Poultry Notes

Evening Star, Issue 21711, 4 May 1934, Page 2

Poultry Notes

' ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. fi K.C.” asks for the utility standard for Khaki Campbell ducks. Can any breeder of, this description of duck, or other fancier, supply the information required? If so, Twill be gjad to reproduce it in these notes. The Khaki Campbell is a strictly utility duck, and has only during the last few years come to the front on account of its great laying power. No effort has been made to introduce fancy points, and type seems to be more essential .in an exhibition bird than anything else. The Dunedin Cage Bird Specialists’ Club is now holding table shows in its club rooms which, I am told, are creating keen interest. These shows should prove both interesting and instructive. Members of both the Dunedin Fanciers’ Club and the Utility Poultry Club attended in force at the funeral of the late Mr J. J. Jowsey, who was well known and much respected as an enthusiastic fancier, judge, and showman. He will be much missed at our shows, where he was always a prominent figure, and always pleased to give advice. I am informed that a local breeder, Mr W. Crowther, is entering three pullets in the Papanui egg-laying competition. A visit paid to the poultry yard of Mr A. E. Gillam disclosed a very interesting combination of featherfolk. Amongst others was seen a Minorca cockerel of outstanding quality which should be shown at the June show. Some very nice white and black Pekin bantams show that Mr Gillam has a leaning toward the beautiful. Homing pigeons, of which this fancier has been a most successful breeder for many years, are conspicuously built for staying power. The latest addition to Mr Giuam’s numerous fancies is a fine aviary of Yorkshire canaries, and judges of this class of exhibit predict that Mr Gillam will in due course bo heard of in this fancy. It is pleasing to see that the wellknown local breeder of White Leghorns, Mr C. Bartley, has done so well at the Papanui egg-laying competition, and to learn that he. is renewing his interest in the local clubs. If his health allows he hopes to attend meetings regularly. The Dunedin Fanciers’ annual show will bo held in June. Schedules will soon he available, and, judging by the numerous inquiries, entries are going to be very large. All interested in either poultry,_ pigeons, canaries, and dogs, and wishing to enter them in the show., should get in touch with the secretary, Mr G. Thomson, 15 Main road. North-east Valley. The show promises to be a big success. The following championships are to be competed for:—Utility Black Orpington, male; Old English Game (any colour), male: Roller-canary; homer pigeon, cock, 275 miles or over; srhoke blue or black Persian cat (female), over eight months. The following is a list of the judges:—Utility poultry, A. S. Jarvie (Waimate) ; fancy poultry and bantams, W. Tibbies, Dunedin; homer pigeons, W. Watson, Dunedin; fancy pigeons, Rv Bankshaw, Dunedin; Yorkshire Canaries, J. Morris. Dunedin; Norwich canaries, R. .W. Thompson, Christchurch; cats, Mr A. Laurenson. Dunedin ; children’s pets, Mrs A. Thompson, Dunedin.

“ EGG FACTORIES.” No doubt many ppultrymeu keeping fowls in a large way are interested in what they read of the battery system of keeping laying fowls. In England and America, and possibly elsewhere in Europe, this unnatural method of housing laying fowls is being tried and boosted. Those interested in the production of the batteries are no doubt doing their best to show their usefulness i>i saving labour and how thoroughly the birds enjoy their lonely lives. Battery-kept birds cannot start pecking the feathers of other birds or indulge in any other form of cannibalism. Of course, they lose the pleasures derived from companionship; but iis they never see another bird presumably they do not know that they are losing anything worthwhile. On this subject Mr E. W. Allenby, a wellknown authority on poultry, writes;— “ Very shortly wo shall see a new phase of poultry-keeping in the shape of the laying-hen-battery. Instead of poor old Biddy roaming the fields as was her wont, then later being confined to a house and scratching shed, she is now to be placed in a cage some 18in square and to spend the remainder of her days on a wire-netted floor, which, sloping gently, allows the egg she lays to roll forward and out of sight, to be collected at a later stage in a perfectly clean condition by the owner or attendant. Droppings fall through the wire-netted floor of her 18in cage on to a tray below, and sufficient food and water will be placed in the troughs in front of her cage to last one week. “ She, along with some hundreds or thousands pf others, will become part of the ‘ egg factory,’ the owner of which will no longer be called upon to clean down dropping boards, operate trap nests, clean out, creosote, and limewash laying houses, or take round .food and water to the occupants, sometimes in inclement weather. He will in future be under cover whilst attending to his flock, becoming an automatic poultry farmer attending to, his automatic layers. “ Fortunately for those in the industry who have some thought and consideration for their birds and a streak of humanity in their nature, we are not all obliged to adopt these methods. If consumers are informed how and under what conditions their eggs are produced a much better price will he obtained for those from birds kept under Nature’s own conditions. The general public will not be very enamoured of the ‘ egg factory ’ egg, especially those people with a natural love for animals and birds. These are legion, as we already know. “ The day will come when eggs may be subjected to analysis on the same lines as milk. In such case it is fairly obvious which type of poultryman will be less frequently in trouble over the contents of his eggs. Watery whites and pale yolks may in time be objected to by the housewife, who is the largest buyer of eggs for consumption. She is becoming highly educated in food values; at the same time she may have to be protected against eggs produced under very unnatural conditions, and therefore deficient in nutritive value.” A PINCH OF SULPHUR. It is believed by some that medicines taken internally have no effect, in respect to the vermin infecting poultry externally, such as red mite, lice, etc. A Home writer, however, thinks differently, and 1 fancy so do many others. He says: “ A pinch of sulphur in the mash is always an improvement. Sulphur is, of course, our old friend brimstone, which, in conjunction with good treacle, was the standby medicine of our childhood. Sulphur has a cooling, cleansing effect on the blood, it helps easy feathering, and keeps the bird’s system toned up. There is an additional reason, too. No one quite knows what the connection is, but all the sarcoptes—the red mites, scaly leg mites, depluming mites, and the airsac mites—fight shy of birds which have an allowance .of sulphur. Sulphur is not a cure, of course, but a preventive.

