POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18954, 27 February 1925, Page 14

POULTRY INDUSTRY.

VALUE OF COMPETITIONS. SERIES DRAWING TO A CLOSE. NEW SEASON'S OPERATIONS. BY S.H.S. The egg-laying contests for the year 1924-25 are nearing their close, and by March 31 tho last eggs will bo laid by the birds competing. The new series for 1925-26 will start during tho beginning of April. Most of tho contests in Australia start on April 1 and continue for the whole year, concluding the following March 31, thus giving the competitors a full year's test for their birds. In the Dominion time is allowed between each set of contests to properly clean out the pens, taking out the old earth, which had been mixed up with tho dropping and scratching materials, and renewing with fresh, clean earth and scratching material for the new birds. Too much earn cannot be given to this matter of renewing the pens, and it is rather a puzzle to me how tho pens are cleaned out in Australian contests, when no time is allowed. The New Zealand contests usually run from 50 to 51 weeks. The Auckland fixture is for 50 weeks, while that in Christehurck is usually for 51 weeks. While the New Zealand contests do not last tho full year of 52 weeks, yet they make arrangements for any single birds, or teams, that are likely to put up fresh records, to be kept the full year. While our system helps the committees in charge of our competition to have a general clean-up, and is quite all right for the birds that are fortunate to be in the lead, yet it is hardly fair to those competitors whose birds have laid really well for the 50 weeks, and are likely to put up big scores for the full year. The schedules for the new set of contests starting at the beginning of next April are cut, and inquiries from would-be competitors will be attended to by tho secretary. Readers of my notes aro making inquiries as to where the Auckland competitions are .held, and one correspondent still thinks they aro held at Cambridge. The Cambridge contests closed down many years ago. They might easily have been kept going had the promoters used a little more foresight. Egg-laying competitions are still popular, and over in Australia fresh ones aro started each year. The two running in the Dominion have had to face many difficulties, financial and otherwise, but enthusiastic poultry breeders have managed to keep them going, in spite of the little support they get from the Government. It is generally understood, or should be known, that the work of the egg-laying contests is, to a very great extent, educational, and for this reason fully merits Government support. For tho information of my readers I will give the exact locality of each of the two contests in tho Dominion The one in Auckland is held on the railway reserve. Mount Albert, Auckland. The competition in the South Island is held at Pananui, Christchurch, on tho Utility Club's own grounds. Antipodean Successes. Egg-laying competitions have a great attraction for poultry-breeders all over the world, and both tho Auckland and Christchurch competitions camo in for their share of visitors from distant lands. New Zealand poultry-breeders, when visiting Australia, England, or America, usually find their way to the egg-laying contests in those countries, where they can compare the system tinder which they are run with ours, and the class of birds entered. In many respects New Zealand and Australia have led the world in egg-laying contests, and have put up some world's records repeatedly, both in fowls and ducks. While in laying contests for hens Australia has made many fine records for tho Australian-bred Black Orpington and White Leghorn, and has advertised the utility poultrybreeders of that country, tho same thing may be said of New Zealand, bnt added to this New Zealand can claim that it has developed tho laying qualities of tho laying duck moro than any other country. An Australian editor rocently stated in his poultry journal that while Australian breeders have made a great name for the Australian Black Orpington, New Zealand breeders can claim the same distinction for the wonderful laying Indian P k nnner ducks. While referring to laying contests it is wise to note that competitions for ducks are on tho increase in the Australian States, and the many good qualities of tho laying duck are being recognised over there, and great interest is being taken in tho records put up by our Dominion strains of Runners. Would-be competitors in the 192526 set of cont&sts should get in touch with the secretaries of both the Dominion competitions, and find oat full particulars. Importance of Competitions. The egg-laying contests are well worthy of the support of the Government, the poultry people, and tho public. The Government should support them, because the work of a properly conducted egg-laying competition is educational, and is doing a national work. In most other countries we see a largo amount of State assistance given both financially and otherwise. In New Zealand the work of conducting the contests is left entirely in the hands of private enterprise, with a small dole now and again from the Government, and the assistance of tho Government instructors when required. The educational work of the laying contests has tended towards developing the very fine laying strains of fowls and ducks we have at the present time. The rules and regulations of the contests drawn up each year have forced tho conpetitor to pay more attention to the class of bird:; he breeds, the size of eggs they lay, and the construction of the birds ho breeds his laying birds from. The nett result is that the breeders of tho Dominion who compete annually havo materially helped the poultry industry by distributing young stock of a very high order, in most cases the reliable poultry breeder has sold his best stock to tho benefit of the buyer, and to-day the beginner, by dealing with reliable breeders, starts with the very best of laying blood, combined with stamina and strain. For these reasons, and the fact that they ai! help towards the success of our export I trade in first-class eggs of good size, it, is : important that the Government should i continue to assist the competitions. Encouragement of Competitions. The established breeder and the be- j ginner in poultry culture should, above j all others, support the egg-laying con- j test's book by entries ami general sup- j port. These contests will help them in j their breeding considerably, and keep them up to the mark in tho quality of the birds they breed. It is no use entering birds in "an egg-laying contest unless they aro fit and proper specimens to go in. The experienced breeder has still to keep up the standard of his (locks and because he has done well in the past, he cannot expect to continue his success unless he does so, and the egg-laying contests will each year prove to him if lie is keeping an right lines. The beginner will need a few years' experience in selection and breeding of suitable birds before he can expect continued success. By continued success I do not mean winning the competition every year, for that is what might bo termed impossible, but one can still be successful if his teams or individual birds aro among the leaders. It is not the winner of any given competition that is the most successful, because it is ten chances to one that the birds that win a competition, if entered by a beginner are not his breeding at all, arid tho credit of his win should really go to another who supplied him. with a strain that enabled him to win. This, has happened over«id -over again.