Notes for the Poultry Keeper

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6864, 21 May 1932, Page 7

Notes for the Poultry Keeper

(■By J. H. Kissling, Massey College.) Mating the Breeding Pens. The end of May should see poultrymen arranging their heavy breed matin.gp. It is always wise to have a few early chicks out in July, and unless the hens are settled down in their breeding pens it is difficult to got enough eggs. If you have taken care of your best breeders and forced them into a moult earlier than usual they should be back laying soon after the end of this month, and as they come on to lay they should be moved t.o their respective pens. Never put a non-laying hen into a breeding pen with other hens and a male; if. is better to keep her out until she is just about to lay. Take particular care ovor the selection of the male bird you are going to use for ho is half the pen. He must be full of vitality and in good condition. The somewhat smaller alert type of bird usually produces good layers, provided he is mated to hens of good body and egg size. Examine him far lice and dust well with insect powder if any arc present. Handle each breeding hen carefully and make sure she is in good health and typical of the breed. It is a good plan to select an extra few hens when first picking out your breeders, so that after the pen is mated you can remove a few that do not seem up to the mark. Onco again seek the advice of your neighbouring poultryman, for two heads are bettor than one. Ho not force your breeders for eggs, os the object should be to get a few strong eggs from them that will produce those husky chicks that are to carry on your strain. The breeders must have ample freo range all the time, feeding them more grain than mash. Keep a Teserve breeding male on hand in ease of an accident or weakness in the bird selected. Preferably keep a full brother, as then your blood lines will not be upset so much. Once mated do not interfere with the pen, but keep a close watch to see that they all agree. Light breeds, such as Leghorns, Miuorcas, Anoonas and Campines need not he mated until the end of June. You can start saving the eggs for incubation a fortnight after mating, when most of the eggs should be fertile. Actually, the third egg after mating takes place is usually fertile. The number of hens to a male depends largely on the vitality of the birds, but a fair average is ten heavy breeds and twolvo light breeds. If you wish to select a few eggs from one special hen, she can he kept separate in a small run, and the male placed with her for half an hour each evening. TJso trapnests if you want to mark iho eggs from every hen. For incubation the fresher the eggs the better, especially if they are to be incubated artificially. I have hatched eggs eight weeks old, but they were stored in a cool place and turned each day. The turning stops the yolk from sticking in one place. If you must keep the eggs longer than a week, pack them in bran, largo end up, and turn them by moving the whole box full once or twice a day. Does Poultry Keeping Pay? With, egg prices fairly high, and many folk looking for a means to save the food bill, this question is frequently asked at this time of the year. According to a survey taken by the Department of Agriculture the profits made by poultrymen are not very high. But this is not to say that the farmer or househoolder cannot make his hens pay very well. He usually has some spare ground and a suitable house oan bo built very cheaply. House scraps . are usually available in sufficient quantity to feed about eight hens, even if the evening grain feed has to be purchased. To get eggs at this time of the year, you must have pullets, and they must have a comfortable, dry and sheltered house. They must be well and regularly fed, and a few need a.s much care as a large number. The answer rests entirely with the individual. The person who is used to livestock and takes a pride in. keeping them in good condition will make a good profit, whilst the man who naturally hates the odd job about the garden Should not expect his fowls to lay well. There is far more to learn about poultrykeeping than most people imagine. The average person is inclined to think that all they need is some food once in a while, and then of course, you have to clean the house out onco in a while too, but that’s about all there i 3 to itl The inexperienced person who contemplates keeping more than a few fowls finds that after a year or two they require attention most all the time and that there is all the more to learn as your experience increases. The capital out-

lay on sheds and fencing is considerable and can be estimated at about ss. per head for free range, and as much as 10s per head if the birds are to bo housed on the intensive system. If you have that feeling that you can make hens pay, try to grow slowly with your experience. Many of our most successful poultrymen started by keeping just a few birds and attending to them after work, porhaps getting one of their family to attend to them at mid-day. Once when, talking to one of Australia’s leading poultrymen I asked how much money need one have before starting a large poultry farm. His reply was that money did net count so very much, but that plenty of experience was essential. His actual words were: “Laddie, you could start to-morrow with £2,000 and if I started again, alongside you, with only a few pounds, in fivo years’ time I’d bo the richer man!” Ho was not conceited, as he owned a farm of 8,000 birds, and started with no capital at all. Turkeys on the Farm. Some fanners are turning to sidelines to augment their incomes, and a few turkeys oan be very profitable. Provided due caro is given to the turkey chicks for the first two months, they roquiro little care or feeding. Tkef require no housing at all, prefering to sleep in trees. They should, be marketod just before Christmas or Easter and prime birds will fetch as high as £1 each. Hill country with some scrub about is ideal, and they should be allowed to become quite wild, feeding them on grain for a few weeks before killing. A few geese could also be kept ou many farms, but they soil the pasture and do not find nearly so keen a market as do turkeys.

JUDGES TOR POULTRY ASSOCIATION SHOW. Judges have been appointed as follow for the Manawatu Poultry Association’s .Show at Palmerston North in June: —Game and game bantams, Mr G. N. Bell, medium and light breeds, Mr. D. Stewart; Minorcas, Leghorns, heavy breeds and children’s classes (utility), Mr. J. Nixon; heavy breeds, children’s classes and utility Orpingtons, Mr. T. Bruce; fancy pigeons, Mr. H. Melville; homer pigeons, Mr. K. Hoare; canaries, Mr R. W. Thompson. Cats, Mr. E .Saunders. Rabbits, Mr. J. Mcllor.

EGG-LAYING CONTEST. Conducted at Massey College! 6th week's results: — Single P.ens —Section A. W. H. Barker . 16 3 3 u 27 $ 29 E. M. Galvin .. 21 >> 2 34 G. H. Cross .. . 17 F. Ecob .. .. 29 3 3 18 3 3 3 28 A. B. Watson .. 29 G. Goodsou .. .. . 1 L. B. Maunscl . 20 3 3 2 26 3 3 3 10 Mrs. D. Stewart .. .. .1 :? 3 3 2 30 .? 3 3 30 S. G. Batten .. .. .. i 24 E. E. Cannon .. Miss Mitchell .. .. .. i 22 3 3 o .15 3 3 3 25 3) 4 24 3 3 5 29 3 3 SI T. Bruce .. ..i 21. .3 3 2 25 3 3 3 S A. -J. Shailcr .. 20 3 3 2 22 H. Rushton .. 22 * f 2 19 3 3 3 23 3 3 4 26 S. G. Batten .. . .2 15 .3 3 3 27 3 3 4 7 3 3 5 21 33 0 11 3 3 7 18 Section 33. Mrs Hellaby .. 9 3 3 2 27 Mrs Youngson .. 17 Larsen Bros. .. 34 .3 3 2 0 3 3 3 17 7i 4 38 T. Douthwaite .. 0 E. M. Galvin . 0 Teams.--Section C. F. Ecob— 30 27 27 24 24 28 (25) 160 M. L. Boyce— 24 23 32 24 29 19 (19) 151 M. Macrae — IS 12 31 3 29 6 (10) 99 P, B. Harrison — 19 22 17 6 7-15 ( 4) 86 Mrs D. A. Stewart — 14 0 6 6 15 27 ( 6) 6S Section D. Mrs Hellaby — 18 34 21 21 27 27 .(23) 148 McLean & Whitworth — 2 23 37 3 30 13 (19) 108 W. Bish — 31 0 0 0 29 12 (18) 72 Larson Bros. — 7 10 5 6 0 11 (14) 39 W. E. Jones — .18 0 0 0 0 7 ( 5) 25