POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 15174, 3 May 1913, Page 9

POULTRY NOTES

Contributions and questions for answering should be oddressed to ” Minorca,'' Poultry Editor, ' Star * Office, and re ceived rot later than Tuesday of each week, ’‘Minorca” will only . answer communications through this column. I have received from the secretary 7 {Mr E. S. Wilson) a copy of the Dunedin Fanciers’ Club’s schedule. The show is to be held in Sidey’s Buildings on June 3, 4, and 5, and entries close on May 10. Breeders’ attention is directed to the fact that poultry must not bo rung. This is quite right, as it gives rise to a lot of ill-feeling. The entrance fee for Bantams has been reduced to 2s. I think this is a step in the right direction, as a number of these interesting pets are owned by boys. But why are no specials awarded to these classes? Tire young fanciers should be encouraged, and as a rule tho entries are not large; therefore, if a hoy gets first he will just about get his money hack if he has a tow entries. The club should place some specials on the Bantams, if possible. A little while ago tho Canarv, Pigeon, and Bantam Club held a Young Bird show, and it was stated that breeders who had shown at this show would be disqualified by the South Island Association. I inquired from the secretary Of.the Fanciers* Club, and he informs me that no notification has been received by the club that anyone has been disqualified ; therefore, nil poultry and canary breeders who showed at tho Young Bird show can show at the Dunedin Fanciers’ show without fear of liny trouble. This is very satisfactory 7, as otherwise a lot of good" entries would have been lost. There is still trouble brewing between tho Dunedin Fanciers’ Club and the Otago Fanciers’ Society, but it is to bo hoped some settlement null be come to. There _ is certainly not room for two clubs in Dunedin, and when thev are in opposition to one another it will mean a loss for both. After the moult some birds will redden up and look as if they would soon start laying. If the pelvic bones are felt it will be found that they are surrounded by fat; the bird has got fat internally and will probably never lay again, and yet to the eye she will lookin the pink of condition and like laying. It is a good plan to handle vour birds occasionally and find out these wasters. eaters, but do no laying, ft pd the best place for them is the pot? The sex of the egg is still under discussipn in England. Some breeders still think they 7 can tell whether cockerels or pullets yvill be hatched. This is impossible, so don’t waste your time stuclying the subject, .or buy instruments Which are a waste of money. Mr E. Ayres is receiving from TVanganui district a pen of Rhode Island Iteds. I understand. Mr Ayres already 7 has some, of this'variety," but is not satisfied with them. Breeders who are showing this year should be careful to train their birds properly. Judges, I believe, are to have' a walking pen placed at their disposal, and when birds are evenly matched they will be transferred to the walking pen. A bird which has not been trained will not show to advantage in this j>cn, and is likely to lose marks, ft walking pen is a wirework cage about «t long and wide, and 2ft 6in high. —Reminders.— 1. Are you giving some meat and a good warm mash to the birds during this cold woather. 2. Have you a good scratching shed, and keep the birds off the cold ground when it is wet and a cold wind hlowfng? •5- If your birds are hanging in the moult, are you giving them a tonic, . a ® Douglp.s mixture or other suitable iron tonic ? 4. A little salt in the soft food is good for poultry. Use about what you Would use to flavor your own food. Os is necessary to keep birds in good health; scratching exercises the ° r S an 4^ nd ' ,rin ß s a bird on to laying. 6. When buying a cockerel, "see he comes from a good laying strain; but also see he is strong and healthy, and not of nenny appearance.

THE INCUBATOR, [By Cecil T. Brtne.] Very shortly the incubators -will again be tahen out, and as we look to ■She tanks and clean up generally we ask ourselves what new light has'been thrown on the subject of artificial hatching^ Given a properly-constructed machine and well-shaped eggs that arc not more than a week old, and that are the product of sound, healthy hens’, mated to Vigorous and prolific male birds, and the question of successful incubation resolves itself into a daily routine constating or: 1. Keeping the machine running at a proper and constant temperature. 2. Regular attention in the matter or turning and airing the eces. 3. Regulating the ventilation of the machine and the amount of moisture. It is not difficult to regulate a machine Bnd beep a constant temperature hy means of the milled head screw and the weight attached to the horizontal rod acting on the capsule under the tank, nor is it necessary to have any special Knowledge in order to turn and nir the eggs daily. With regard to the latter Operation I will only say that hard-and-fast rules as to the length of time the eggs should be exposed to the outer air arq to he deprecated ; so much depends upon the temperature of the outer atmosphere at the time and how long the : «ggs are likely to take to resume their j proper temperature after being returned to the machine. The only rule pat applies is that the eggs should not be allowed to get so cold that they will ! Hot get back their heat within a reasonable time after the drawer is replaced. At no tune should an egg be allowed to run. below 98deg F. If the outside of 311 egg is about 98deg it may safely be assumed that the germ, or embryo as the case may be, is at least 2deg higher. s..ould always feel just warm to the touch, to give a simple guide. _ But it is not in carrying out any of the above details that a careful operator finds(difficulty, Ibis with regard to the questions - of ventilation and moisture that even tho experienced man sometimes comes to grief. ■ The great question of “ dead in shell ” ! includes in its consideration the ques|Hon of fertility, storage, and proper gandling of eggs, temperature, correct Working of machine, etc. But I am going to take it for granted that all those points, have been carefully attended to, and duly and adequately performed ; that I have, in fact, a careful and’intelligent operator. This’ will, enable me to get at the crux of the whole, matter ); which, I take it, is the ..regulation of the ventilation pud JBOfstui*; ~ s

. ( -The Egg.It is unnecessary to go into the analysis of the egg beyond saying that it consists of some 75 per cent, of water. The chick is formed mostly from the white, whilst the 2 yolk is absorbed by it shortly before it makes its exit from the shell. Both yolk and white are enclosed in two membranes, .or skins, which separate at the largo end to enclose an air space, which space becomes larger as the egg evaporates. This space gives an indication of the age of an egg, as with time the water evaporates through the interstices of the'two. layers of carbonate of lime forming the shell, and the air filters in and enlarges the space at the bigger end. Therefore it will at once be seen that not only is this space an indication of the age of an egg, but also as to how much moisture is contained within the shell, at a given time. ' If the moisture within the egg evaporates too soon, and the membrane enclosing the embryo becomes tough, the chick will lack the energy to" kick out at the appointed time. Then, again, if too much moisture is applied the chick will become too large-, and when it breaks through the membrane on about the eighteenth day and occupies the whole space of the shell, it will be so big that it will not have space to use the pickaxe movement of the beak necessary for the breaking of tho shell. It may, and frequently does, malic a start, and having got its beak through the shell it has no room inside to get it back again, as its body, bloated bv moisture, occupies tho entire space. In both of these instances, due to insufficient or an excess of moisture, the result is tho same—“dead in the shell.’-’ Now lot me try to throw some little light on this difficult problem. (To be continued.)