POULTRY NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5372, 3 September 1904, Page 16

POULTRY NOTES

LAYING TESTS. The principal of the Hawkesbnry College reports on the 100 pens of fowls competing at the third annual laying test for the month of July, that being the fourth month of the contest. The laying was much heavier than in any of the previous months, 18 pens producing 100 or more eggs, each pen of six birds, as follows; —J. 11. Smith, Silver Wyandottes, 125; A. J. Byrne, white Leghorns, 12J ; H. Paun-ell, buff Orpingtons, 119; J. B. llochc, white Leghorns, 117; 1). Steam, black Orpingtons, 110; \V. H. Pinton, Langshans, Ilo; W. H. Peters, gold Wyandottcs, 114; IV. A. Hunter, silver IVyandottcs, 114; C. Chapman, white Leghorns, 11J; J. F. Scobic, Silver Wyaudottes, 113; Horwood and Denis, white Leghorns, 112; L. L. Eamsay, black Orpingtons, 111; J. M. Anderson, white Leghorns, 111; Mrs Scaysbrook,'black Orpingtons, 100; J- Stewart, white Leghorns, 100; J. B. Callaghan, buff Orpingtons, 104; G. Wester, black Orpingtons, 102; W. Cook, black Orpingtons, 102"; B. F. Forrest, black Orpingtons, 100. Hie following are the totals for the loading pens for the four months:—■ July. Total. G. Howell, Sliver Wyandottcs ... 93 562 W. H. Peters. G’d’n Wyandottcs 114 361 Mrs Hansel. Black Leghorns ... 84 346 Mrs Soavebrook. Bl’k Orpingtons 106 334 Dr Martin, R.I. Beds £6 252 . Rovle P- .Farm. Bl’k Orpinertons P,2 293 C H Wickham, Bl’k Orpingtons 83 293 J* M. Anderson. VV. Leghorns 114 291 D J. Stephens. Silver W’ndottes .67 289 E Solomon. White Leghorns ... 99 284 W. H. Tombs. Anconas 8? tßs Mrs Kirby. Buff Wyandottea ... 90 282 Veimess *<& I’ox, tSTr W’ndottes S 3 270 HINTS TO BREEDERS. Make up your mind that during the coming year, beginning right now, your birds “will have better treatment- than ever before. That they will bo better fed, better bred, mor© comfortably quartered, and bettered looked after in every, way. That' you will be .earlier up and later to bed, if it is necessary in the best interests of your flocks! That tlie little tilings you have so far disregarded will have your most careful attention during “volume five.” That, the lessons learnt the past year will be carried round in your head all the time, and that your operations will be conducted with these points always In view. That things which were “.slummed over' 1 last year will bo done this season in a careful, methodical, painstaking manner. That things which were formerly left undone will be attended to as quickly as possible, and nothing necessary to- the welfare of your stock neglected. That your operations in future will be conducted on cleaner, more sensible and economical lines, which will be quite possible if you have kept your eyes open in the past. That- your “peepers” will be propper wide open all the time, and your ears ever'on the alert to gather in useful information that can be turned to advantage. And above all, make up your mind that, not only do you not know it all, but that you know very little indeed, for that is the spirit which enables one to grasp knowledge. A breeder told us the other i day that after seven years devoted solely to the poultry business, which was only adopted after as many more experiments with fowls, ho has only learned this season how to rear chicks. And if he, after about fourteen years’ experience, will admit this, it is surely about time for the general run of us. to sit down and consider how ignorant we' really are. TO FATTEN POULTRY. An American paper gives its readers the method employed for fattening fowls in Sussex, and is appreciative of the system. The paper says;—‘The method employed is both trough-feed-ing and the cramming machine, some using one, some the other, and many a combination of the two. The trough alono is not so profitable, but enables mors fowls to be kept in process. Ten days of trough and ten days of machine feeding is more profitable, but the best i-esults are obtained by machine-feeding from start to finish, car© being taken to not overfeed during the first week in gradually getting them up to full feed. These results are secured through the ability of the bird to digest and assimilate two or three times as much feed as it would consume from a trough if left to its own inclination. The food is made semi-liquid, and no water or grit is given in addition to ik but it must be ground to a meal, and be comnosed of such grains as will produce these results without sickening or injuring the bird. By this method w© are able to add three or more pounds of meat to a four-pound bird in twenty-one days at what would be in this country a cost in feed of about 8c per bird, and in turn make a profit not only on the weight gained, hut an increased pries per pound for quality and ■ finish. The perfectly finished bird, having what fat it car--ries deposited in globules throughout the tissue, is of superior quality. If these tatters, as they are called, are able to buy the ten to twelve weeks’ old Irish birds sent over for this purpose at 750 each, pay the enormous prices they are compelled to for feed, and sell their products at a profit, what is to prevent