COCKERELS OR YEARLINGS?

North Canterbury Gazette, Volume 7, Issue 59, 26 November 1937, Page 7

COCKERELS OR YEARLINGS?

Value of Tested Mating

PARALYSIS LATENT LONGER IN THE MALE

(By A. K. SPEIRS ALEXANDER in the “Poultryman”).

When attending poultry conferences and meetings one thing always strikes me forcibly, that while there is considerable outcry for better prices, protection against imported eggs, levy-subsi-dies and *reduced price of feeding stuffs, nothing is said about presentday mortality. If we could keep our birds alive, the industry would be in a very different position. I have been trying to show what a great deal can be done to combat disease by improved methods and management, and the breeding from only select older hens. This brings us to the highly important question of the stock cockerel. One male bird that “carries” fowl paralysis, even in latent form, can undo in one season our work of years.

Breeding one’s own stock cockerels is the safest plan, because they are under one’s own eye from shell to maturity. Unless I were in constant touch with the farm, and its owner, and could watch the stock in all their stages, I would not dream of buying in adult male birds. They may look perfect specimens, but what has been the mortality in the flock from which they were selected, and how many of their sisters are going down at the laying age?

Cockerels More Resistant

On the average, cockerels develop fowl paralysis at a more advanced age than pullets, and on the whole aremore resistant to it—the trouble often does not appear until long after they have been mated and probably chicks hatched from them. Even where the new blood introduced into the home strain is beyond reproach, 25 per cent, is plenty to bring into foundation stock in one season. Suppose a satisfactory male bird is available, the best plan is to mate him to a few very select second-season hens, and if both pullets and cockerels from the mating rear well, use the best of these half new-blood cockerels.

Perhaps even a safer plan, when fresh blood is required, is to buy three or four older hens from a known source, mate these to a home-bred cockerel (or, better, a proved cock, and then use their male progeny for the flock matings. Where it is not possible to breed the stock cockerels one’s self, at least they cam be procured as hatching eggs or day-old chicks and reared at home.

Not only can they and their sisters be carefully watched- at all stages, but they will have had the great advantage of being brought up in the climate, on the soil, and under the conditions that they must experience as breeding stock. It is a shock to a young adult bird to transfer him just before being mated to a new farm, and the change is bound to upset him for a considerable time.

Robust Stock Wanted

The farmer is not concerned with pedigree birds, high egg records, to tempt high prices for stock birds or perfect specimens for Breed type. He wants, first and foremost, robust stock that will live a long time; that achieved, he will find that egg production takes care of itself. If, then, we breed for stamina by -using only the best of our older birds that have demonstrated their ability ho live, we need not often worry about fresh blood. I would cheerfully use stock cockerels from within the farm strain, year after year, picked on the basis of health and vigour. It is with highly strung, delicate egg machines, bred for generations from spectacular performers, that such care* most be taken to keep the “lines” from being too nearly related. When a mating has been tested, by the chicks rearing well and the pullets coming into and continuing to lay without trouble, it should, be retained in preference to any ofbher on the farm. This is especially so in the case of a small breeding pen from which the main lot of stock cockerels are bred; when proved, use ict so long as the birds -will lay eggs th: it will hatch. We are far too apt to scrap overyear male birds and give preference to young cockerels, hoping to obtain better fertility from the ladder. Provided he has been brought thnoiagh the moult iu good form, the secoin’l- or third-sea-son male will fertilise just as many eggs as the cockerel m h is first season, and with comforting asj as to

the quality of his progeny. Where cockerels are to be used they must be hatched really early, as sufficient time must elapse before they are mated, not only to allow them to mature fully, but to see if any latent troubles will appear. The use of immature males, year after year, is one of the causes of lack of stamina in our modern strains.