THE POULTRY WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume L, 7 February 1931, Page 12

THE POULTRY WORLD

(By “Tight Feather.”)

BREEDING FOR LAYING AUTUMN-HATCHED CHICKS

It some times happens that it pay® to hatch out. of season. As a general rule all chicks should be out of the shells not later than the end of October. However, in breeding poultry, as in many other lines, the exception proves the rule. Before liens had been turned into laying machines, most birds began to lay in early spring. Spring, summer and autumn represented the laying life of the fowl and. the man nr woman who succeeded in persuading his liens to lay in winter was the exception, rather than the rule. However man has so improved tlio various breeds of fowls that the all the year round layer is no longer the exception. One of the objections to the fast laying hens was the smallness of the egg —largely brought about by the breeders themselves. Once it was known that Blank’s team of hens had beaten all others in a laying competition, a demand was created for his stock. It has happened that winning owners have not possessed many more liens than the ones re presenting them at the competition, consequently it was impossible to supply many orders with a matured adult stock. The result has been trios of pullets and cockerels, or pens of pulletls headed by a cockerel. In earlier years, indeed, quite recent years, it lias been the exception to see a purchased breeding pen of birds with full maturity on either side—that is

to say liens either two or three- years old beaded by a. matured cockerel or vice versa. One seldom saw two-year-old birds, both male and female. To

a great extent this has been the direct cause of the small size of egg. Still

further it lias been the cause of much infertility, weakness of germ, dead in shell, and weakly chickens.

“Tight Feather” holds that no writer is the poultryman’s friend who blinks at facts which are plain to see. In plain English, anyone would be well advised if lie has the choice of a breeding pen of saj r .six pullets and a cockerel of a good laying strain and two well tried hens and a cockerel both at the same price to take the trio of older birds. Although the latter may at the outset appear the dearer proposition, in the end he will save labour. time and money and probably avoid much disappointment, of which the following is my evidence:

Some time since a friend of mine decided to breed some stock, and pur--1 chased a pen of pullets and a cockerel, j The writer questioned the wisdom of ■ using so young a male for the reasons already stated. Some time later my friend wrote me commissioning me to negotiate for two proven hens and) matured cockerels, the deal ultimately being concluded. Still later he wrote me that from the trio lie had got all lie desired—and that as layers the pullets were the best lie had ever had—• but for the infertility he was .satisfied they were the goods and champion layers. But at that age they were not suitable for breeders; in another year they would be valuable for that purpose. If liens have been kept in good working condition through the summer, and not forced to their full capacity in egg production, it is a good plan to mate them up with a vigorous male and hatch some eggs in autumn. If those are hatched and raised under liens and given the range of a, shady •spot such as an orchard, or overhanging trees, they will grow and feather just as last as spring hatched chicks —and they will have a, good growth ol' body and leathers before the cold wet winter sets in.

For some years the writer raised late dr ea rly chickens this way, which makes strong and healthy birds which usually come on to lay in the spring of the year and cease on moulting in the autumn, making ideal young breeding bens the following 'season. The autumn raised cockerels also mostly fill into desirable cockerels for breeder’s yards.

In autumn hatching the shells of some eggs are found to be tough—the hot weather tends to harden them. It is a good plan, in fact a. necessary thing in the hot summer or autumn weather, , to moisten with a watering can the surroundings of the sitting lien’s nest for three days before the chicks are due ■aut. Do this frequently— at least three or four times—during the hottest part of each day, and if the lien is sitting under a box, put a wet bag over the box and wet it as often as it dries. Be very careth] not to disturb ilie lien or let water into the nest. With tills system, there is no need, as so often is done, to prick the inner skin with a needle when much care needs to be taken to avoid touching a. blood vessel, m which event the chick bleeds to death. Just leave the eggs alone and there need not. be any fear that the eggs will fail to hatch—that is to say ull iertile ones. Jf it can be managed -.i> leave a large vessel—tub or bucket —of water beside the nest; the evaporation will keep the dryness out of the air.

Incidentally wo found that autumn chicks thrived quite as well as any others, and the losses were comparaI'vely nil—as the chicks always had shade t-o rest in.