POULTRY NOTES

Opunake Times, 23 July 1937, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

IMPORTANCE OF STRAIN HINTS ON BREEDING What breed is the best for general utility purposes ? This question is frequently asked by those* wishing to keep a few hens for eggs for their own household use. Really there is no best breed of fowls. It is more a matter of the best strain to keep. All breeds are profitable if they aie of the right laying strain and kept under proper conditions. Some require eggs only, whilst others prefer birds with egg production combined with table use.

The heavier breeds, of course, produce the best table birds aud are a more docile sort to keep than the lighter breeds. In the Waikato and probably all over New Zealand the Black Orpington and the White Leghorn are the two most popular breeds, whether on a farm, in the run of the householder of the town, or even on the large* poultry farms. If one decides on a light breed such as the Leghorn, Minorca, Campine, or Hamburg, and is compelled to keep his birds enclosed by netting, he will find they are "inclined to fly. This can be avoided by not clipping one wing as is so often noticed, but by simply cutting the flight feathers of one wing. Flight Feathers

By unfolding the wing, it will be noticed that there are about eight stiff feathers on the lower part of the wing, and when the wing is again folded, these feathers are completely hidden from sight. These are the flight feathers, or correctly termed primaries, and are the only ones which require cutting and then on one wing only. By thus cutting the flight feathers the bird is prevented from flying and yet her appearance has not been altered, and she still has her wing feathers to protect her ovaries from the cold. This warmth is very important. The heavier breeds, such as Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, are not so much inclined to fly.. The beginner, if he wishes to breed his own pullets each year, should not keep more than one breed. One breed will be easier to handle, as separate runs are required otherwise, and consequently more expense and labour are needed.