POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20422, 1 March 1930, Page 27

POULTRY NOTES

[By UTILITY-FANCY.,]

Complaints about eggs not preserving well aro frequent, but there would be less disappointments if a few simple rules were followed. If water glass is used it should bo mixed with water that is really boiling. Eggs should be given about twelve hours to cool after being taken from the nest before they are put into the preserving fluid, and should not be put therein until the mixture has absolutely cooled down. On the other hand, every hour after they are a day old may take a week off the time they will keep fresh in the preservative. Fertile eggs will not preserve nearly as well as intertile. Dirty eggs will not preserve well, and as it is inadvisable to wash eg® before preserving them they should not be put down at all in Iho same vessel as the clean ones.

writer who lived in the first century of the present era, and was startled to find that nineteen hundred years ago the greater keeping qualities of infertile eggs were known, For he recommends that such as were required to be kept should be from hens to which the male birds bad no access. Dr Brown remarks after stating the foregoing facts as follows;—“ Hence it is that ‘ there's nothing new under the sun 1 has more to justify it than is generally acknowledged. I believe there is a greater wealth in the loro and tradition of practice of former centuries than is imagined, could we but become familiar with them. Possibly some of the problems winch are baffling us might thus be solved.” THOSE PULLETS AGAIN. Speaking at a meeting of the Northern U.P.S. recently on the question of breeding from pullets, Dr J. E. Helm said pullets were quite mature enough when they were ten to twelve months old, but it is impossible to say that they would not show some weakness towards the end of their first laying season, and this was a sound reason for not depending on them as breeders. THE EGG-A-DAY HEN. A story of a secret scheme to make hens lay eggs daily was told at r Winchester Asize, when Frederick Hardy Ruffle was charged with obtaining various sums of money by false pretences. It was stated that Ruffle induced men to hand over their life savings.by telling them that he bad a secret process of feeding which would make a lieu lay an egg per day per annum. Each hen would produce 365 eggs per annum for five years running without moulting. POULTRY THE RICHEST “CROP.” Dr Ruston, of Leeds University, stated at a recent meeting that tho annual yield of wheat grown in the country was £12,000.000, and of barley £/,000,000, while' tho annual yield ot poultry was £15,000,000— greater than either of them. Dr Ruston described poultry keeping as “ tho most profitable lino in the whole agricultural field,” and confessed that he had little patience with the farmers who still think ol poultry as an insignificant side line out of which their wives or daughters could get an occasional new hat.

Sir Morris Hill, Wakari, Dunedin, who, during several years has been successful in the show _ pens, is compelled, owing to unavoidable circumtances, to part with his birds (250 hens and 250 pullets). As these are all from the very_ best breeders, it is a great opportunity to get into good stock. It is officially stated that the number of egg-producing hens on the Canadian farms this year is_ 34,022,511. Maize is much too big to bo fed whole. It should bo crushed or kibbled before being fed to the fowls. Very little if any maize should bo served to laying stock during the summer months, nor during winter on the sea-board. At high altitudes it is almost indispensable as a part of tho menu during the cold Gather if birds are expected to continue producing eggs. The vitality of poultry used for breeding purposes is _ of greatest importance. Indeed, it is of first importance, for without the maximum of health tho maximum of fertility cannot bo obtained. Birds of weak constitution may, unfortunately, produce an abundance of fertile eggs, but the chickens hatched from them- cannot be vigorous and profitable. They arc the chick that die early or that require constant treatment to keep them alive. Tho two-year-old bird, or the second year’s laying.—Mr Clem Watson, secretary National Utility Poultry Society (England), writes: “What a crowd of breeders believe that nil laying stock should be renewed cadi year, that is,_ only keeping pullets for egg production. But on thoface of it tin's is not a sound proposition, for surely any hen should lay as well in her second year as the first, and eggs should all bo of a marketable size. The cost and worry of rearing is past, and the aged bird should be bettor able to withstand disease, providing she is bred right, well fed, and in the matter ot production she should easily equal tho younger flock. There is much in a strain, but a strain which will not go on for tho second year is not worth perpetuating. When given proper attention these hens will lay well all through the winter, and that is the time hen profits aro made. Keep them in a good house, with plenty of dry scratching litter, then sound meals and green food will do the rest.” The following on “records” is by tho same authority:—“ Most of us recognise that records are valuable, but in the race for production how far can wo go without losing vitality in the stock as a whole. There is a limit to what Nature can stand, otherwise the 300-egg hen would not bo alone, and it is generally recognised that the big gost layer is not the bird for rcproduc ition. This applies to all classes of stock, and the humble ben is no . sceptic)! to tho rule. Rather produce a hen which will lay for three years and at tho same time bo capable of breeding than to raise an abnormal bird which will run for ono year only and then be played out. After all, it is tho sticker which counts, and not the one who has a gay run for a tow months and then quits.” Nothing New Under the bun.—lo show that the lighting of poultry houses to extend tho days during winter months and thus obtain more eggs is not a new idea to bo credited to this progressive and enlightened ago, Edward Brown, LL.D., P .L.&., tells us that in 1924 during the time when the World’s Poultry Congress was held in Spain they learnt that the system or lighting poultry houses to increase winter laying was common practice among the peasants of the peninsula far hack, and that in a book published early in the nineteenth century hero is to be found a description of the system, also that it was used in other European countries. „ Infertile Eggs Most Suitable loi 1 ieservation, —The doctor tcHs us also that when reading in the British Museum studying some ancient works in which poultry were mentioned he found a book by Columella, a famous Roman

