z 3 3 4 1 3 4 ? 01 2 o* »?| 21 Edmund Wilder (Fernside), B. Orpingtons -...2123122131 im «n 22 Alfred Tyree (Chch), Black Orpingtons 23 22 22 114 1 idt lIS S3 Mrs Ales. Studbolme-(Hinds), Anconas -12 1212 2 11 1 & pII 24 H. Panneir(Chch), Silver Wyandottes •... 422 22 2n14 1 inl *™ 25 H. Hawke (Greytown N.), S. Wyandottes 4332 322 19 Psl ™2 86 A. M. Price (Ohch), Buff Orpingtons 1 1 1 1 2 1 J n n M Hit B7 G. Rollinson (Kaiapoi), Black Orpingtons „. ... 122 314 215 115 ~ri E3 F. A. Rollinson (Kaiapoi), Amer. W. Lglms ." 29 Ernest Scott (Dunedin), Brown Leghorns 10 2 112 1 8 11* m HO Arthur Gapes (Chch), Black Langshans 0 2 1 2 4 4 1 14 1 145 ri, 51 G. H. Blair (Timaru). White Wyandottes 0 10 0 0 0 0 1 0 2' 7f)R 32 G. R. Hutchinson (Auck.), S. Wyandottes 211 22 22 12 18' fW S3 Mrs Symons (Chch), Buff Orpingtons -12 22 24215 22* 6SP 34- G. R. Hutchinson (Auck.), B. Orpingtons 22 3021 212 111 * 547 35 Henry Leger (Levin), White Wyandottes 36 J. W. Halliday (Chch), Minorcas ~ -2212202 11 1-8 743 37 H. Walden (Greytown N.), S.C. Br. Lghna - - 2 1 22 1 3 1 12 110 705 58 E. Steer (Greymouth), White Leghorns 322 211314 2lg 719 Totals: Monday, 62; Tuesday, 63; Wednesday, 63 ', Thursday, 71; Fridav sT (Saturday, 71; Sunday, 61. Total, 467. Grand total, 28,594. . Totals for Febnjary: Presents, 77; Cox, 56; Panaell (Black Orpington), 55; Royds 25; Lane, 59; Willis, 51: Pocock, 47; Poal«Ty Company, 72; Tindall 67Brijted, 70; Cowh'shaw, 61; Mills, 64; Anderson, 60; Hack, 56; Bisham, 49; 63; P. Hawko. 49; Shaw. 87; Mann, 63; Evans, 63; Wilder, 47; Tyree, 83; Studbolmo 58; Pannell (Partridge Wyandottes), 54; H. Hawke, 91; Price, 63; G. Rollinson 43- f' Eoilinsoa, 37; Scott, 4,4; Gape 3, 52; Blair, 35; Hutchinr-oii (Silver Wyandottes), *6l;' Syl mens, 54; Hutehinson (Black Orpingtons), 33; Leger, 64; Halliday, 52; Walker 68Bteer, 53. ' ■ ' ' Monthly prizes (Fphrnary) won by H. Hawke, Greytown North, Silver Wyandottes, PI; Shaw, Brown Leghorns, 87: Tyree, Black Orpingtons, 83. The birds are progressing well in moult. E. LOWRIE, Director Canterbury Agritnltural College _ A. E. LAWRENCE. Secretary N.Z. Utility Poultry Club.