POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 16197, 19 August 1916, Page 11

POULTRY NOTES

[By Minorca.] TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Balelutha/'—l have handed your letter to Fraser and Co., agents for the eg-j circle, and rhey will communicate with you direct " Beginner " writes : Dear " Minorca,"— I Jim keenly interested in poultry, and White Leghorns in particular, and "always appreciate your nofcss on the subject. Your remarks on the breeding pen promptmi' to write to you for further information: (1) I have a pen of a dozen White Leghorn pullets, about nino months old, sold to me as pure-bred (from which I am getting good results), and a cockerel unrelated. The _ friend who gave me the latter- says he- is well bred from imported birds of some strain or other, and the bird certainly conveys to my eye the impression that he is from good "stock. But I am told that it wilt not do to breed from a cockerel and pullets, and I -write to ask fo: your advice. If it is advisable I will purchase a male bird elsewhere, but I am not able to get one from the Government farm at Milton, and know of m other reliable breeder. (2) One or two of my pullets show an edd black feather, which I complained of 'to the seller, and ■was told that the best breeds of White I/egborns invariably show a black feather somewhere until after the first moulo. Would you tell, me if such Is the case, or is it a sign of inferior breeding? [(1) Your pullets being well matured, you cart breed, from them with a cockerel, but a cock bird would be better. There are numbers'of bro«lers of good stock who could supply you if you advertised. (2) The black feathers in your pullets are a sign of crossing, but nearly all the best laying strains have been .crossed at some lime. You should onlv breed from the bcs.Uolored birds. As "a rub the black leathers will not moult out.—Minorca.]

received from Mr Atkinson a catalogue of his 1916 matings. The catalogue is neatly got up in book form, and gives a description of the different pens of birds. Anyone can secure a copv bv Trailing to Mr Adamson. • * , ( Eggs are still very high in price, new- ■ .aid ones bringing Is 10d per dozen during the week. At this time of the vear they are usually about Is 3d per dozen. It is time eggs from the heavy breeds were put down if you want them to lay next autumn. The light breeds should be put down next month. Breeders who have chicks out should rub Vhe back of tho chicks' heads with camphorated oil or vaseline, and powder the bpdy with insect powder. At this time of the year the chicks want as much sunehin© as possible; later on they want shade from the sun ■ x*r* all m] l? giving up the Silver .Wyandottes, Mr W. H. Horn, of Port Chalmers, has taken advantage of the chance to secure this fine breeding- pen pi eight trap-nested birds. These, I understand, aro Jto be mated to a cockerel from Mr; J. B. White's birds, and should produce excellent results. Mrs Mills's Wyandottes axe well known for their excellent laying/ qualities, and Mr White's birds for their show points, so it will be interesting to see the result of the crossing of these two strains. Last week I wrote of tho mating of the breedings pen. If breeders have any questions to ask, I shall be pleased tq hear *i'om them. LI breeding for shejw or for eggs, it is a good plan to havo the male \ bird and tho hens slightly related, as you are then more sure of your results. When you cross two unrelated strains you can never depend upon the results—you may strike it or you may not; so it iV better if possible, to have the birds related, but not too closely, or ,you weaken the birds -**»4 Sjacal egg jjrodnction.

The eggs for setting should not bo too large, but they should bo of fair size, according to the breed, but don't set roughshelled eggs or ones with ridges in them. The nest should be" of fair size, so that the hsn can turn any way she likes. Place soft earth, free from stones, in the bottom of the box, shape it like a soup plate, sprinkle it with lime, then cover with nice soft hay or straw. Put three or four dummy eggs in the nest', and at night, after giving the clucker a good feed, place her geutly on them. Close tho bos so that she cannot get out, and at the end of 24 hours let her off. If she docq not come off. lift her off, and give her a feed and a drink, and let her go on again. If sho will not go ou by herself, lift her on again, but it is better if she will, go off and on by herself. If she goes back properly you can then put the setting of eggs under her. At the end of the week test the eggs, and- dust the hen and nest with insect rjowder.

Don't give a sitting hen soft food, but give a mixture of oats, wheat, and maize. If she shows signs of diarrhoea give some boiled rice, and if ifc is severe give five drops of chlorodyne every four hours. If the diarrhoea should become severe sho is almost 'certain to leave the nest, so watch for the first symptoms and check it.

INFLUENCE OF THE MALE ON PULLET PBOGKNY. I The male bird has more influence in improving the laying of a flock the female bird. The result of .breeding from hens which have- laid a remarkable

number of egga is often very disappointing. But if instead of breeding from the hens you vise a jnale bird from the same other words, a" brother—and mate'him -with healthy hens that( are merely average layers, you will probably get birds that -will turn out to be exceptional layers. : "In all breeding operations you should bear in mind that laying power is inherited from the father, and constitutional vigor from the mother. From ignorance of this fact many poultrykeepers go \vtrong. Most hens .that lay heavilyj exhaust .themselves to such an extent that they are very bad breeders. Their eggs arc either infertile or' the chickens are weakly. The general idea is .that the daughters of -a .great laying hen will -bo'great layers, too. This does not follow at all. To perpetuate the laying strain you must rely on a male of the same family." When wo look -back over the yeaTs during which >ve have been in touch with all phases/of poultry breeding, we recollect that at one time the farmyard mongrel was a most disappointing bird when tested as to her contributions to the eggbasket, but the present-day cross-bred on many farms is a most useful type of layer, and some .even do well enough to justify the belief that the ogg yield from these is as good as' from puro-breds—and the great improvement in returns is solely duo to the introduction of purebred cockerels from pedigree-laying strains year after year by interested" owners.. This, matter should receive the careful c6nsi«£cratioii of 'everyone who has fowls'of any sort', for if they are to be bred from they may just as well produce birds to yield a. profit as to throw indifferent stock. Wo personally know many people who have so improved the laying propensities of their stock by the introduction of a male bird from a heavy laying straiu, that the pullet progeny have increased in their output from 50 to 75 eggs per bird in their first year, and as this has been the result of purchasing ,a cockerel at' about half a sovereign ifc will readily be seen that this has meant an additional profit of at least 600 eggs from each dozen birds raised; and as tTioyoiun? stock from • pedigree layers have more activity than the old type of lay-as-you-please sort of fowl, ■ the chickens * are easier to rear, and there are practically ho' losses. This is where wide-awake people score, for when they realise .that the average cost of rearing is greatly increased by the deaths of half-grown, weakly chickens,' whose feed has to be charged up to the rearing account, and .the average yield of eggs from every pen of 10 fowls is appreciably lessened by the two or three slackers included. 3,teps will be taken to avoid these, reduc- ' ing features, so that the accounts may not only balance, but come out with a pleasing profit at the end of the year.—English Exchange.

Mr Cnssen, the Government poultry expert, is in town, and will visit any br'eede: who requests him. to do so.