POULTRY NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8926, 12 September 1905, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES.

One of the latest additions to me ranks of the fancy in Hawera received a trio of Partridge Wyandottes from Auckland lastweek.

Airs John Studholme's Aneonas won the prize for August at Lincoln College competition with a total of 123 eggs. The writer understands thatra local fancier has taken up Aneonas and is procuring eggs from Mrs Studholme'6 birds. -

At Blenheim the prizes for the month were won by Ashworth's Silver Wyandottes (151 eggs) and the -MaTlborough A., and P. Association's White Leghorns (151. egg 6). Results to August 26 showed, that Ashworth'e Silver Wyandottes had put up a record, laying 39 out of possible" 42 in a week, but the following week dropped to^ 28 eggs.

"It is an ill wind that "blows nobody good," and the recent increase in. the.; price of butchers' meat will give an impetus to the poultry industry. Those whothis season look to provide the house with poultry-xneat and eggs will" no, doubt realise the advantages o_f~the utility breeds — Orpingtons, Wyandottes, etc." The cockereJs"of these breeds are- ready for the table from three" months, while the laying competitions have shown that the utility breeds are equal to the Mediterranean breeds in filling the egg-basket. Another advantage is that when the liens "have finished their profitable laying period they make better table birds. • • • "

Now that hens and pullets are in, full' lay eggs have cheapened considerably, and have dropped to a price" that/will hardly pay the grower. The housewife who has 1 a "number of fowls, who are laying too I many eggs for present use, should, with the ~aid of two or three simple kerosenetins and 6ome water-glass egg-preserva-tive, store for future use the abundance of to-day .from "her fowls. The method of preserving by" the solution mentioned lis clean and effective^as well as_cheap. The. .waste of e£?gs each season through tlie" want of the foresight" to preserve and" store away the eggs for winter use is almost beyond conception. _ A shilling or two spent as suggested will prevent this waste, and will give back splendid returns to the thirifty hou6ewife._ -" • • _•_--- Now that the bveedingseason is_ in full swing "the following remarks by "Chanticleer," an Australian authority, will be of interest: — "In breeding" chickens the most important- thing "to consider, and whether th» object is to produce-high-class or common fowls the same principle applies, is the constitution of parent birds. Only birds of robust and mature propor r tion6 should be used as 'breeding stock. To attempt to raise chickens otherwise is to court-disaster, '^laturity, soundness, and evenness in" type- and size~~are indispensable, hi raising healthy chickens, and -j of a stamp" that will as adults give good returns, and which as~ chickens- or young" fowls -when marketed will-give a favorable impression to buyers: --

"A great deal of disappointment is often felt by breeders, when _ at/ the time of hatching a large percentageofjhe eggsare found to contain dead chickens, or chickens so weakly that they are unable^to struggle into the world. In a great measure this unfortunate result is caused by the fact, "of the oggs incubated being from the class of -fowls that, by age, want of soundness, etc., is unsuitcd ~to breed healthy chickens. Therefore, the mating -of the parents -is of the first importance, and should have the greatest consideration of the breeder. - . ,

Dr Louis Dechman, who is fa physiological chemist, and aY he styles himself, is' also a "rational poultry breeder 3 J) -affirms that grit is a feather food. Hitherto poiik try breeders were under me impression that grit \va6 needed to grind the corn in the gizzard, but he says that all the -corn in the crop of a fowl is so softe.nedj.hat grinding is out of the question." The stones in the stomach_(giz?.ard) must have great resistance, in order to exert" a pressure upon the corn,_and the \val!6 of the stomach being 60ft and yielding make such resistance impossible, so that it is more babble "to talk of -grinding conr in thestomaeh. The doctor alsopoints out-that while moulting and not laying a fowl will consume shells and stones, and affirms- that the grit she consumes enables" her to renew her coat. _ . --

