POULTRY NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8939, 4 July 1905, Page 4

POULTRY NOTES.

SHOW DATES & CHAMPIONSHIPS.

July 5, 6. — Waikato. Light Brabmas, Black Hamburgs. July 5, 6. — Wanganui. Minorcas, Game Bantam, July 6. — Woodville. Wyandottes A.O.V. (except Golden, Silver, or White.) July 7 and 8. — Newton. July 12, 13. — Napier. Golden' Wyandottes, Tumbler Pigeons. July 13, 14. — Feilding. Langshans. July 14 and 15.— Waihi. July 19, 20.— Hawera. Plymouth Rock (barred), Rouen Duck. July 19, 20. — Masterton. Hamburgs, A.O.V. (except Black). July 20. — Gisborne. Indian Game. July 28, 29.— New Plymouth. Silver Wyandotte, Working Homer Pigeon. July 28, 29. — Hastings. Buff Orpington, Dorking, PekinDuck. August 1, 2. — Pahiatua. White Leghorns.

Last week's Press gives the leading pens at the luying* competitions as follows :—: — Lincoln. — Ha.wke, Silver Wyandottes, 217 ; Price, Black OrpingtVns, 189 ; Mann, White Wyandottes, 167; Tyree, Mack Orpingtons, 150; Wilder, Black Orpingtons, 129: Evans, Silver Wyandottes, 127. Blenheim. — Lcger, White Leghorns, 195; Brookes; White Leghorns, 188; Hodson, White Leghorii6, l37 ; Crebcr, Silver Wyandottes, 137; Mogridge, Buff Orpingtons, 123; Aldridge, White Leghorns, 114.

It- is agreed "that there is no best breed, but it is a,lso agreed that some are better than others. Just what are better t-han others will depend much on the individual who is asked. But. what is the verdict of breeders generally? A writer in the Press thinks their opiniau is reflected in the many competitions now on and past, and, judging by the entries 'for these contests, the be6t' breeds arc WyandoUes, OTpingtons, and Leghorns.

Many will conclude that the popularity of the. breeds indicated is a mere freak of fashion, and that a change may hike place in public opinion any day.' Ifc may, but the popularity of Leghorns, Wyandottce, and Orpingtons is due to the survival of the fittest. They are the fittest Iwcause they go nearest fulfilling the requirements of the moderni poultry-keeper. His requirements are fhat his birds shall have good all-round economic qualities., and at tho same time be attractive enough inform and feather to bo of interest to (lie fancier and experimenter.

Wnnganui PoultTy Show takes place tomorrow and Thursday. Several Hawera breeders will be rcjjrcseaitcd.

• • • The Australasian says: — "The dosing afternoon -of the Prahran (Victoria) Vouitry Show was marked by a sensational sale of a White Wyandolte cock. The bird, which had woii . high-class honors at the show, was catalogued at. £15, and at that price two ckifnuJite entered their names for him. \ The result was an auction. From £15 (the reserve) the bids mounted steadily until the bid of £29 was reached, ond'tne hammer brougat down."

Apropos ,of big pric.es, a writer in Poultry says: — "Every, year brings with it some sensation in the way of high prices for poultry. One year the sum of £200 was paid for a Game cockerel, another year an Orpington was knocked down for £150, and already this season several birds have been sold for £50 each, and one for as much as £165. Prices like Ohcao cause tho novice and the beginner to gasp with wonder. Can it -bo true? Yes, there is no doubt that theso amounts have been paid. Then the question arises, How can it pay anyone to give such phenomenal prices for birds? All, there's the rub j but in many cases it does pay, and invariably the purchaser looks upon it- as an investment, and 0110 which may, with somo luck, bring him in a rich return. Some people will tell you that these arc mere fancy prices. Well, of course they are. So, you might say, is £10 or £20; but when a fancier gives £50 or £80 for a bird, it points to the fact that good^ birds of that variety are in gneat demand, so that though it is in a way a fancy price, it reflects to a great extent the general value of the bird.

