POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 18021, 15 July 1922, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

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Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to "Utility-Fancy," Poultry Editor, 'Star ’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. “ Utility-Fancy ” will only answer communications through th\s columns

■ ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “N.N.”—Allow for four square feet of scratching space and 9in of perch room 1 per bird. “New dark area In the ‘/egg sent for examination is produced) by ‘Wood, which has changed color through, being cooked. Cases of the land often [•occur, and are nothing (to be alarmed about. It is caused by a small blood vessel somewhere in the ovarian tract becom* king ruptured, One or two eggs may show *Bigne, and then In all probability the ■.trouble will end. If you know tho fowl That laid the eggs, give twenty drops of ftincture of perchioride of iron in each pint of drinking water for a few days. ' “ Scale.’’"—This is chiefly due to wet end dirf, and is caused by a minute parasite ..which breeds under the scales of the fowl’s Ifege, giving the bird a most unsightly ap’pearance. A few applications of a mixture of equal parts of sulphur and lard liquified with kerosene to the consistency of thick oil will usually prove an effective remedy, Don’t neglect or, or it will spread to other birds, .The annual meeting of the Dunedin Utility Poultry Club was held on Thursday, July 6. at Lower Burns Kail, and wa9 well attended by members and visitors, The hon, secretary in bis report tor the year showed that the club bed held , ton meetings, and that addresses had been 'given on various subjects by Messrs J. Lind, R. W. Coombes, P. Oarolin, H. P. Harvey, and Mr Cousins, Government ' poultry expert. Several debates were held. Mr R, W. Coombea gave a i Tactical deJnonstration of washing a White Leghorn for show, and Mr H. L. Sprosen gava an evening to answering questions. Mr T. H. Dalton was ro-elecied president for the ensuing year, and Mr H. P. Harvey patron to the club. Vice-presidents—Messrs R. W. Coombes, S, Dovereanx, P. Shaddock, R. Geddee, and H. L. Sprosen. Mr W. V. Stunner was re-elected hon. secretary and treasurer, with Mr F. G. Hanson assistant secretary j and the following committee was set up:—Messrs J. Sanders, H. L. Sprosen, J. Jowsey, 8. Devereaux, R. W. Coombes, J. Rattagan, 0. Eourko, and P. G. Hanson. A special prize fund was arranged, and) 6gs were collected os a start in as many minutes, and at the end of the meeting a number of now members were enrolled. T notice that R. R. Christie’s (Rogeu and Christie) Black Orpingtons were leading in the teams’ tests at Geelong at June 23 (eighty-four days) with 332 eggs. In singles they are third! and fifth with 75 and 73 eggs respectively, the leading team being Mr 0. B. Bertlesmeir’a, with 82.

The foregoing paragraph reminds me that Mr E, Oswald Evilly (Central Produce Mari), who has just returned from a business visit to Australia, reports that quite by accident he mot Mr Rogeir while he was ,in Melbourne, and was taken out to see his birds and .plant at Black Rook. Mr Reilly, as many of my readers well know, la not only recognised as a qualified poultry judge, hut as one who for some years bred fowls and grew fruits both commercially and as a fancier —making nqt only a success of the utility side of his venture, but winning many prizes with the excellent stock lie raised oh his farm at Studholme. It counts for something, therefore, that Mr Reilly was struck on his visit to ithe Black Rock Poultry Farm with the liigb quality of the birds he saw, particularly -as regards the Bteck Orpingtons. He describes riiem. ns "the finest lot ha has over seen” as a “ grand collection.” He says ho "could not see a sick bird in tho place; every bird looked wonderfully healthy,” and, iaken all round, " tho conditions as regards plant and accessories were excellent.” Mr Rogen as an old hand could have been depended) upon not to start a poultry plant "just anywhere.” He has picked out a spot somewhat similar to the one he had at Evansdale, where ha raised) such wonderful Langsbans—viz., one with randy toil. Mr Reilly says there is about Bft deep of black sand at Black Rock; that it isina go-ahead suburb; and that—and this is a point I wish t ; draw attention to—Mr Rogen has iv. spent one unnecessary shilling in the wav > ■■■ capital expenditure. 'This, to my mind, ione of tho first secrete of success in p id try fanning—i.e., tho keeping down capital expenditure. Anything that w' be improvised or turned to account —evy. thing that was already on thoeite, whclK it were a fence, post, orhuilding—now constitutes part of what Mr Rogen claims to 1m tho most up-to-date poultry plant in Australia. Everything is so arranged that labor is reduced to the minimum, and the hatching-house, which is only used for the purpose for three months in the year, is a bungalow dwelling sub-let for the balance of the twelve months. Surely this is an idea for which Mr Rogen deserves a pal. There is an aromatic water system, self-filling and practically self-clean-ing. Tho houses aro not elaborate, but as simple and inexpensive as con be consistent with Mr Reilly pronounces this Black Rock plant of Mr Rogeir's tto be an object lesson as to how little money need bo spent on fowls and yet obtain best results.