A deputation of women representing the parishioners of All Saints’ waited on the Rev. A. R. Fitohett at the parsonage. They presented him with an address expressing appreciation of his work in the parish and with a purse of sovereigns to he used for holiday purposes. The marriage of Prince Louis of Battenberg with Princess Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt was celebrated at Darmstadt with great ceremony. Queen Victoria, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Crown Prince and Princess of Germany were present. The Queen did not attend the banquet that followed, on account of the recent death of the Duke of Albany. * * * * At the annual meeting of the Acclimatisation Society the following of-fice-bearers were elected ;—Chairman, Mr J, P. Maitland; treasurer, Mr A. C. Begg; secretary, Mr W. Arthur; council—Messrs R. Chisholm, 11. Howorth, W. C. Smith, Thomas Brydone, E. J. Spence, James Wilkie. J. R. Sinclair, A. Bathgate, G. P. Clifford, F. 11. Chapman, P. F. Stoddnrt, N. Y. A. Wales, J. Danscn, and G. M. Thomson; Country Committee— Messrs W. Shennan. James Arkle, W. M. Elliott, W. R. Thornhill, A D. Bell, J. Fulton, J. Shaw, R. Campbell, W. S.- Pillans, B. Fullarton, J. Strachan, and W. Quin.

i 1 Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed . n I to “Utility-Fancy,” Poultry Editor, * Star ’ Office, and re- 1 i 8 1 ceived not later than Tuesday of each week. “ Utility-Fancy « j | j will only answer communications through this column. - J

[By UTILITYFANCY.]

Advertisements for this I column must be handed 11 in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday. L

Sulphur probably adds a tang to the blood which the mites find unacceptable in the case of blood-suckers, while a healthy bird always makes a poor ‘ host ’ for the,other sort.” OYSTER MILL GRIT. An American Government experimental station experimented with intensively kept birds to find the respective values of oyster shell and stone grit. In one case intensively kept birds had no grit of any kind fed to them during a period of five years, only oyster shell was supplied for the purpose of shell-forming material. The birds on the farm have remained in perfect health; they are of normal weight, and their production has been extremely good, individual birds having laid as many as 290 eggs. In the absence of any details of the feeding it can be assumed that the mineral requirement of the birds was duly met, and that the oyster shell before attrition served the mechanical purpose of grit. Grit is generally found in the gizzards of healthy free range fowls ; it may, apart from mineral value, assist the action of the lining of the gizzard in secreting its characteristic juices. American experimental station conclusions are always convincing to practical poultrymen, and no doubt many —with the writer of this notewill continue to provide stone grit in addition to oyster shell for their birds, believing that in the grinding up of the stone silica in an assimilable form is produced suitable for absorption into the blood stream, ultimately going to the formation and hardening of feathers, beaks, toe nails, etc. One has only to compare the appearance of a bird on free range with an intensively kept bird deprived of grit to realise what in outward appearance, at least, a deficiency of grit results in. GREEN FEED. Even where fowls have a fairly extensive grass run it will be found that after they have been on it for a few weeks they much prefer any green stuff —including grass—which is gathered .from outside their runs. It is evident from this that after they have trampled over their run and manured it with their own dung the grass therein is not so palatable as in the green stuff of any kind from elsewhere. If food of any kind is not palatable, a good deal of its virtue is lost. Poultry keepers’will be well advised if they note this fact, and provide alternative runs for their fowls. A few showers of rain on an unoccupied run do much service in freshening the grass, and much more effectively than when the run is .occupied. If alternative runs cannot be provided, take care that fresh green stuff is provided, and take care that the uneaten grass in the run is not allowed to grow too long. Long grass if eaten tends to crop binding. EGG PROBLEMS. A recent issue of ‘ Grocery' (England) contains the following:—“Another instance of the difficulty of defining what is a ‘ new-laid ’ egg came before the House of Commons last month. Sir Basil Peto raised the matter when he brought the attention of the Minister of Agriculture to the fact that Australian eggs were on sale in this country labelled ‘ Finest Quality New-laid Eggs.’ “ Mr Elliot, in a rather unsatisfactory reply, pointed out that all such eggs are marked ‘ Australia ’ on the shell, so that consumers are enabled to form their own opinion as to the value of the description. This brought from Sir Basil Peto a request for an assurance that the word ‘ Australia ’ was given equal prominence to the words ‘ new laid.’ “ To this Mr Elliot could only reply that the whole problem will receive the attention of the Reorganisation Commission for Eggs and Poultry which is now sitting. Some months are, however, likely to elapse before the commission will be able to report.”