ALr D. D. Hyde, tho Government- poultry expert, lias received a report front the poultry grader at Dunedin showing that there has been a considerable increase, in the number of poultry and $ggs graded at that port this year. The total quantity for the year ended March 31st, 1904, was 9549 head of poultry and 4521 dozciu eggs. For the year ended March 31st, 1905, the. figurre were '17,708 head of poultry (an increase of 8159) and 15,210 down eggs (an increase of 10.889 dozen,). Another set of figures is scarcely so satisfactory. Out of a. total of 35,188 dozen eggs received. 19,978 dozen were rejected as stale, cracked, etc., and only 15,210 dozen were accepted and sent to the cool stores. In other wonk, 43 per cent, were forwarded to the cool stores, 55J pw cent, were rejected as "being unfit for chilling, £ per cent, were crocked, £ per cent-, broken, and i per cent, rotten. The eggs placed in the cool store bavo turned out in sue)) good condition that the firms storing have .decided to increase Uie quantity next- year. The success of the storage is largely due to Mr Hiddedl, manager of the Taieri and Peransula^Oompany's works, for the manner in which the temperature was maintained. The limit of variation recorded was only 6 per cent-

Too liberal feeding of cooked vegetables will produce bowol trouble. m■ * • Never feed damaged grain.

Green bone will not take the place of grit.

It is no sign of impurity when the Pckin duck lays a green-colored egg.

.Huns that lay in winter do not produce as fertile eggs at that time as in, the "spring, for tho cold weather prevents oxerciao, tjio hens become fat amd tho pullets are not as. fully matured ; while tho male, Huffere. sometimes from the cold and is unserviceable.

Do not be afraid to watch your incubator. It' pays as well to keep awako at night to watch a. hundred chicks hatch out, 1 as it does to keep awake to save a twentyshilling calf from loss when it is dropped and the chicks are worth' more than the calf.

• • » • '• 'An unfertilised, egg will keep longer, thai* the, other, and the egg from 4 \en ted on conn will kebp" its' "flavor better. /-The eggs should bo kept in a sweet atmosphere. ■; * • » It, is all' important to keep the flavor of ithe ogg imtaefc. > - : ™ », - * ' * All dear and infertile eggs when remov- ' od from the incubatons on the fifth day can I be used for /cooking and baking purposes. . • Qn some occasions, at the end of . the twenty-flpst days,, the/clear or unfertile egfca have bean removed* from the nest,and* boiled hand to mix up with the chicken food; : -■"" <' ' V . " '•^AU poultTymen know that '-it w imposoible, to boil a rotten egg hard. .', '•■!<•] * * ,t ': Egos 'should, in all cases, be sold aa aoonlafter being laid aa possible.

POULTRY FROM AUSTRALIA.

Steam navigation and the adoption of the system of cold storage have placed the provisions of the whole, world at the disposal of any country rich enough to buy them. The alternations of the traffic are very remarkable. The Transvaal is supplied with eggs from Russia, and a strenuous effort is about to be made to supply England with fruit from South Africa. Cases of chickens (petits poussins) are sent into the London markets from Florida. Danish eggs are more familiar in our best markets than those produced in England, and ilow a vigorous attempt is being made to supply Great Britain with dead table poultry from Queensland. On February 22 the first consignment from that colony was made, the Aberdeen, liner Damascus bearing 1000 frozen birds to Great Britain. Great ca-ve was taken, not only by the. exjmrters, but by the officials, in the consignment. Tlie birds were graded by ,t.ho Government poultry expert, and careful selection, was made of every individual bird sent. Whctuer the export from Queensland will be successful or not,remains to be proved. The cost of rearing poultry in that colony is more than in Sydney or Victoria, and it is stated that mill ess the birds realise 3s each first hand the venture will not- be remunerative. To do this the birds must be very first-rate, and adapted to the English market. We arc informed llvat they are killed without being bk<d, and that they arc not drawn. Then, again, the breeds arc apparently not .those wliich make first-class tablefowl. Great satisfaction is expressed that in some of tho cases filled with Golden Wyandottes tho birds averaged more than s)b each.;' but to get adequate returns we cannot sufficiently impress upon the exporters that in commanding high prices quality is of greater importance than si w. Cold storage, if judicioiisly umploycd, Ls not so deleterious to the quality of the poultary and meat, as many persons imagine.. Tho quality of Now Zealand lamb is now very gen&'-aUy appreciated, as it must, bo to enable many of the vendors to sell it under the guise of English. Very yonnjr chickems from Florida in the early part of the- year will command in the markets 30s a dozen, realising a. much higher price when sold as petits poussiiis. — Meld.