POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22808, 18 February 1936, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

By Terror.

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT " Mac," Caversham. —The cause of fowls pulling out their feathers and eating one another's feathers is generally due to too close confinement. Birds at liberty on wide range do not acquire the habit. It is evident that confined birds are deprived of something which they crave for and which birds on range can find for themselves. It is believed to be that when birds on restricted quarters are 1 too plentifully fed, living as it were in idleness, they quite naturally acquire vicious habits, feather eating being only one of them. Seeing that you know the culprit, the best thing you can do is to get rid of her, and do so quickly because otherwise the whole flock will follow her lead. If you really want to keep the bird, because, perhaps, she is a good layer, then you may try cutting away the tips of her beak eo that her beak cannot close tight enough to pull feathers. To prevent the other birds acquiring the habit try putting a little salt in the mash every day. It is thought that it is the salty taste of the blood in the quill of the feather wnich attracts the birds, and which they should find in their food. As idleness is also a cause of feather pulling and other bad habits, see that the birds are kept busy all day. This can be done by feeding less mash and making them scratch for their grain. A New Beginner Mr Graham Wylie (Outram) is taking an interest in poultry this year, and is going in for Australorps. It is pleasing to introduce new beginners to the fancy, and we hope that he will be successful and find all the pleasure that he expects from his venture. Winners of Tests as Breeders In England, says "Alpha," poultry editor of the Leader, Melbourne, "it is recognised that the advertising value of wins at tests is so great that the time has arrived when an attempt should be made to obtain proofs of the quality of the whole flock the winner was bred from. So, in order to obtain evidence in this way the national test at Milford has arranged to include in next year's tests a section for flocks of 24 pullets of any one breed selected at random by an independent person from a flock of 100. The object is to afford a full and accurate estimate of a breeder's flock in regard to productive ability, health, and stamina. It is freely admitted that some of. the most successful competitors are very skilful in selecting birds which are likely to be high producers. But it is important to know whether such birds are representative of the general flock." White, Brown, and Black Leghorns "Attention is being directed to the fact that the black and brown Leghorns are now' almost entirely being left to the care of fanciers, with the result that probably many utility breeders whilst favouring the whites are ignorant of the fact that the browns and. blacks exist. There was a time, however, when both of those varieties enjoyed if anything a greater degree of popularity as producers of large white eggs in goodly numbers than did the whites. However, the whites have during the past twJ or three decades become the supreme egg producers the whole world over. But there appears to be every possibility that the popularity of the browns and blacks, undoubtedly useful breeds, may be revived to a considerable extent in the future. Having become to all intents and purposes purely an egg-produc-ing machine, the white variety of the breed has been dropped entirely by fancies and left to the tender mercies of the utility breeders, and this had not tended to improve the stamina of the breed. This fact was now beginning to make itself apparent in the type of White Leghorn to be seen on many poultry farms. AVhilst it must be admitted that many useful breeds had been to some extent spoilt from a utility standpoint by the fancier in his endeavour to produce colour combination, etc., at variance with Nature, it must be recognised that the true fancier's interest in the breeding of fowls was the satisfaction he derived from the study of his subject, and that his primary object was the production and maintenance of real vigour and stamina. It was equally true that unless he were also a fancier the interest of the average commercial poultry farmer lay not in the study of poultry breeding, but in the pecuniary gain "to be derived from it. Consequently his first objective had been the production of eggs in large numbers. Breeders had for generation after generation been selected from birds whose stamina had probably been largely sapped by a too heavy production. The general stamina of tlie breed had suffered accordingly and the troubles were experienced in hatching and rearing that were far less prevalent in breeds in which new, vigorous stock might be obtained as required from the fancier." It is evident if the White Leghorn is to remain the great producer it is, then, instead of selecting new stock from flocks of leading utility-breeders, the breeders of fancy stock should be approached for their unforced birds—birds full of vigour, health and stamina. Otherwise the blacks and browns will take their place till they in turn are. spoilt. Leghorn Types

Breeders must have noticed that when dual-purpose birds are bred specially for eggs, they become, as time goes on, more and more of Leghorn type. Leghorn type is evidently the type of a layer, and if this is recognised as a fact then Leghorns of whatever colour they may be being already of the desired type should be more easily and sooner improved as layers, by selection, that other breeds. In the meantime, however, why not save the White Leghorn itself by importing " fancy "blood to impart the stamina which the fancier's birds undoubtedly possess. There are still some_ White Leghorn fanciers to be dealt with.

Cheap Paint for Iron Roofs The Queensland Agricultural Gazette says that because of the continued contraction and expansion as the result of extremes of heat and cold, and the absence of good grip, ordinary house paint is not suitable for galvansed iron roofs, and it in always advisable to use paint specially manufactured for the purpose. A cheap paint for corrugated iron roots may he made by mixing togethet 141 b of cement to one gallon of boiled linseed oil. This should be kept thoroughly stirred and applied in warm weather.

Hix Objects to Chix The modern method of playing tricks with spelling annoys some people greatly. One who is evidently very upset about it is the honorary secretary of the White Wyandotte Club (Eng.). He forwarded to the writer of " Random Shafts " in the Feathered World a circular letter from some business firm in which the word " Chix " was constantly used, and was so overcome that he burst into the following limerick: — Dear " Pophole," if chicks are now chix. We shall soon drop some more spelling brix. Must we write, then, of "cox" Or of Barred Plymouth Rox? Need I sign myself " Yours, J. S. Hix? "

Some Broody! Broody hens, as every poultrykeeper knows, will sit on anything round or nearly so, dummy eggs, stones, door knobs, etc.; consequently, the following, which is going the rounds of the English poultry press, will not appear astonishing:— "A Rhode Island Red hen belonging to

a coffee planter in Kenya was discovered sitting on two* small grapefruit, which she was trying to hatch. The planter told Reuter that the same hen had previously tried to hatch four onions and two potatoes." ' The foregoing suggests the remark that, however stupid the hen may appear to be, the poultrykeeper should realise when setting her to her three weeks' task of incubation that to a great extent the sort of chicks she will hatch out depends upon the sort of e«gs placed under her. She will sit with equal content on undersized eggs, abnormally large eggs, thin-shelled eggs, stale eggs, or cracked eggs as she will on carefully selected eggs—i.e., eggs laid by birds of a good laying strain, eggs fertilised by a rooster, the eon of a good average producer, strongly-shelled eggs and fresh eggs. Further, it is well to remember that a sitting hen likes privacy, and will do her best in a well-made and clean nest.

Reilly's report:—Owing to the smaller vardinp, prices show an appreciable rise. Hens—B at 5s Bd, 5 ss, 2 4s lOd, 1 4s, 9 3s Bd, 30 3s 6d, 11 3s 4d, 22 3 S 2d, 7 3s, 27 2 S lOd, 7 2s Bd, 1 Is 6d; cockerels —6 at 7s 6d, 5 6s sd, 5s 6s 2d, 5 6s, 4 5s 6d, 3 ss, 1 4s Bd, 1 2s lOd, 1 2s 4d, 1 2s; bantams—l at Is, 2 lOd; ducks—9 at 5s Bd, 15 ss; pullets—l at 6s, 3 5s 6d, 2 4b 6dj geese—l at 6s 6d, 1 6s (all at per pair); 1 hen and 14 chicks for 10s 6d.