A VISIT TO THE CHIEF POULTRY YARDS

Otago Witness, Issue 2402, 15 March 1900, Page 44

A VISIT TO THE CHIEF POULTRY YARDS

OF NORTH OTAGO AND SOUTH CAN-

TERBURY.

V.— KIATOA, WAIKOUAITI,

It may, I think, be accepted as an axiomatic fact that in connection with poultry rearing there is no method of. housing or rearing which can be laid down as the best for universal application. Local conditions and facilities, particularly with a view to economy, have always to be considered. Whatever the methods adopted, however, may be, those first principles — cleanliness and comfort — must ever be aimed at if satisfactory results are to be achieved. Towards the end of last year, in describing a visit to the poultry establishment of Mr Roberts, at Abbotsford, after speaking of his handsome pens and fixtures, everything up-to-date and finished-looking, I explained, amongst other detail matter, that this fancier had adopted the practice of allowing the fowl dung to drop upon clean boards instead of upon sand or mould; as he had formelydone, for the reason that m the clean state he got a good price for the dung at a neighbouring tannery. In my notes of the past two weeks I have shown that Mr Reilly, of Studholme Junction, perched all his fowls over straw, for the reason that, being a market gardener and orchardist, as well as poulterer, he finds use for any quantity, of .manure on his own premises.

At Kiatoa,. however, there is neither tannery nor market .garden ; consequently another method of observing those first principles above referred to— i.e., cleanliness and comfort — is favoured, and 1 mention it here as my opening remark, for the simple reason that it was the first novelty to attract my attention in the establishment. Mr Buckland favours the Canadian system of roosting fowls, and spreads tipon the boards a quantity of black dust from the- nulls. This dust, he says, is cheap, an effectual deodoriser, and its use economises labour. Certainly anyone oan see that thus used, very little black dust will go a long way. That there was no smell at the time of my visit I can vouch for, and, seeing that the ammonia is absorbed, and thus all offence removed, the boards need not be scraped at such short intervals. Mr Buckland has some half dczen large-sized houses for his fowls, and one building of six pens for breeding hens and chickens. His bronze turkeys (advertised above) are kept in a different part of the ground. Every house is substantially built, roofed with corrugated iron, fitted with guttering, and has its own separate butt for holding water. To describe one house I may say that it is A shaped, the roof sloping to the ground, taking the place of walls. The length, is 16ft, height Bft, and the floor Bft wide. At one end is the door, and at the other the nests. The perches extend at each side of the- doorway from end to end, and the dropping board is but a few inches below. This house is, built on a sloping piece of ground, the result- being the the roof, on one side only, Teaches- the ground. On the other side piles 'Support the floor boards, beneath which there is" ample accommodation for a large number of fowls to shelter in wet weather, or from strong winds' or to dust i themselves 'on hot; sunny days. In this space ' also is placed' the water vessel and grit box. Mr Buckland is an ardent advocate of fresh water, ancT plenty of it, for fowls. It is to j secure their getting proper attention in this respect that he has provided a separate water butt to each house; by this means he does away with every possible pretext for neglect. The source of supply beins; so handy, there can be no excuse for not filling the drinking vessels regularly and often, or for failing to rinse them out. Mr Buckland \ises- the fountains manufactured by Mr Lilly, blacksmith, of Madaggan street. The house of the breeding pens and for hens with chicks, is 18ft long and 3ft back to front. It is divided into six pens of oft each. In front of these pens are runs extending about 24ft outwards and of varying widths, extra space being obtained in the width by extending the runs for the end pens beyond the building. Double width wire is used to confine the birds, and' admission to the pens is gained at the back by doors which open up and snib. For setting hens, Mr Buckland has built a special house, in which at the N time of my visit were eight boxes for nests. These boxes were all made on the same plan — namely, two kerosene boxes fastened together — and 'were ranged alongside of the wall of the house, the practice being for the attendant to enter the building at regular intervals during the day and turn one box just far enough away from the wall at one end to allow the hen to come out for food and water. On the next visit to the .house, the attendant could see whether the food had been eaten, and if so, move the- -box back to the wall, throw more food, and- ehift the next nest box as he had the first. In this -way the whole of the hens get regular att-ention,-with a minimum of trouble. ' Kiatoa being a sheep station of some 15,000 acres, it might be expected that Mr Buckland's fowls would have any amount of run ; and so as a matter of fact they have; but nevertheless they are confined within bounds, the several runs being about 150 ft by 30ft. Mr Buckland does his own carpentering, and has evidently acquired quite a tradesman's cunning in the use of tools. Not only has he built his own fowl houses and runs, with the doors, gates, and many fittings appertaining thereto, but dozens of gates and other structures about the station, and in every case the work appears to be that of a master hand. Thb fowls kept are Langshans and Minorcas and a few Minorca-Langshan crosses are also raised every season. I reckon this selection good, for the reason that both Langshan and Minorcas are good all-the-year-round layers, the one breed being particularly consistent just when the other is inclined to tone off. Both sorts are good table birds (the Minorca being heavier than any other of the Mediterranean breeds), and being of the same colour, the uniformity which every one admires so much in watching a mob of one breed is secured, and, lastly, the eggs being of a different colour, there is no difficulty in selecting them. I saw about 100 Langshan chickens, about half that number of Minorca chicks, and a good sprinkljng of. first cross (Minorca cockerelLangshan hens). These latter Mr Buckland claims to be the best of layers. He quotes Louis Wright to this effect. Mr Buokland's Langshans are raised from imported stock from leading English yards, his first importation being from Messrs Alty Bros., of Lancaster. In the course of a few weeks — when the demand upon the illustrated portion of tho Witness for war pictures has subsided, I hope to publish one or two photos of typical birds imported by this breeder, which, I fancy, will speak to the initiated far moro eloquently as to the quality of the Eiatoa stock than any words of mine can possibly 'do.

Mr Buckland's bronze turkeys are imported from three different yards, and consequently are, of course, not related. The two gobblers — referred to last week — are, one past two years and the other past one year, and the five hens are one over two years, and the rest just over one year, and there are many chickens. All are purebred, and very handsome birds, the lustrous sheen, catching the §ye at everjj

movement made, being indescribably beautiful. As seen by his advertisement, Mr Buckland intends parting with his bronze turkeys. In describing Mr Adam Anderson's birds next week, I will show to what profitable purpose turkeys can be reared.