POULTRY NOTES

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVI, Issue 8292, 30 November 1901, Page 2 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

With warmer weather look out for vermin. Increase of sicknc-ss amongst poultry may also be expected. Want of cleanliness is the chief cause of sickness.

When accumulations of filth are permitted serious sickness may be expected at any time.

Special care should be taken to the water supply, that it is provided regularly, and kept- in the shade out of the sun's ravs. The practice of throwing food, especially soft food, on the ground is Very foolisu, even if special care is taken in selecting a clean piece of ground. The birds tram'ple upon it,and ib becomes unfit for food. Epidemics ■break out year after year, and are undoubtedly due to the .presence of microbes in the soil.

In some parts of Peru—for example, in •the province of Jauja—lien's egs are circulated as small coins, forty-eight or fifty being counted for a dollar. In the market places and in the shops the Indians make most of their purchases with this brittle sort of money. One will give two or three egs for brandy, another for indigo, and a third for cigars. These eggs are packed in boxes by the shopkeepers and sent to Lima. From Jauja alone several thousand loads of eggs are annually forwarded to the capital. With regard to the British egg supply it is pointed out in the "Queen" that etr,gs and poultry are imported from abroad because they can be produced much more cheaply in foreign countries than here. It is never •likely that the English producer will be able to sell eggs at fice a penny, as in Tunis : three a penny, as in Russia; or two a penny, as in Italy; but sight is lost of the fact that there is a large class of customer for eggs in England who do not desire to pay such low prices, being quite prepared ;to give very much more for a large, new-laid egg, and even a fancy price for brown ones in the autumn, spring, and winter. This demand is very far from being supplied, indeed, 2id apiece has been paid for eggs of the latter description for the use of an invalid 'who "fancied" thean.

Victoria ©sported 24,000 head of poultry during last July. The following is a list of poultry and eggs exported since 1894:; — 1894, poultry £lB6, eggs £420; 1895, poultry £7588, eggs £795; 1896, poultry £'2491, eggs £6lB ; 1897, poultry £4528, eggs £9O ; 1898, poultry £1657, eggs £577; 1899, poultry £BOO, eggs £1615; 1900, poultry £2IOO, eggs £509; 1901, poultry £8706, eggs not given. This year's exports consisted of 61,825 chickens,.. 8185 ducks, and 3003 turkeys and geese. Prices at_ auction in Melbourne fo-r poultry: Good specimens _of Indian Game crosses are realising from 6s 3d to 6s 8d per pair, and recently ducklings, nine weeks old, 6s to 7s 6d per pair. 'Mr Hyde, in his annual report, stated that he knew of one .breeder who had a standing offer of 5s each for large cockerels, the first cross between Indian Game and Dorking. As an evidence of the increased demand for poultry, and the better prices that are now received by the producer, it may lie mentioned that the lowest tender recently for supplying the Wellington Hospital was 4s 6d per pair for frozen and 5s 6d for fresh fowls. The producers should cater for a private trade in order to obtain the best prices. As showing the enormous strides the poultry industry has taken Mr Hyde states that 10,000 copies of his pamphlet have been applied for. Mr Hyde is also ■writing a new edition, which will be ready for printing shortly. ''