A writer in the Australasian says : — "Working the incubator at from 103deg. to 105deg is too high a temperature. - At the present time complaints are numerous of the chickens dying in- the shell. This state of affaire frequently occurs in jLlift early part of the season, the cause, being, we think, the non-potency of the stud stock, owing to unfavorable weather. The proper temperature to work an incubator at is 102deg., and peThaps a degree higher during the first week. _- If the incubator" is a non-moisture maciiine, we do not thinkadding moisture would make it. more effective. The turning of-the eggs is uecceBary. It- is- an irksome duty, but .must be performed. .Mark the due" datelof hatching on the shells oilrhe. eggs, and in turning keep either one side or" the other up. Then it will -(be at once apparent how the eggs are to face." ~_~ -

The editor of the" "Poultry" column in" the Sydney -Morning Herald says r — "There is no such thing as the bestrlaying breed 01 variety of H-ens, and when a best" breed is wanted those requiring it must select a good laying family, or strain of some of the now "numerous good laying breeds. At every laying test, whether for individual months or years, a different' breed usually heads the score each time, and as frequently as not- some represen-' tatives ©f the same breed make the poorest laying. What the correspondent should do is to~ choose one of the bestlaying strains of one- of \he -popular breeds^ and then by selection and careful breeding for the desire#_ quality improve. the. stock still further. Some strains of Orpingtons and Wyandottes are decidedly tatter than others, because they may have been specially selected and bred for .eggproduction." -

Dealing with -the "feeding oj- chickens the same authority remarks :— "lt is not" every poultTy-keepex who - possesses the ability to grow his. chickens at a- rapid, rate. There are sewrjij reasons why chickens do not thrive as they should. - They may possibly- be kept on a small piece of ground that lias already been fouled by poultry, or -they may be the'

rictims of vermin, which continually 6ap their vigor. One of the mo6t frequent causes, however, is improper f eeding ; either the lack of some stimulating food, or the constant use of one cereal, without changes. Animal food in Borne shape or form is necessary to make chickens grow properly. • It- may be provided either in the form of green cut bone, or a dry preparation of bone— ossifine — which may be obtained at the poultry supply houses, or offal purchased from the butcher and boiled for the purpose. Prepared meats can also now be bought, and it mixed with meal will provide an appetising food. Frequent change of diet is desirable. All the various grains are useful, and in the way of soft food nothing is hotter than pollard and bran. Cleanliness and plenty of room in the sleeping quarters are also absolutely '■ssentir.l. WHAT THE LONDON MARKET - REQUIRES. In a recent report to the Minister oi -Agriculture of Victoria, Mr Peppard, Inspector of Produce in London for that State, says: The feet and legs should be cleaned, as it adds considerably to the appearance, and the birds should be placed six on each side of the case, with the rheads in between the birds on the opposite- side. Birds with black legs or black feathers are not so desirable as the white and """even the yellow-fleshed birds, and should be passed over for white-fleshed 'ones. The majority of the American birds shipped here are of the Plymouth Rock breed and have yellow skins, so that our birds, if paler, would be more sought after.' It. is not absolutely necessary to separate white and yellow birds. They may be packed together, provided quality and weight are. correct. It is suggested that ducks and ducklings should be wTiip-ped-in white greaseproof paper, and packed twelve, instead of six, to a case. The •wishbone only should be broken during ti'Uß6ing, as it. is claimed the birds, when thawed out here, become very mashy, and do not give the satisfaction they promise to when inspected before thawing has set in 7 _A"s we can only hope to successfully compete for the l>etter class of trade, it l should be remembered that- old birds -ought never to be shipped. If they are sent they must be kept separate, but I question very much if the shipper would -be able to make .them pay in competition "with Russian. In almost every instance I was told that there is no market for geese, and .that our shippers would be j wise for the present at least to refrain ! from sending geese to London. In con- | elusion, I suggest to our shippers — (1) To appoiiht as their agent a firm here who sells direct to the consumer. (2) To ship under a. trade mark, and stick to that "agent, so that he will be encouraged to , make that trade mark one that will hold a prominent place in. the trade; and (3) -adopt the Canadian and American pack-ages,-samples of which were sent out to -the Melbourne show in August. 1904. inn 1 1 i mctmmm —»——■—■— — —^— I