AMONG THE BREEDERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4740, 23 August 1902, Page 8 (Supplement)

AMONG THE BREEDERS

MR MANTTAN. THE "PETALUMA” FLOCKS. One of the most successful breeders in the Manawatu district is Mr Mauttan, of the "Petaluma” poultry yards. At the present time his flocks include some of the best strains of blood in the colony. Minofcas, Buff Orpington and Silver Wyandottes claim his attention. During the week I had an opportunity of inspecting them, and found much to admire in his several pens. The king of the Minorca flock is a bird imported from Nelson, a father of numerous prize-winners, a magnificent specimen of the breed, and one of the finest birds in the colony. The hens are se-, looted birds from the best flocks in the district. The Buff Orpingtons are a good lot. The pock of the breeding pen is a bird of wonderful form and splendid bone, in

fact, one of the finest-bodied birds seen in the North Island. Several splendid hens are mated with him. The Silver Wyandottes are a beautiful flock. Standing out from the female birds were.the first hen and first pullet at the late Palmerston Show.; The others were close up to their standard. The cock is a very fine bird, and,Mr Manttan should secure some excellent progeny of tliis popular breed. The system of feeding adopted, at the Petaluma yards is very simple. In the morning a mash is fed consisting of pollard, bran and boiled vegetables, on tivo mornings in the week boiled meat (liver, etc.) is added, and a little bone meal is generally a constituent of the mash, and salt is always added. At noon the fowls receive a few mangels to inck at and a little green food. In the evening grain is given—wheat, barley or maize. This is fed in the proportion of a handful of tho wheat or barley to two fowls, and a much smaller amount of the maize. Occasionally Epsom salts ore added to the drinking water, Singer's Egg Producer Mr Manttan finds an excellent thing to keep the fowls in good health. A.principle to which Mr Manttan attributes much of the success he has achieved in the business is that he guarantees as fertile every egg sent out from his yards.