POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20980, 19 December 1931, Page 22

POULTRY NOTES

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Contributic«a-.JSiid mrastkais for- answering should be addressed to “ THibty-Faiicy, ” Pool tty Editor, ‘Star ’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each weak. “TJtaity-Eancy ** will only answer communications through this column. Adser4s3emsat*’iar»this"Oolainn- Binat be handed in to the office before.2 9-m. an Friday.

“ Novice.”—The duck is distinguished from the drake both by appearance and voice. The drake, when fully feathered, has in its tail two feathers on the top which curl up. This is not an infallible test, because sometimes the curled feathers may have been pulled out or lost out from moulting or other cause. The curled feathers show on a drake when ho is four months old. A duck quacks, but a drake does not; it is a sort of low, rasping, hissing noise, hard to describe, but much different from the quack of ducks. We do not hear much nowadays of breeding maggots for poultry food, but a few years back the advantage of doing so was often recommended. An inexpensive way, wo were told, of producing animal food was to propagate maggots. The slogan was “ Grow your own animal food.” This does not sound nice, but the fowls look at things differently to us. A piece of meat or a dead fowl should be hung up in the suh for two days. During this time the flies will deposit hundreds of eggs in the meat, which should then be buried and lightly covered with soil. The maggots will work; their way through the soil, and will be much relished by chickens or grown fowls. Publicity is the mainspring of business for the poultry breeder. One may have the best stock in the world, but unless one lets the public know about it one will find no demand for stock or eggs. If you have had a good hatch, if you have had a good percentage of pullets from your eggs, if you have succeeded in your rearing, and thus can guarantee strong constitution, advertise the facts. CLOVER MEAL FOR POULTRY. The use of clover for poultry is as yet by no means general, but it is being largely taken up by those who aro ever on the alert fox' something that will enable them to improve the condition and productiveness of their birds. No other food contains so much lime as white clover hay, which has about 331 b to the I,ooolb, against little more than 11b to the I,ooolb in ordinary feeding grains, so that it largely takes the place of egg-forming material that has hitherto been given separately.

The analysis of clover hay shows that it contains 83.3 per cent, of dry matter, 11 per cent, of protein, and 3 per cent, of fat. The fact that maize contains only 10 per cent, of protein shows that clover is superior as a flesh-forming food, and as the principal ingredients of an egg are nitrogen, mineral matter, and water this clover meal and clover hay appears to be on© of the most likely foods that has been brought out. The clover meal and cut clover can be mixed with other meals in the ratio of about 1 in 8. The expense of adding it to the mash is by no means excessive, and 1001 b can be made to go a long way among fifty fowls. Quality Pays.—By passing a law requiring all eggs to be graded and labelled to designate their quality Canada has doubled its egg consumption in the last ten years. Canadians now eat on the average thirty-one dozen eggs per person per year, almost twice the per capita consumption in this country. This goes to show that consumers want quality in their food products. We have been taught to measure our results in high production, but a more important measure is quality when it comes to eggs. When poultry and eggs are of good quality people-will pay more for them. Poultry Breeding in Germany.—The value of the annual turnover of poultry breeding in Germany for the last nine years amounts to 483 million marks. This is five times as large as the turnover for wine, and considerably larger than the turnover for sugar (351 million marks), and that of fresh and salt water fish (ninety-five million marks). The value of the egg production in Germany is increasing from year to year. In 1927 it represented a value of 485 million marks, while the total value of all poultry productions (eggs, meat, down, etc.) for the same year was 944 million marks. In spite of this, the value of the eggs imported into Germany in that year was 276 million marks. With a view to influencing the trade balance on this side favourably, the Reichstag decided to request the Government to encourage German poultry breeding and to arrange the egg production in the American way, so that the country would be free from imports.

twenty-seventh papanxji egglaying COMPETITION. Leading Pens, 35th Week, Ended December 4 (244 days). Test I.—J. H. Shaw Memorial Challenge. Light and Heavy Breeds. —Black Orpingtons.—

Week’s Weight. -Eggsoz drs. TL J. Campbell 5 11 3 211' H. Cotton B 0 0 191 —White Leghorns.— H. Williams ... ... 6 11 7 218 L. Roache ... ... 6 12 1 202 J, Ibbotson ...: >•* 7 13 12 199 A. C. Goodlet ... 7 15 4 193 T. S. Dove ... ... 5 8 10 191' Miss M'Keehnie ... 5 11 7 189. Test V.—Flock Teams (six birds)* —Whit© Leghorns.— Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz drs. TI.M. C. Crag, No. 2 32 64 7 1,010 K. Knight 18 37 9 968 M. C. Craig, No. 2 24 49 14 953 H. Williams ... 26 53 13 925 L. Roach© 30 59 13 897 Vcrrall Bros, (one dead) 2344 5 894 Test VI.—Single 9ucks. Owner enters three birds. —Indian Runners.— Week’s Grand Totals. Totals. J. W. Thomson 4 3 7 196 204 233 H. A. Dawber 6 5 4 154 236 202 G. 'A. Heath ... 7. 7 7 188 233 136. Test VII.—Other than Indian Runners* Week’s Grand Totals* Totals.H. A. Dawber; (P.) ... ... 14 6 179 157 206 F. Ashworth (K.C.) ... 7 7 0 170 188 0 Test 11.—White Leghorns Single Hen* Owner enters three birds. Week’s Grand Totals. Totals.A. J. Maclaine 7 6 4 213 168 183 W. L. Donald 5 7 3 184 199 181 W. MTntyre ... 6 5 5 208 167 187i D. Christie ... 5 4 7 156 187 212 H. Williams ... 6 6 5 158 193 203 J. Ibbotson ... 6 5 5 193 197 160 Test III.—Black Orpingtons Only* Week’s Grand Totals. Totals. R. M. Cookson 5 5 5 158 166 146 J. Campbell ... 5 5 5 201 135 118 B. Cotterell ... 0 4 4 90 187 153 D. A. M’Kee ... 5 5 5 100 177 103 Test IV.—Any Variety Light or Heavy Breeds, other than White Leghorns or Black Orpingtons. Week’s Grand Totals. Totals.Mrs Williams (L.S.) ... 0 74 192 204 1871 A. W. Pritchard (B.O.) 4 3 1 154 168 165 S. H. Mitchell (A.) 5 4 4 151 159 159 B. C. Wilson (B.L.) 5 0 1 156 106 188