POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2772, 1 May 1907, Page 31

POULTRY NOTES.

Bt Tekhok.

I vvas very glad to receive last week, after handing in my notes for publication, a letter on the subject of the Orpington Club, for, as 1 pointed out, criticism of their action will help the organisers of the club in their well-mes'iit efforts to increase tho popula'nty of the breed in which they are interoeting themselves. This week will be found another letter, which, as did that which appeared last issue, points out directions in which tRe executixe might retain original members as well as attract new ones. It would bo a great pity to see the Orpington Club ot the South Island fail to establish iteelf as a permanent organisation, for specialist clubs are needed to sustain intert^t in poultry culture generally; and tho successful institution of one such would inevitably lead to specialisation in other interests. — The schedule issued by the Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club of Lhn-stchi'ieh t<}y theLr show to be held on Juno 6, 7, and 8 next, is attracting considerable attention down south. Like last year's, this schedule is in handy book form— i.e., long and narrow ; just the most convenient shape for the coat pocket — a great improvement on the large, einglo sheet which the club was so long in discarding. The judges this year are Mr J. Casey, of Wellington, for Loghorns, Minorcae, variety bantams, and Hamburgs; Mr E- ReiHv (Dunedin) for Langshans, Dorkings, Indian gamo. Malays, Campines, Anconas, Andalusiane, Spanish, Cochins, Plymouth Rocke, novice classes, old English game, Brahmus, Houdans, and Polish; and Mr Maude (Sydney) for modem game, game bantams, Wyandott-es, and Orpingtons. The three judges decide for the ladies' bracelet. The special prizes which are to be given in addition to pr^e money are numerous, and include about Two dozen cups and quite a number of money prizes of values from £1 to £5 ss. Mi- J. Maude adjudicates in the pigeon section, with the exception of working homers, which will !>e taken by Mr A. C. Gerard, of Christchurch. Entries close May 16. Sprosen, of Clyde sircr-t, has purphased from Mr Kesteven, of Christchurch, fe very handsome Orpington cockerel— a son Of the winning bird at Dunedin lest year. This new acquieition to the Dunedin Orpington fancy is a bird of fair sizo, good snape, splendid colour (eye and feather), more Orpington in bead points than the rest of the stock in Mr Sprosen's yards (which are oh the fine side generally), and, to my mind is the identical thing required to ensure alltfound improvement in his next season s progeny. This fancier hag ako purchased a Very pretty trio of white Leghorns. The hons are bred from Mr Roberta's (Abbotsford) imported stock, and the cockerel is, I believe, of Howell's strain. All three are white io lobe and feather, have good les colour, fair length of body, and are fine in, head points— i.e., have nicely serrated combs to fine texture, sound faces, and wattles to match. — I have 6een no Minorca pens this season of quality worth mentioning and am con-

