POULTRY NOTES.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 10 May 1939, Page 6

POULTRY NOTES.

The average laying of the various! breeds at the Hawkesbury College (Australia) 1935-39 laying contest, which was completed on March 16, is of interest. The 318 White Leghorns competing at the contest averaged 202 ■eggs per hen, the average weight per dozen being 20.80 z., and the average value per hen, £1 0s lOd. The 15G Australorps averaged 181 eggs per hen, average weight per dozen, 25.40 z., and average value per hen, 19s Id. The average eggs per hen from the 3G Langshans entered was 195, average weight per dozen, 25.50 z., and average value per hen, £1 0s 4d. Only 30 Rhode Island Eeds were entered, and they averaged IS3 eggs per hen, average weight per dozen, 25.5 oz., and average value per hen, 18s lOd. In the course of a review of the test, the New South Wales Government poultry expert says: "A remarkable feature of this test was the low production of the heavy breeds, especially Australorps, which showed the poorest average, while the average for Leghorns is up nine eggs on last year. Following are the figures showing the general average and the breed averages for this competition, compared with last year: 1938-39. 1937-38.

Eggs. Eggs, General average .. .. 194 197 Average for— Leghorns 202 193 Australorps 181 200 Langshans 195 208 Ehode Island Eeds . IS3 207

'' It has, of course, to bo taken into consideration that the duration of this test is one week less than previously, but even after making allowance for this fact, the average for the heavybreeds (104) is lower than for any year since 1923, when it ws 188 for the full year. Nor can the abnormally hot weather conditions during the summer be blamed for the poor results, as the greatest difference iu production compared with the previous year occurred in the months of May, June and August. "One of the most pleasing features disclosed by the results of the test was the lower cost of feeding, the average per fowl working out at 2s 6d less than last year, the comparative figures being 9s Gd per hen in 1937-38 and 7s in this test. Thus, as the feeding costs in this competition are based upon ruling Sydney market prices, plus freight and cartage, they are applicable to the average commercial poultry farm. Taking the cost of feeding as shown, and the weighted average return for eggs from a flock laying 12 dozen eggs per hen per annum, the profit over cost of feeding works out at 7s per head, the highest for about seven years. This improvement is solely due to the lower cost of feeding, since the average return for 'eggs on the 12 dozen basis was the same as in the previous year, i.e., Is 2d per dozen." POINTERS IN PLOCK-MATING The advent of the large commercia.l laying house was quickly followed by flock-mating breeding stock, the desire to adhere to standardised units being quite a natural one. It meant a great saving of labour, and provided a constant stream of hatching eggs, writes Mr. W. Powell-Owen in the "Poultry World."

Previously it was mainly on the general farm that mated flocks were seen, breeders preferring sma.U-unit matings. Birds then were not, however, such prolific or early layers as they are to-day, and the season for hatching was much shorter, Nor had the progeny to answer to so severe a test.

Many are prepared to blame flockmating for some of our current problems, but it is not the system so much as its-application which is responsible for this adverse criticism. It is so easy to overdo things until one finds every bird on the farm mated . . . flocks of desirables of every possible type. It has been in this direction that the system has broken down. Quality All-important I have won more medals at laying trials with pullets bred from flocks than I care to remember, being at all times impressed by their excellent vigour and size. All depends upon the class of parent stock in the flock. Having selected the males and females for the sma.U-unit pens, it is not practical to house the remainder of the hens in large flocks and to mate them, or, having filled the trapnest houses with the best pullets, to mate the remainder. The temptation is to make use of the many unsold pedigree stock cockerels. The pick of the males cannot make up for the deficiencies represented on the fema.!'2 side by late-hatched pullets, ."iiiall-egg layers, poor producing hens, or culls. Each hen included in a mated flock should be passed with as much care as oife being considered for the best smallunit pen. It should be strong, healthy,' bright-eyed and up to size. I consider that selected hens with records from 100 to 200 eggs are ideal for flockmating with cockerels from dams with higher records. Mated right, their progeny will often surprise you for average production. In the ordinary Avay many of these breeder-layer hens must be put in the small-unit pens, but when there are others left over they should constitute mated flocks. These are the birds I should flock-mate with newly introduced cockerels ' when seeking fresh , blood lines.

The small breeder was accustomed to buy in a fresh hen for his new Mood, but the pedigree breeder to-day, desiring a large head of pullets for trapivesting, often buys 10 or 12 cockerels from a selected breeder and mates the best of them with a flock of 100 or so hens . . . 10 to 15 hens to each male. Placed with hens laying IGO to 200 eggs, the trapped progeny-pullets should put up some remarkable records and give some outstanding females to put back to the mates of the original home strain, provided the choice of fresh

cockerels has been a good one. When introducing new males to a mated flock for fresh blood the selected breeder should be at the height of success. If is strain is on the downward path, then results will not be so satisfactory. -Only Use G-ooa Birds In a nutshell, every hen included in a mated flock must be a good one, just as every male must aiso be up to high quality. If that cannot be assured then flock-mating should not be attempted. Personally, I do not consider the system ideal for small breeders, who will do much better with small-unit pens, being able to mate up sufficient pens to include on.ly tire pick of the .hens and males. It is better for the large-scale commercial farmer and the specialist breeder, both of whom carry a large head of stock from which can be selected hundreds of good hens and numbers of superior cockerels. The small breeder would be well advised to have a flock of 25 selected hens mated with two cockerels, used alternately. He can always try one or two such flocks for the breeding of purebreds. Then if for commercial work he specialises in two silver breeds and one gold, he will be able to amalgamate the pick of the hens of two of them to make up a large flock. Light Sussex, White Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds would make three suitable breeds for the purpose.

Apart from peris mated to breed pures, it should be easy to mate up a flock of a hundred Light Sussex and White Wyandotte kens headed by six or seven Rhode Island Red cockerels ' for sex-linkage. Just as sufficient good Rhode Island Red and White Wyandotte hens could be amalgamated and mated with Light Sussex cockerels to produce table chickens and all-round pullets. Numbers for Matings A Rhode Island Red Cockerel ought also to manage 15 to 20 hens. When mated up few of the hens usually are in lay, and vigorous cockerels in too large a number are liable to upset them.