A SOUTH AFRICAN LAYING COMPETITION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 19 January 1907, Page 1

A SOUTH AFRICAN LAYING COMPETITION.

Although laying competitions abound in America and Australia, and while thero were at least two of these trials last winter in England, this is, we believe, the first time that South African poultry hay© met together in an eggproducing contest. When the competition was first proposed it was not quite certain whether any great support would be given, and if such had been lacking the trial might not have extended beyond six months. However, the twenty-four pens available were quickly booked, and it was resolved that the competition should continue throughout the entire year. On the green turf of the Western' Proyince Agricultural Society's Show! .-Gronnd at Rosebank, overshadowed by the ( beautiful suburban foliage, the 24 pens are ranged in line. What strikes the; visitors most, perhaps) isvthe simplicity and economy of the whole affair. Nothing is present (except, maybe, the turf) other than any town or country poultry keeper can possess. There is,' however, no lack of solidity about the erections. Even the smallness of the quarters alloted to each pen should fill the town-dweller's heart with hope. One is, in fact, rather startled to find that beyond the fairly large grass runs to which one every four pens has access in turn", the birds live in a small earth yard, which has not much room to spare beyond accommodating four pullets, an earthenware drinking-foun-tain, and an iron food-trough. The roosting-house is entirely open in front, except for the -board keeping the litter | in the scratching- shed situated under . the shelf which catches the droppings from the perch above. The only other' furniture is a grit and shell tin hanging on the wall, and the three trapnests which stand on the shelf at the end of the perch. It may well be wondered how poultry can be thus penned up and yet give the satisfactory results that these pullets are undoubtedly given. The secretslies, no doubt, mainly in two things. First, in scrupulous cleanliness, both in houses and yard, to keep the birds in perfect health, secondly, in scientific (not extravagant, though) feeding, to .produce an extraordinary egg yield. Moreover, not only will poultry lay under these conditions, but they will grow. We happen to know fairly well what one of the pens looked like before it left its home ; and paying a visit to Eosebank some two months later, we were astonished to find into what fine, handsome birds these young pullets had grown— quite as big, in fact, as their sisters which enjoy a free country range. This competition has not only an interest in the Cape, for there are several pens from other South African Colonies competing. It is, surely, a great step to have such, contesting in a trial of utility where formerly fancy points were the only means 01 comparison. Whether the off-spring of recent importations from the great laying strains of England and America will come out top it is, as yet, impossible to say; but wo would hope rather that some real South. African product takes the hon-j purs, though we believe that there are ' •very ■■ few in this continent who makej 'use of the trap-nest — the only infallible jneans of building up a record laying/ straiu. • • ■ ■ I ' . As regards the outward appearance of the birds, it is at once noticeable that white fowls do not look at their best in close quarters. The Buff Orping- ' tons, of which there are nine pens, ap- ; pear well, and we noticed some very handsome Barred Plymouth Rocks. One of the most beautiful pens was the sole representative of the Partridge WyanThe expenses of th.c competition tire I borne entirely by the Agricultural Society, who have not even charged an entry fee for the pens, only retaining -the* eggs laid. The good that the Society is doing by their enterprise is, no 'doubt, very great. There is rather a lack of enthusiasm for the useful qualities of pure bred poultry ,at any rate .in Cape Colony. Pomibly people havo 'not hitherto been able to attain any igreat fame in the utility line; but now, we fancy, a. leading place in the laying competition will bring its owner more ■glory than many first prizes at the show, j and plenty of orders, too. I Thero are many things to be learnt from such a competition as this, even when jt & not yet half way through. One thing apparent is the u«i ■ "ness of nominating any one breed as the "best Sf.rt of laying." Leghorns and Orpingtons will in all nrobabilitv figure at the top, in the middle, and near the bottom. It is the strain that wins-. Ono hap only to observe laying competitiohs in other countries to see that the man who wins one year is generally 1 among the leaders the next. 1 _: Another lesson is that it is not only ' the' expensive food that make hens lay, ' but that the homely diet of bran, and ' pollard; good sound grain, and some ' form of meat given regularly will bo ( turned by good pullets into a larger < number' of eggs both in summer and ' -wjuter f ;, I '„ A. third thin^ to be observed is that ' poultry-keeping need not be despaired 1 ' of in a limited space, provided that cleanliness is observed, exercise enconr.aged, good' ventilation provided, and overcrowding, prevented. i Every, reader , is, perhaps, already i well acquainted ; with these maxims ; ' but when h's see them in practice we J are more apt to believe them true. J How^many lessons are learnt from ex- ' perienee, and how few from advice ! ' As the daily rations of the birds will f be of interest to many, we append the c following bill of fare : — ' Mash mixture: 20 parts bran, 20 ' parta^. polled, 10 parts peameal, IS I parts-biscuit meal, 20 parts M.V clover ' mixture, IS parts Crissel. ' •Grain mixture: 3 parts full-bodied s oats, 3 parts wheat, 1 part buckwheat ! or Kaffir cprn. , < Daily at noon : Cabbage. ' ' Three times a week : Half ounce green cut bone per hen. '' The scores of the pens up to the 15th week .is as follows:— J3g(7g. I White Leghorns . 230 I White Wyandottes ." '." 223 I Buff Orpingtons 202 I White Leghorns . 201 Barred Rocks .' .." 195 5 U £ O r P'ngtons ... ." igs Buff Orpingtons '182 Brown Leghorns 180 • » r °wn Leghorns .". Z 177 , 5"2 Orpingtons 176 Jiuff Orpingtons . 171 White Leghorns . Icq S"S Orpingtons ... .." 149 Butf Leghprns .... 147 Buff Orpingtons ... .'/ 137 Blapk Orpfngtons ... 127 Partridge Wyandottes .." 116 White Leghorns ...... m tJtfSKS. ::: ::: is Sf, ol^ 98 White Leghorns 95 Barred Rocks ... ..'. '.'.'. 60