POULTRY AND POULTRY FARMING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 51

POULTRY AND POULTRY FARMING.

LECTURE BY MR D. D. HYDE. Mr D. D. Hyde, the Government poultry expert, addressed a meeting in the M.U.1.0.0.F. Hall, Mosgiel, on Monday night on th subject of poultry farming. Mr T. Aitken, mayor, presided, and there were about 40 ladies and gentlemen present. Mr Hyde prefaced his remarks by saying that it was the first time he had paid an official visit to Mosgiel, excepting the occasion when he was present at the last poultry show. Although there was such a meagre attendance that night, he thought the time would come when the people of the Taieri district would recognise what they evidently did not recognise at present — the value of the poultry industry. Poultry farming at the present time was, in many cases, held" in so little esteem "that people did not deem it of sufiicent importance to feed their stock. This applied more particularly to farmers, and the Government had appointed a poultry expert to go through the colony, and had started poultry stations, the object of which was, not to interfere Avith private enterprise or with fanciers, but to foster the industry. Now, there were, some fanciers who differed with him, but he knew that many of them were beginning to admit that the Government was doing more for them than anybody had ever done before to further their interests. The first essential m poultry farming was to procure suitable stock and to look after it. Hitherto farmers had had but one idea, and that was to give their poultry as little ac possible — they could scratch for themselves, and scarcely needed any attention at all. As to the stock, he was generally content with what was called " a barn door mongrel." But now a change was talcing place, and on almost every farm one would find one or two birds of a description suitable for breeding purposes. The object of the Government in taking up the industry was to supply farmers with eggs from the best stock procurable at a minimum cost. The cost of the eggs was 6s 6d wer dozen delivered in any part of the colony. Birds would be supplied co farmers in Marcn next, and would be supplied at ss, 7s, and 10s each. He knew that some fanciers had procared eggs from the Government stock through tanners, and he also knew it for a positive fact that many of the birds supplied by the Government were prize-winners at the best shows in the colony — at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunodin. It was hardly possible to prevent this. Still, they might take it as a compliment,, as the farmers would not seek after the stock tnvos- tbey knew it was the best procurable. !Nf -•-••-cv could possibly hope to succeed \uilfe;- th<?'- y, zi a regular supply year by year of "ijircis of a different strain, and this was where the fancier -profited by what the Government were doing. There was no question, however, that farmers, as a class, were just as ready to exhibit stock of any description that they might breed, if they thought they had any chance of winning prizes. Farmers were also beginning to admit that there was more in poultry, pound for pond, than anything else that could be kept on the farm. He knew many instances where people made £25 a year clear profit from 100 hens. Given one acre per 100, these were returns that could not be got out of any other farm stock. The farmer also had a distinct advantage over people in town by being able to make use of movable houses, such as they had at the Government farm at Momohaki. These could be shifted over the land after a crop was cut, and their 'experiments had j-;-oved that the birds could be kept on a farm and fed liberally at less than £d per head per week. In town it cost 4s a year per head to keep fowl,«. In order to make a success of poultry farming the secret of the business ivas to market the birds as soon as possible, and they should not be kept more than four months. There was.no profit in keeping a bird until it was fully matured. This was the only wav that it would pay to breed birds for table purposes. As* to hens, they should be kept until tlie third period of laying; after that they should be dispensed with. The •majority of people who kept fowls had a large number of old hens in tlieir flock; but it was an erroneous idea that fowls; were worth keeping after the third period of laying. The first year they laid about 130 eggs ; the second year from 150 to 200; and the -third year they fell back to about the number of the first yenr. After that they rapidly decreased, and in five or six years would be laying nothing at all. There should be no sentiment about poultry-keeping, and all old stock and deformed birds should at once be got rid of-. Mr Hvcle here exhibited a number' of coloured plates to illustrate his remarks on what types of fowls farmers should go in for. Amongst the most popular were Minorcas, Leghorns, and Andalusians, but there were several fo^ls more profitable than those three kinds. The*e birds laid pgg.s chiviner months when anything would lay. Langshans, for a general-purpose fowl, laying in the autumn ?nd W'nter, was one of the best, and were splendid table birds. Plymouth Rocks w#e splendid birds to get as winter lavcrs. and were exceedingly hardy. For the London market they had one drawback — ihey bad yellow flesh and yellow legs. In England people required birds with white fle?h, but of course for every one that had this qualification there were 10 birds marketed that had yellow flesh. The silver-grey Dorking was a bird with white flesh. The Dorkinsr was 'i bird that should not be kept by anyone iwless they had a nice dry, sandy place to keep t'-evn in. because they were delicate. If cropped with Indian game, the result would be, however, one of the finp=t types of fowl it was possible to get. He wai quite convinced, in regard to Orpingtons, t'>at where there was only one now, in a few years time there ■noulcl be a thousand. It v.ms p harrlv bi^d, a sood layer, and excellent for rhe table., He referred more particularly to the huff Orpington, as the black Orpington would not be so profitable to keep Eoutlans were very well for people who lived near towns, where hawks were not troublepome, and ps an all-round fowl would be hard to heat. SiH-er Wvindott- 1^ were al«o havdv bird", and the only ohifct'ou )o them wa^ in the fact that they had yellow legs. Ay]e>burr raid Pekin ducks were also to be recomlrciidcl. Tie American broiv-jow ins; turkey was n bird that would he bred in thousands in thi? colony before lono:. They should ha kept where there was plenty of scrub and ' fed \"cry carefully, as they were liable to live;;

disease, a trouble inc 7 vced by o<» '" 1 *! Mr Hyde here went in'o details on ? «° ral management of a poultry farm, i''~"^ f^% many valuab 1..*1 ..* hints to farmers w* to l.u"'-y.\^ make the rearing of poultry profitable a"Wj home consumption and export. The greatee part of the information has already appeared in the columns o: the Otago Witness, so tha<( it is almost unnecessary to reproduce it herei Speaking of the Seaoliff poultry farm, htf mentioned that last year the profits amounted to £250, the whole of which went into thrt, funds of the institution. ■ i At the conclusion of the lecture Mr HydjC answered a number of questions put to hini' by several noultry breeders present. Oi£ the motion of Mr J. Wright, seconded by Mir, J. Rowan, a very hearty vote of thanks wat" 1 accorded Mr Hyde by acclamation.