EGGS THAT AREN’T EATEN. ONE FIRM USES 800,000 OF THEM YEARLY IN MAKING KID GLOVES. Wo road in Blue Books of tho millions of “ groat hundreds ” of eggs consumed in this country, but millions mean little to most people. A bettci way of realising the consumption m eggs by Britons is that a year’s supply would fill 45,000 railway trucks, aim that if a train were made up of these trucks the engine would bo in Paddington when the last truck was passing Bridgwater, 150 miles away. Tho import of eggs from abroad is enormous. They come from places as far away as Egypt and China. These eggs, when they arrive, aro sorted, and those that are too small for ordinary sale aro tinned. Foreign eggs aro “candled” on arrival. If the light shows through the eggs are marketable, but if tho shell is opaque tho contents aro wholly bad. Yet none is wasted. Eggs that are cracked or merely suspicious go largely to the makers of photographic printing paper; those that aro quite had to the tanners of lino leather and tho makers of kid gloves. Enormous quantities of eggs aro used by the leather tanners. One great firm of kid glove manufacturers uses up more than 800,000 eggs a year. Only the yolks aro used, and ducks’ eggs are preferred to hens’. The first thing done with tho dressed leather as it arrives in tho factory is to feed it —with eggs. No chemical preparation will serve the same purpose. Egg yolk gives a softness and gloss which cannot be obtained in any other way. Chemists, again, use largo quantities of eggs, especially in making liniments. One of tho oldest and best-known patent embrocations consists of two quite common chemical substances thoroughly mixed together with white of egg. Even the shells of eggs aro saved and ground up lino, for use in tho making of fertilisers.

Contributions and questions for answering should bo addressed to Utility-Fancy, Poultry Editor, ‘Star’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. “ Utility-Fancy ” will only answer communications through this column. Advertisements for this column must be handed in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday.

TWENTY-FIFTH PAPANUI EGGLAYING CONTEST. Leading Pens Forty-fifth Week, Ended February 15 (315 days). Tost I.—J. H. Show Memorial Challenge, Light and Heavy Breeds. Black Orpingtons.

Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl. J. M. Campbell ... 5 10 7 225 T. D. Dalziel ... 0 12 13 193 White Leghorns. C. A. Stratford ... 6 11 10 291 E. J. Ross 6 12 7 253 E. Dunstan G 14 14 252 S. G. Ratten ... 5 11 7 248 F. J. mills ... ... 6 12 14 232 Miss A. Jenkins ... 4 8 10 228 Test 2.—White Leghorn Single Hens. Owner Enters Three Birds. Highest Aggregates. Week’s Grand Total. Total. E. Fuchs 5 5 G 250 236 262 J. Liggins 6 5 5 248 250 247 T. D Dalziel ... 6 5 6 257 229 253 A. M. Espio ... 5 7 6 215 248 221 W. K. Hamilton 0 6b 250 264 203 S. E. Davey ... 0 1b 211 251 240 Single Hen Tests. Owner Enters Three Birds. Highest Aggregates. Test 3.—Any Variety Light Breeds Other Than W. Leghorns. Anconas. Week’s Grand Total. Total. S. H. Mitchell ... 5 0 4 200 198 164 R. Pearce Oil 182 196 146 Test 4.—Black Orpingtons Only. H. J. Ballin ... 7 6 6 232 169 211 R. M. Cookson ... 0 4 3 165 212 204 L. P. Hawke ... 4 5 4 202 177 195 Test 5.—Any Variety Heavy Breeds Other Than Black Orpingtons. J. R. Griffon (L.S.) 0 8 6 183 143 223 R.Drysdalo (W.R.) 0 1 5 l'73 125 182 Test 6.—Flock Team, Six Birds, Light and Heavy Breeds. White Leghorns. Week's Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl. Green Bros. ... 20 58 7 1,323 M. C. Craig ... 27 58 3 1,359 W. E. Ward ... 25 54 13 1.298 G. J. Verrall ... 26 58 9 1,271 W. Turner 25 53 1 1,244 J. Bobbitt 32 68 2 1,243 Black Orpingtons. J. Kingsland ... 20 44 7 1,021 H. W. Beck ... 13 26 14 971 Test 7.—Single Ducks. Owner Enters Three Birds. Highest Aggregates. Indian Runner. Week’s Grand Total. Total. J. W. Thomson ... 7 6 7 263 288 207 T. R. Cotton ... 0 4 6 254 262 261 G. A. Heath ... 0 6 2 249 271 251 A. G. F. Ross ... 6 1 6 250 229 249 H. A. Dawber ... 5 0 7 256 216 241 R. W. Hawke ... 3 5 0 204 212 248