POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21984, 20 June 1933, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

By Terror,

Fanciers and Utility Breeders of Poultry are cordially invited'to contribute to this column. “ Terror ” will endeavour t$ make this department as interesting and informative as possible. Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to “ Terror,” Otago (Daily Times, and received not later than Thursday of each week.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “ New Chum " inquires how to make a hopper for food for fowls, and if they are seif-feeding. The sketch produced

here will explain better than a verbal description the way to make a food hopper for fowls. In constructing this hopper the main essential is to keep the front of bottom tray higher than the bottom of the sloping front, otherwise fowls can waste the food. The sloping front should incline to within two inches of the back and two inches above the floor. This hopper can be made of half-inch timber. When a hopper is to be rqade to hold a large quantity of food so as to serve a large number of fowls, or to hold a large quantity of food for a small number for a long time, the outlet allowed for the food to escape from the hopper into the tray would have to be wider than the two inches mentioned above, otherwise the weight of the food would cause clogging, s p that the fowls 'would find an empty 'tray when looking for food.

“ Juvenile.” —The reason why the feeding of mash in the morning instead of as a last feed at night is so generally recommended, is because it is more quickly digested than is a grain feed, and. a quickly-digested meal leaves. the bird hungry for a long period at night, which is a more serious matter, of course, during the winter. However, I suggest that you adopt the plan •which is most convenient to yourself—the one which you feel you can carry out regularly. Irregularity in methods and time of feeding- upsets a flock seriously. I believe the theory underlying making the mash a first feed is correct, and if. not absolutely inconvenient the practice should be adopted.

The Dunedin Fanciers’ Club Show This show has already been fully reported in the Otago Daily Times, and there is little left for me to; say respecting ,it, other than that the officials are well pleased with the number of entries in all classes and the quality of the exhibits. Two specials' were won, one by Mr Hanson for best bird in the heavy breeds, and Mr H. L, Sprosen secured outright the'Hudson Shield, valued at lOgne. This trophy has been in competition for about 15 years. It had to be won twice in succession or three times at intervals, and Mr Sprosen is to be congratulated on having secured it.

Not Fit For Breeding A well-known poultry breeder has expressed the opinion that only about 5 per cent, of birds reared are fit for breeding from. He is probably right, and possibly in cockerels that is about the proportion kept for that purpose. Whether these are the best breeders is very doubtful. In many cases no rigid method of selection is employed. The smartest-look-ing bird is often kept, and no spare bird at all. Something happens to him, and any bird is procured at the last moment to take his place.

Cockerels Go Light Hundreds, probably thousands, of cockerels go light at the end of the breeding season, but their progeny (half grown by then) are left to perpetuate the weakness. Some cockerels will stand anything; some, if shut up for a week or two, or allowed with a good-sized pen for a similar period, will go off colour. This is not the sort to get good stock from. They should not be nursed'back to health and used again. Night Ark*

Slatted-floor arks vary in size, although 6ft by 3ft or 6ft by 4ft are generally met with.' As to accommodation, a Horae writer says: “ It is not possible to commence with a given unit and to keep to it throughout. In these smaller arks one may see 60 to 70 young birds put out at the commencement, and I consider 40 to 50 enough for a uni ( when about three months old. The removal of the cockerels helps one to reduce.”

This has a slatted floor, movable dropping board, a door at each end, and is fitted with handles for convenience in moving! It is 7ft long,'sft 6in wide, sft high to ridge; floor 6ft by 4ft llin. Duck Breaks World’s Record

A Khaki-Campbell cluck owned by Mr W. A. Clarke. Glen Oak Poultry Farm, Morniugton, Victoria, Australia, has just smashed to smithereens the world’s egglaying record by producing 369 eggs in 365 days. , Had this performance been made at her home farm there would have been room for some doubt, but as it was made at the Commonwealth and New Zealand test at Melbourne, Australia, it can be regarded as officially recorded. Some doubt exists as to the previous record, but it is generally agreed that Lady Victorine, British Columbia’s Barred Bock hen, with 358 eggs in 365 days, is the official holder of the title. A performance which was not authenticated at the time, but which is semi-official, was put up by a Black Orpington hen in Australia a few years ago; her record was 361 eggs in 365 days. But both these were hens, whereas the new record has been made by a duck. In producing 369 eggs Khaki-Campbell Clarke (that is her name) laid over 11 times her own body weight in the 52 weeks. She weighs 51b, and her egg output tipped the scales at 571 b. Where these records will eventually lead is a matter for conjecture, but the public ask for them, and they are certainly getting them.-—Poultry World.

