POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 42

POULTRY NOTES.

Br Tkbuob.

Dear Terror, — I have been reading your poultry column for over a year, and take a great interest in it. I have never kept fowls, but think of making a start, and would like to ask a few question*. I have just shifted to a new house and have about one-eighth of an acre to spare for fowls. I wish to keep two sorts — one for eggs and one for the table and clucking. Would you recommend two of the most suitable breeds. I live not a- hundred miles from Invercargill. I should like to keep about 30 fowls altogether. Would it be asking too much trouble for you to give mo full directions for feedings that number. Is it better to have, an iron roof or a wooden one? Would it be better to get a trio from a good laying strain or to buy eggs out of the show? Hoping I have not put you to too much trouble, — I am, etc., Southland. P.S. — I see most people recommend pure breeds for laying ; are they really better ? In reply to " Southland," I am pleased to see that he is going to make a start at poultry keeping. JThe best breeds for laying are Minorcas, Andalusians, and Leghorns, their averages being very similar, but the Minorcas and Andalusians lay a much larger egg, while the Leghorns have the advantage of laying a montß earlier. For the table Langslians and Wyandottes are the host. Langphans grow larger, but Wyaiidotte cockerels fill out faster during tho first few month?, ! a matter worth remembering if they arc in- | tended to be sold when young. As layers j these birds are about even. For feeding give 1 hot food (boiled Fcraps thickened with half pollard and half bran) in the morning, .and oats and wheat on an alternate night. The best roofing is iron, boarded underneath, but if this is too expensive use wood only, seeing that it is waterproof. Buy a trio from a wellknown breeder who has a good laying strain ; show birds as a rule are not the best for laying.- As regards pure breeds versus mongrel?, I it has been proved time after time that pure breeds are much better layers than mongrels

