POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 39

POULTRY NOTES.

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Br Tbbkob.

—On Wednesday last I visited Mr Burlinson, superintendent of the Industrial School, and in his company inspected tho fowls kept there on behalf of the department. ,1 was alao shown some birds kept by Mr Burlinson as a private fancier. The-, breeds kept, principally Langshans, Houdans, Dorkings, and crpsses therefrom, all looked iff good condition, and are of fair quality. The aspect is not of the best as regards the sun, but making allowance for this fact, Mr Burlinson considers that he obtains very fair results in the shape of eggs. My attention was particularly directed to the method of housing the poultry, Mr Bur-" linson evidently taking especial pride in the style of house he has devised and adopted. Taking one— the Langslfans' house — as a fair sample of all the buildings, we have a structure 21ft long, 9ft wide, 7ft 3in high at the back, and 6ft high in front. A partition about 2ft high in wood (at bottom) and 4ft 6in wire, runs through the building from end to end dividing it into two, as it were, long passages, each being entered by a separate doorway. One of these passages (for the use of the caretaker only) is 3ft 9in wide, the other (for the accommodation of the birds) is about sft wide. A 2ft wide board, erected about 18in from tli6 ground and backing against the wooden portion of the centre partition before mentioned, runs from end to end of this latter compartment. This board is provided on the well-known Canadian principle, to catch the droppings, a peculiarity in this building being that the perches are secured not more than one inch above the board. The house no\v being described is, on the poultry side, divided by cross partitions into three compartments to accommodate 8 birds each, and five nesting boxes just fill' up the spaces beneath ' the perch boards in each compartment. The whole of the floor spaces and. the top side of the boards were thickly covered with clean white sand, procured from a pit near by, giving an air of cleanliness to everything about. The eggs are gathered from the caretaker's side of tho building by the opening of a hinged board at the back of the nests. Two advantages of having the house divided in the way explained are obvious enough: — While the birds are unable to foul more than that portion of the building to which they are confined, yet on account of the wire partition they have the advantage of breathing the air of both compartments.

A theory favoured by Mr Burlinson. with - regard to wWph ha promises to speak further

some day, is the encouragement tif the faY mers, etc., of any given area — such, for instance, as the . Taieri ■ Plain — to endeavour to ascertain the breed of fowls best suited to the soil and local climatic conditions, his idea being that by devoting special attention to rearing and exporting of that on« pure breed or cross a character for uniformity, and reliability would be obtained, with great advantage to all concerned.

— Several poultry keepers in the Northeast Valley (Dunedin) have suffered losses during the last few weeks by the depredations of ferrets. One breeder lost six fowls in one night, another three- hens and "a duck, a. third lost two hew, and a fitirth four hens, and so on. Traps have, of course, been set, and I am told 'that in one place at Opoho six ferrets were caught. Being asked by a correspondent for a hint foi /the protection of his birds, can only suggest the removal of all boxes or other means of access to the perches so 1 that they, cannot be reached without wings. As ferrets can neither jump nor fly the birds would then be safe provided they themselves take to the perches, and a^isit to the roost at nigTifc would satisfy the owner on this poiu r . At. Mr Charles Bills's, George street, -a large number of ferrets-cSn be seen any day confined in a lidless box, .proving that they cannot a wall 3ft high: .' • ' " — Local fanciers are evidently' seeking far and wide for strains of new blood: Mr Wheeler, of Newington, has, I" am informed, just imported a trio -of white Wyandottes from America; Mr H. -L. Sprosen has jusfc - received from Mr Casey's well-known Khandallah yards, Wellington, a v^ery promising Minorca cockerel; Mr Irvine, of South Dunedin, a Minorca trio from Sydney; Mr Sydney James, a trio of Minercas from Tysacs, Melbourne : ' and Mr M'Dowall, of Queenetown, % trio of brown Leghorns from Mr Jone3. of South Dunedin.