Worth Noting A good deal ha s been said and written about “ handling ” as the best way to pick out the layers from a batch of pullets, but there are those who direct attention to the fact that it is not how a bird looks or handles, but how its organs function. They point out that production is physiological rather than anatomical—that,is to say, it is dependent upon how an organ of the body works rather than upon the structure of that organ. How the organism will work i s something that cannot be determined in advance by external appearance or handling, A short, deep bird may lay as well as a longer one. There is no sure correlation between type and function. While such contentions

are true, it is also true that ■. handling is the best-kgown method of culling out the hopeless individuals in a flock, The trapnest is undoubtedly the surest method of finding the layers, but it involves loss of much time and labour. The trapnest may discover for us a good layer in a bird which would have been culled out by handling because it not only gave no indications of being of laying type, but also because it was not .typical of the breed. Such a freak bird should , not be kept for breeding from. Bran in the Mash

A year’s experiments have recently been completed at the farm of the Scientific Poultry Breeders’ Association (England) on the advisability of the extensive use of bran, it being probably the very cheapest ingredient available for the make up of laying mash. Identical pens were fed 40 per cent., 20 per cent., and 10 per cefit.: of; bran (by weight) in mashes _ otherwise .the same. For the year laying in the first two pens vVas the same, but those in the 40 per cent, pen bran were healthier and laid a bigger proportion of winter eggs. Laying in the 10; per cent, pen was decidedly lower. Such experiments were carried out with both intensive and free range flocks. In the latter case indications! suggested that 40 per cent, bran in the feed tended to prevent autumn moulting. , .

A Pneumatic-tyred Cart A poultry-keeper in England, who is seemingly in a big way in the poultry industry, says;—•" For several seasons 1 have been doing the'necessary carting for the ..poultry with an iron-tyred, horsedrawn trolley. For many thousand birds on free range it is surprising the carting that is required. We have food containers in each house, and these require filling up twice weekly. During the winter‘it is always annoying to see,.; the tracks made on the soft turf by the,continual carting; it spoils the appeafilhce of the lay out. Last autumn I saw, in work a new type of pneumatic-tyred, horse-drawn lorry. I was_ immediately attracted by it, as I felt it had many advantages over the old iron-tyred lorry, therefore I invested in one. It lias two wheels. The load is carried by balance, and the only springing is on the tyres. As proof of how perfect this is I may state that we daily collect several thousand eggs in baskets from the laying houses round the fields without a breakage. although we cross the fields from house to house. We also find it more convenient for the cleaning out of, the houses, as it is low built; and although we often load a toji of it is easily drawn found without leaving a mark on the turf.”

Obituary , Poultry men generally will regret to hear that Mr J. B. White, of Musselburgh, the well-known fancier and true sportsman. died early last week at the Dunedin Hospital. Mr White in his time was a successful poultry breeder and showman, and as such was well and favourably known throughout the South Island. My readers will join me in expressing sympathy with Mrs White in her bereavement.

Reilly’s Report—Only a small yarding of poultry came through this week, and prices for all birds were fully maintained, and consigners can with confidence expect full values to be realised for all birds coming on to the market. Eggs: Unfortunately owing to the uncertain prices, grocers have been buying from hand to mouth, with the result that though early in the week, prices were nominally Is 7d per dozen, very few sales were effected. To-day the best price obtainable is Is 5d per dozen for fresh, and we hear of sales being made at Is 3d and Is 4d. Hens—--5 at 6s. 2 at 4s Bd, 16 at 5s 6d, 12 at 5s 4d, 22 at 55,. 13 at 4s lOd, 63 at 4s Bd, 7 at 4s 4d, 17 at 4s 2d, 16 at 4s, 13 at 3s 6d, 1 at 3s; cockerels—l2 at 10s 6d, 1.3 at 10s, 23 at 9s Bd, 12 at 9s 6d. 2 at 9s 2d, 13 at 9s, 5 at Bs, 13 at 7s 10d, 12 at 7s 6d, 2 at 6s lOd, 13 at 6s. 7 at 5s Bd, 26 at ss, 12 at 4s. 2 at 3s Bd, 15 at 3s 6d, 12 at 3s 4tl 2 at 3s 2d, 12 at 3s, 12 at 2s 2d; dnckP—6 at 5s 6d, 3 at 5s 4d, 26 at ss. 13 at 4s; pullets—B at 8s; pigeons—2 at 2s 4d; all at “per pair.”.