POULTRY IN OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2509, 16 April 1902, Page 49

POULTRY IN OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND.

By Tekror. 11l -MOSGIEL AXD DISTRICT. (Continued.) Mr A. fii ant. Mo-giel towii-»lnp. » c>u=in of the f ane lei of the -anie n<iniu viho-o yards were loported upon la a t week, and whose Mmoieae I ha^e frequentlj- mentioned in thesf columns, has a fine lot of young "1-ock this year, and from the irowd will doubtless he able to make a likely selection at shon time. As my readers know, this fancier'- birds are bred from the finest strains obtainable, with a keen eye to fancy points, and — as I was able to show Messrs D. Hyde and Leihy (officials of the Government Agricultural Department) upon the occasion of a recent vi=it made in their company — Mr Grant's birds are reared upon the most up-to-date method- Unfortunately I did not ha\e the pleasure of finding Mr Grant or his family at home when I called for the purposes of this report, and a.s I did not consider it opportune when in the company of the gentlemen above-mentioned to quiz him upon the subject of the breed-

the nedigree of what I consider his most promising birds. However, Moagiel is easy of access to me, and no doubt it will not he long before I make another visit in the interest of Minorca fanciers Suffice it now to say that when the Government men were at Mr Grant's they, like myself, were as well pleased with what they saw of his stock, of his methods of providing for their ctmfort, and of his determination to bo abieast of the times in the matter of incubators, brooders, and machinery a& with all else they saw in the oourse of their inspection of several other Taieri poultry establishments. I may add that it was at Mr Grant's invitation that the party rehis knowledge of the district and kindness in ferred to was organised, and that owing to driving the party from place to place j enough was seen in the day to astonish the i visitors. I feel warranted in saying, too, that ! Mr Hyde little thought tc see the industry being taken up in the whole-hearted way it is in the Taieri. Mr John Rowan, contrary to the generally accepted dictum, that one breed is enough for one fancier, .still continues to favour the keeping of a \ariety, and. probably owing to hit many yeais of experience and devoted attention, manages to do sc with great sueoes>'. This year he has a larger number of young stook than ever, and has increased the accommodation. At present In has about 70 fowls, old and young, principally Minorcas and White and Brown Leghorn?. The old birds, of course, are ull in the moult, but borne of the younger fry, chiefly the Brown Leghorns, are laying. Some of Mr Rowan's Whites are really nice birds, both in cockerels and pullets. The Browii3 aiv not quite so numerous, but promise equally well, while the Minorcas — ■ Mr Rowan's o'd faney — are looking as encouraging as nobble. Of the=e latter the pens contain half a dozen hens, a dozen pullots and two cockerels, one of the latter being a very pretty bird. The pullets are iarge-bodied. not matured enough to show comb, but in ear-lobes appear " all right." Among the new features at tin* fancier's yards is a pen of Buff Orpington- pullets procired from Canterbury. These will be bred from uexc Also a pen of White Plymouth Rocks. The last mentioned, I was informed, came from hens with a remarkable laying record for last season ; indeed, after a quick moult, they are at it again as strong as e\er. Since my la-st visit Mr Rowan has. added a green bone-cutter to lue> plant, and admits that he ought to have had it long ago. His opinion is that fowls luy more egg 6 when kept in moderate flocks, say a dozen birds, providing they are well housed, but under even these condition- he finds unequal re«ulte — last season hi? White Leghorns were the be*t layers. After a fair try of Golden Wyandottei he has determined to give them un owing to their turning out poor layers. Mr Peter Wallace had at the tune of my virit, besides his old birdf. about 300 chicken-, and 300 cockerels, but to my knowledge a number of the latter are in the Government freezer just now. Wtth the exception of a few pairs for the breeding pens the whole of the stock is a oro?-> of Minorca with either the Orpington. Laiitfshan, or Brahma, and Mr Wallace is> unable to *ay which he favour- most. J have visited this breeder's m-emises three time? tin-. ccason, the fir«t occasion being with MesKi-8 Hyde, Leihy. and Grant, the second about the middle of Man h. and the third this month. Every time, it will be noticed, being in a deal '•cason for egg-. On the two fir»t \ iiits Mr Wallace was away to town with his eggr and butter, and from tin- fact I gathered that every egg v.ould ba\e beeji reinoied from the nest-i the previous night or first thing in the morning. Vet what did I invariably find /at 2 o'clock p.m ), on examining the dozen or -o ne^ts in each of his six fowlliouie-i*"' When egg- were de,tr ' When another fancier, with 90 posatble layers. <vas only getting onp. two. three, and four fgt(- a day l \Vh\ foui and fi\ c and >-i\ f^Rpr-* in every ne-t ! Mr Wallji (>'.- h.V'itern of hou.MUg. a= well as hu manner of feeding, may perhaps account for his good le^uk-. As before explained, he hou.-es in, fowls m movable building? constructed (ipnn .sledf?<--, and »o arranges hi- rune, of übout 20ft -quare, that they fan be shifted four tunes to one move of tl>e house. In tin- wav hi.-, birdi are constantly upon oornparative'.y fresh grass, and ne\er long enough, eithet .sleeping or waking, in the one place to favour filth ii vermin. He feeds pollard and bran (one part bran to three-parts pollard) in the morning, wheat in the afternoon, and at 3 o'clock all are liberated foi free range. The wheat it. fed in hoppers or long troughs, < overod over with hinged lids except at feeding time, and the birds are allowed acces= to the corn until they leave it satisfied, when the troughs are closed to prevent theft by sparrows As previously explained. .!u= breeder ii°eneithei incubators noi brooder- of the arti ficial order, but depends entirely upon lidtural mother-, of which, ow msr to the ctonses favoured, he ha- any quantm when e\er de.-ired : ami <t will not surprise reader-) to learn that under the»e .-onclitioiis I'ibreediag se&ion is a veiy busy ons. but lie

ias excellent hatches and little chicken morality.