— Points on Breeding. — The Breeder needs to have a cleai idea of what he is aiming; at, and must ever keep his end in view. Those who have high-olass exhibition birds are most particular regarding the selection of breeding birds, and will take any amount of trouble that would be regarded by the inexperienced as unnecessary Years of judicious breeding may be upset by one mistaken cross. Don't spoil a good strain for want of a little forethought and trouble. Male parents affect the external structure, shape, outward characteristics, and movements of the bird, while the female parents control the internal structure constitution, temper, fecundity,, and habits. The first thing, therefore, is to see that a cock ir selected for breeding with size ; and by this we mean size of frame, not fat and feathers. A small bird will seldom get large ones, and thus the importance of this point. If he' hat any grave defeot, or any deformity in body or limbs, discard him ; he is useless as a breeder, a? in nine cases out of 10 he will transmit his defects to his progeny. Well formed, healthy, spirited birds should alon<» be selected to breed from, and a certain ,vivacity of temperament and proud mien are> essential characteristics of the lord of thr ■ harem. He ought, moreover, to delight in caressing the hens, to be gallant in defenc' ''■■«• them, inviting them to eat, and be inoessar !:y taken up with his mates. If he is of a suljry:. vi pelfteh, persecuting-, -and domineering disposition, have a divorce performed immediately In making a choice between tw.o cbcks which appear equally fine in feathers and vigour choose the most courageous. The good qu'ali ties of the hen are of no less importance (o be attended to than those of the cock. Si/p of frame, stamina, and good condition are of great , importance, and it is to court failure to neglect these points. One single mesa' liance will ruin the purity of the breed. A no season of the year should hens be allows to run with the male bird of a differei variety, and if the supereminent excellence idesired, not even with an inferior one of tlv same. The effect of a single union is oft? traceable in some degree during the whol. life of that hen. But with all these goo qualities and superior merits in the stop' birds, brains in the breeder are absolutely essential; and if I had to choose between inferior birds and a brainy breeder and superiobirds and a lack of brains, I should choose the first. — Rev. Mr Petersen in the Leader. — Although some hens may lay when moulf - ing, theii average laying will not be increased as they are sure to take a rest later on. — Wben any sickness appears in you poultry yard, isolate the bird at once, anr' endeavour to prevent infection by medicine and disinfectants. — A correspondent, pay.B the Stockkeeper writes: — "Last year I produced an excellen black Orpington pullet, by mere chance, perfect in legs, colour, shape, and head, and of considerable size. The mother is a buff Orpington of most inferior quality, and the father a black Minorca. If,"' the correspondent goes on to say, " one of the new varieties can be produced in one season — for a black Orpington is still new — there is not- the credit in producing these new specimens whichsome would imagine to be the case." We agree with our correspondent. How much more difficult it is to produce a faultleaa Braftma, Cochin, or Dorking ! But then, when we have obtained one, how much greater the honour ! C

— What was the weight of the heaviest turkey ever sold in the London mariMt2-IFifts}

(PoTunde, which was the weight of the heaviest American bronze turkey ever imported into 'England. The American bronze is bjr far the largest species of turkey, and t it is' not (unusual for them to reach weights of 401b kind 451b. The largest English turkey on record weighed 331b, and sold for £5, or rather (more than 3s per lb. In London the price per lb at which turkeys are sold increases (with the increase of weight. Turkeys under CLOlb in weight sell for lOd per lb; 101b to &61b in weight sell for Is 3d per lb; 161b to EOlb in weight sell for Is 6d per lb ; while tur(keys over 201b in weight sell for Is 9d per flb, and so on. In this country East Anglia (produces the finest turkeys, but the home production falls far short of the demand, and (turkeys in ever-increasing numbers are imported from France, Belgium, Holland, the '/United States, and Canada. One" vessel, the 'jDity of New York, brought in one consign--ment 60 tons of Canadian turkeyß, or about M 2,000 birds.

— The transformation of horses into eggs sounds an impossible feat, but that is just •Jwhat the thrifty Californians are doing. 'Horses are extremely cheap throughout the 'fWest'; great numbers have been raised on the 4arge ranches, and food is scarce. At San klpse, it is said that the animals can be bought ffor prices ranging from 25 cents to 3.50d01. IPetaluma is a great poultry-raising centre, land the growth of this industry causes a deanand for cheap food. Dealers began to cook horseflesh, and pack it in dry cakes, shipping St to the poultry districts. This business has jbeen extended, and now Petaluma packers prepare the meat cake, horses being slaughtered by the hundred for this use. It would ilook as though a hen might be a more profitable possession than a horse.