DUNEDIN FANCIERS' SHOW

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17658, 23 June 1919, Page 9

DUNEDIN FANCIERS' SHOW

RECEIPTS AHEAD OF LAST YEAR The three days' show of the Dunodin Fanciers' Club was brought to a conclusion on Saturday night, when there was a yory satisfactory attendance at the Brydone Hall. Music was supplied by the Albany Street Sclkjol Band. Both from an attendance and competitive point of view the show has proved most successful, and the receipts arp ahead of those of last year. The committee, headed by Mr W. Esquilant (the chairman) and Mr E. S. Wifcon (the eocrotary) is to bo congratulated on the very smooth manner in which the show ran from start to finish. LECTURE BY AIR CTJSSEN. In the- Fuller Hall, in the evening, a large number of poultry-keepers listened to au interesting address on breeding, oto., by Mr Cussen, one of the Govoriiniont poultry experts. Mr \V. J. Stuart occupied the chair. In the course of his remarks, Mr Cussen said that they must have good width between the logs and good width between the eyes in their laying stock, and must breed from vigorous birds. Ho would never try to save a delicate chicken. They must not'force their breeding birds, and too much meat for them was a bad thing. He believed in giving mash only two or three times a week. Of course, in the first place, they desired quality .of eggs from their breeding stock, not quantity. Good hard feed with plenty of green stuff was the best thing for the breeding pons. In selecting eggs tor breeding they should pick out those' uuilorni in size and of proper colour for the particular variety, if they wanted to get similar eggs. The eggs reserved for breeding should be kept in a temperature of between 50 and 60 degrees—it should not drop below 40— and they should not be stored where there were bad smells. Oare should be taken not to handle these eggs with greasy hands, and thus block up the pores. Failure to guard against small evils sometimes caused cleath* in the shell. The hen selected to " set" ehcrald be quiet, not too heavy and clumsy, and it must not havo scaly legs. The parasites from the scales got into the resultant chickens. The setting hen should be fed on hard feed, should be given green feed regularly, and also grit, and care should be taken to soo sho got plenty of dusting. Just before the chickens were expected it was a good plan to flatten the nest down from the saucer-like ehapo —it helped the ohickens. The speaker then dealt with hatching by incubator. He said it did not matter whether the incubator was heated with hot air or hot water so long as the heat was kept at an even temperature. Local conditions had to be taken into consideration. An incubator at Opohb, for instance, might not give the same results if placed at South Dunedin, say. The requisite supply of moisture and ventilation was the secret of success if they kept the temperature even. It was also just as important to have fresh air in the incubator house itself. If they were getting good results, however, they would be best advised to stick to their existing methods. He believed in keeping the bulb of the thermometer just on top of a fertile egg in the incubator—the egg must dq fertile, and it was not a difficult thing to discover which were fertile. The speaker showed a kerosene box, with two or three airholes near the bottom, a light frame over which a thin blanket like cloth was loosely stretched, and a small flour bag °f kapok which just fitted into the sag of the framing. The framing was slipped down into the box sufficient just to clear the backs of the chickens. This cheap brooder was invented by a Gore resident, lho chickens gathered under the blanketkapok covonng-nand the heat of their bodies was then sufficient. Dampness in the litter of a brooder was fatal to the ? A^ o ** sll did not require to be fed till 48 hours after it was hatched The broken shells of the eggs they had' come Out i°L. wa S- a to S™ them for a start. They should be fed every two hours after the first two or three days, ihe lecturer said he did not favour giving them hard-boiled eggs, but submitted several formulas which had been found successful at the Government expert farm. Green tender feed cut very fine, was a necessity' It should be given after the second day and every day thereafter. They had tried not.giving dnpfc to the chicks for a fort night This did not appear to harm them ft J^X 16 * 1 glv ? lg them hot water after about the eecond day. In answer to a quesfaon, Mr Cnssen said they should tr? to keep their incubators as near 103 decrees m possible, right through the period. They should exercise the greatest care in turning the eggs. The best way was to lift a few from the centre, and then move the others ?ound-it was not necessary to turn them right over. The lecturer was asked a We number of questions, and -was accorded a oHlfe *■"*■* «**■*«