Those intending to hatch out some chickens this season will do well to note that causes for failure in artificial hatching include: (1) Failure to* overhaul tho machine and satisfying oneself that everythin especially the lamp, is in proper working order before putting in the eggs remember that there were heavy losses incurred last season caused by fires, no doubt duo to faulty lamps. (2) Putting eggs that have travelled some distance straight away into the machine, and not allowing them a rest so 'that the yolks may settle. Remember that tho germ of tho fertilised egg is a live creature at its most delicate stage of existence, and consequently requires gentle handling. (3) Overtesting through being too anxious to see how the eggs are progressing,’ also taking too long a timo when testing, causing the temperature to drop considerably. Remember when taking (the draw out to test ti e eggs that you must put it down gently < u te tho testing table so as not to jar the eggs; and note that it is a good plan to have a means of maintaining the heat in the incubator while’ the draw is out. This can bo done by means of a spare drawer or temporary door. (4) Using eggs that ■are stale and misshapen; therefore choose only fresh ones of good size—from 2oz to 2jOZ, with smooth shells and perfectly formed. Remember, too, in choosing the eggs of a particular hen to pick cut only her normal-sized eggs; anything abnounal is best left out. (5) Running too many hens with one cock in tho breeding pens, with tho result that the germs in the eggs aro weak.

“In my opinion, careful, systematic culling is the biggest dividend earner that now confronts the practical poultry keepers of this country.”—Professor H. R. Lewis, in ‘ Profitable Culling and Selective Flock Breeding,’ published by the Reliable _ Poultry Company, United States, America. In Bulletin 57 of the New York Department of Agriculture, published in 1912, Professor Rice listed three factors in the selection of high-producing hens : (1) Highest Producers Moult Late.— The first physical characters ami the most valuable of all in selecting hens for breeders that are high producers is lateness in moulting. 'The hen that is born to lay a large number of eggs and is well fed end handled will generally follow the line of least resistance and continue to lay, and thus fail to perform the natural process of moulting. This is because she has so much reserve

power that ehe continues to lay. and aa a result her feathers do not die and loosen. (2) High Producers Have Pale Shanks.—Another important factor in selecting high producers is the color of the shanks of the yellow-skinned breeds. If you were to examine the highfiroducing hens in the early fall autumn), you would see that their shanks are “laid out”—that is, pate in color. The hens that have had little to do during tho summer except loaf around and eat usually have the finest kind of colored shanks and skin, whereas the high-producing hens have laid out most of tho color. After they have rested a month or two the color will come back. (3) High Producers are Heavy Eater-. —Watch the hens and see them cat, andi observe how they eat; it will help you to pick out the laying hens in tho fall and winter. The hen that is the largest layer is generally the one that is eating the most food. She goes' to roost late and gets up early. In Bulletin 65 of the same department, published in 1914, Professor Rico adds two more characters :

(1) Tho "Width of the Pelvic Arch. — Fowls in a laying condition may he said to bo in a'Condition of pregnancy. This physical condition causes in most animals a softening of certain ligaments and muscles which in a measure modifies their physical conformation. In the case of tho low], tho arch of cartilagenons bones through which tho egg is expelled enlarges and softens during conditions of heavy laying, and hardens and contracts during periods of dormancy. This condition enables a person to determine at any given time, with considerable accuracy, tho hems that are laying at that particular time from those that are not. In the case of large fowls the space between the pelvic hones will ho sufficient to place three fingers of average size. In tho same fowl, in the dormant condition, the pelvic arch probably would not be more than one to two fingers wide. (2) Size of Abdomen and Crop.—'Tho size of tho abdomen and crop, and the sizo, texture, and color of the comb indicate the condition of health and

productivity of the fowl with fair degrees of accuracy. It may 'be said that, in general, a hen in a condition of high production may ho expected to have A deep abdomen, a full crop, and a large, soft, velvety, bright-redi comb for that particular variety. The size, texture, and color of the comb are an indication of physical vigor. Physical vigor generally is correlated with the active reproductive system of the fowl., A pullet that is laying has a good! appetite, and therefore usually a full crop. Tho laying fowl has an oviduct that is many times larger than the same fowl will liave during a period of dormancy—at least, twenty times as large. The size of the oviduct and the fuller condition of the _ intestines In (the case of tho productive fowl enlarges the abdomen to such on extent that- frequently one would find difficulty in recognising pictured of the same fowl taken at different times of the year during different conditions of productivity and dormancy.

Southland Egg-laying Competition, Leading pens Utn- week ended June 29: — Single pens: Andrew Love, W.L., 66; W. Thomson, W.L., 65; Alex. Proven, W.L., 63j, John Thomson, W.L., 62; S. A. Fairclofch. W.L., 62; Master-Cushen, W.L., 62. Ducks: J. 0. Wilson, LB., 61; Alex. Peat, 1.R., 56; Alex. Peat, 1.R., 5L