they also grow faster and are quite as hardyprovided they axe not inbred. — Successful Poultry Farm. — Mr Adamson, of May Road, Papanui, recently replied to Tjuestions by an interviewer from one of the Australian weeklies as follows: — It is about 18 months ago since I started poultry keeping. I found that office work did not agree with my health, and determined to go into poultry farming, with the view of making a living by selling eggs. From what I had read I thought there was a living to be made out of fowls, and egg-producing was the mostprofitable form of the business, in this colony at least. Fourteeu months ago I took this place, a two-roomed cottage and half an acre. The ground was divided into runs, and with four months' experience, a few fowls, and a 50-egg simplex incubator, I started poultry keeping for profit. I began with a pen of 38 half-bred Leghorns and a dozen pure brown Leghorn pullets. The other varieties I have now I' got in exchange for Leghorns. Hero are my egg and manure records. As you see I have only 300 birds, and some of them are too young to lay yet. But from the dozen brown Leghorns which I started with, and which began laying in June last, I have obtained 2300 eggs up -to date (that is, in 10 months), and from the 38 half-breds 5700 eggs, or 150 each. Then from a pen of 21 brown Leghorn pullets, which I hatched in July last, I obtained 1200 eggs ; from a pen of 11 white Leghorns, hatched in August, 171 eggs ; and frcm another pen* of 15 brown Leghorns, hatched in September, I obtained 280 egge. The later hatched birds are not all laying, ,'but if they do as well as the others they will pay well. I do not sell my eggs wholeworked up. I have got an average price for them of Is "a dozen. Besides I make about 10s a week out of the manure, which I carefully sweep up and sell to.fhe tanneries. In addition, I have Bold about 100 couple of young birds at from 3s to 3s-- 9d a pair. I am satisfied from my experience that I shall do better in the future. I shall have more experience, and my young birds will soon b>> in full lay, and I may go in for a place with more shade than there; is here." — I apked JMr Adamson what he fed his fowls on. " I give them, warm, soft food — bran and sharps — morning and evening, and at midday a little, grain, and occasionajjy some bone meal. Judging by my returns, I think that hens of the best non-sitting breeds will yield an annual average return of at least 7s 6d clear profit for each bird." Considering that Mr Adamson had no experience to begin with, he has certainly done remarkably well. — From mon(,h to month reports 'have appeared in the H,ome papers relative to the progress of the second annual laying competition of the Utility /Poultry Club, but I have refrained . from publishing these, thinking it better to await tho result of the full experiment. The report which follows is by Mr A. Newport, hon. secretary to\the clvb :—- UTiLITY -POULTRY CLUB. Secokd. Annual Laying Competition. This competition, which was held at Temple Sowerby, Penrith, beginning on October 26, 1898, ended its sixteen weeks' run on February 14-, and the following are the results : Ist 2nd 3rd 4th Pen. mth mthmth,mth Ttl. I.' Faverolles ... 0 17 44 17 .78 ,*2. Black Langshana 8 6 40-' -20 74 3. Brown Leghorns 18 35 44 30 127 4. Buff Leghorns.. 4 59 42' 49 154 5. Buff Leghorns.. 6 29 37 20 92 6. Minorcas .. U 31 37 15 82 7. Slack S.-C, Orpingtons '.. 6 46 36 10 98 8. Buff S.-C. Orpingtons , -. 0 11 60 50 121 9. Buff 11.-C. Orpingtons .. 29 43 24 20 116 10. Barred Rocks .. 8 60 48 33 149 11. Buff Rocks .< 20 33 *3o 21 109 12. Golden Wyandottes .. ... 26 20 22 65 133 Total.. « 136 390 459 348 1333 Each pen contained four 1898 pullets. A fortnight w,as allowed prior to October 26 for the birds to get accustomed to their new surroundings. ' • Prizes. — The club prizes are awarded as follows: — Ist, £3, pen 4-, buff Leghorns, Mr J. Marsden; 2nd, £3, pen 10, barred rocks r Mr T. Lancaster ; 3rd, £2, pen 12, golden Wyandottes, Miss Dunbar; 4th, £1, pen 3, brown Leghorn*, Mi H. B. Beeney. Other special prizes were for sitting breed making highest score, pen 10 ; for pen fifth in order of merit, won by pen 8, buff Orpingtons, Mr G. E. W. Cranage. . It may be as well to state here that these trials are ndt made with the idea of pitting . one breed against others, but to prove the \alue of any breed for its likelihood to produce winter layers, and the club's prizes are given with tho object of encouraging and fostering the foundation of winter-laying strains of any, or all, breeds. The manager, Mr R. Baynes/ in his report to the club, makes the following comments on the pens : Faverollea. — Too young when sent, first egg laid on 30th day, oil. GSth day a second pullet began. Langshana. — Three went into monlt almost directly after arrival, and without laying. Brown Leghorns. — Loving whea seat, not much affected by the change. BuS Leghorns.— {The winning pen.) A long way off perfect as show specimens, all appearances of good layers. , Buff Leghorns. — (Pen five.) Different in type to winners. Minorcas. — No eggs till 23rd day. Black S.-C. Orpingtons. — Mot all laying till 6th week. Buff S.-C. Orpingtons. — Forty-eight days before the first egg. One bird laid 12, and then went broody. Buff R.-C. Orpingtons. — Two laying from second day. In the 9th week one went broody. Barred Rocks. — Three capital layers, plus one waster. Buff Rocks. — Eggs from the start. One went broody in first week, and another in 9th. - ■ Golden Wyandottes. — Laying when arrived, two commenced moulting in second week. Weather Report.— The condition of the weather naturally plays an important part in any trial of the productiveness of animals, be it for milk and butter fat from cows or eges from fowl?. The eighteen weeks during which the fowls of the laying competition have been kept at Temple Sowerby hold the record for many yeurs for rain, flood, and wind. Three times during t the period the rainfall exceeded 2in in 24 hours, which is much above the average for a whole month in many parts of the kingdom. In the earlier part of the time the weather was very changeable; there wire several .<-evere frosts, inlersperyed with warm weather. One pxample may be riuoted from many. Sunday. December 11, 3.30 a.m., temperature 54<1p<* ; 48 hours later the temperature was 20c W. Foi the. first three woeks in January it rained daily, giving a fall throe limes a« great as thf> whole of January 1893 Following this excessive wet, we had a fortnight of keen frost, averapring from 12deg to 20deq, the mountains all round being covered with snow. A word of advice may be to future

competitors in these competitions, that is, to use greater care in 'the. selection of them birds, . ohoosing only those that . have the- • known characteristics of good layers, and avoiding all heavy-looking, thick-headed, lazy birds. If care had been taken in this direc- > tion, the results in several eases would have been much different. One bad layer in i the pen soon makes a material falling-cff, but i when there are two, the chances in the competition are quite gone, and the real value of J the strain damaged.