siderably astonished to find myself .compelled to make the acW.owledgment. Hearing so much, as we do nowadays, of utility in the poultry yards, it seems strange that the large-sized eggs of the Minorcas are not more sought after. It. would certainly attract considerable attention amongst ihi> Orpington and Wyandotte productions now so much to tho fore. The mere fact that the Minorca is not ihe present-day fancy for show purposes should not influence the Drofessed utility breeder to the extent of discarding the breed altogether from his yards; for quite aside from the fact that, bred for egg production only, the Minorca will in the future as in the past compare favourably with any breed, a few large eggs in a consignment would attiatt favourable attention in any market. Further, don't let anybody imagine that the day of the Minorca is over for ever. This breed of fowl has too many points of attraction for the true fancier to be discarded for long ; and it is safe to prophesy that in the course of three of four seasons" it will be again at the height of favour. Mr T. H. Harrien, -nhose work, "The Minorca Fowl." has seen many editions, speaking of the qualities of tho Minorca, tells of records of 226 eggs from the breed as far back as 1886; and there are any number of New Zealand fanciers who boasted, up to very recent years, of the egg yield these bird 3 gave then ; so that the fact that the fancier has ovcr-'lono things in the matter of comb and size is no reason why bird* of true type should not still be in favour. In a very few years' time theie will be considerable hunting in the back-blocks for birds of pure Minorca strain, and those who can produco them may do profitable business if wide awake. Minorcas arc non-sitters, atiain early maturity, stand confinement well, and forage well if they have opportunity. — Mix a little salt with the morning mash. — The more meat you give the fowls the more eggs they will lay. —At the fifth Haw'keabury, where the latest record was made, more meat than usual was given, and the conductor says that the quantity could have been increased with advantage. — Too much meat, however, is bad for young chickens. Thpy mature before they have time to grow a proper frame. —In tho winter green or raw-cut bone at the rate of 2oz per bird three time a week will increase the egg yield. —A. Tapper and Co. (per Mr E. Reilly) report for week ending Saturday, 27th ult. :— Poultry have been arriving freely. Unfortunately a number of the birds are very low in condition, and prices for this class of poultry must prove as disappointing to consignors as they do to salesmen. We respectfully advise consignors to keep inferior, diseased, and undersized poultry at home, as this class of poultry tonds to lower prices all lound. On Wednesday we catalogued sone 870 birds, and sold hens at 2s 6d to 3s; cockerels, from 3e 6d to 4s 6d; ducks, 3s 6d to 4e; geeee, 4s to 5s per pair; rejected, undersized, and diseased birds at . any price 3 offering; turkeys — gobblers Ed per lb, hens 4|tl to sad. Purebred poultry (breeding stook birds): Cocks, from Is 9d to 4s; cockerels, 3s to da 6d : pullet*, 2s 3d to 3s 4d ; hens, 2s to 2s 9d each. E<*<rs: Case eggs, Is 9d to Is lOd ; stamped and guaranteed fresh, Is lid to 2s per dozen. Pigo, 1401b to 1801b, 5d per lb; heavier aud lighter weights at corresponding prices.

THE ORPINGTON CLUB.

To Terror,— Like your correspondent "Anxious," I should be pleased to hear what progress the Orpington Club, "as at present constituted," has made, or is likely to make. It appears to me that the president and seerefaryi have themselves to blame for any lack of support accorded the club by tho Orpington fanciers of New Zealand. Ac far as I can gather, no really live effort has been made to popularise the club. Certainly a meeting was held in Dunedin last year, and, judging by the tone of several speakers, I came to tho conclusion wo were going to ha\e a, real live club; but, alas! the only com ment I have seen or heard previous to "Anxious's" letter was the complaint made by the president of lack of support. In what way did tho powers that he exrtct Orpington fanciers to come forward. I understood an effort was to be made to procure a life-sized standard «>f either Buff or Black Orpington. Has the suggestion been carried out? A veal hvo club would nro\e of service not only to club members, hut to the whole of the Orpington family. I have sufficienf confidence 111 the Orpington breeders of New Zealand to warrant me saying that, proklod they have confidence, the club will be of -jervico, and, conducted on up-(o-date line?, thoy will come forward and give the club their hearty support, but they, like myself, object to pay 5s per year for the privilege of belonging to a practically ckfunct society — I em. etc., Black Orpixgtoj.

LIFE HISTORY OF THE EGG

Mr D. F. I.auri >, Government ro"lt- rv expert, in his series of lectuios, takes as enc of his subjects "The Egg." He says fhat in view of the export trade in eggs it was highly important that poultryftrmors should loirn all about oggs ami egg production. He traced the life history of an ogg from the ovary of the hen to the time a ohieke.i was hatched from it. Unless a c tcre of energy was accumulated in ilie system of (lie hon. by means of suitable fcod and treatment, lho oyarie* would not become active. In^ufticient nutrition, therefore, militated agairibt. eggprcductio.i. The alLurrtn, or white of an ogg, was a fle-h fern-ing substance, in tended for tho nourishment of the embryo whilst in the •hell. It was also, as a nonconductor, intend >d to scr\e the purpoec of ffuai diner the e.-nbr-,o from ehanga of ton opratun\ wlnkt its suecessh'e layere or thicknesses protected the unhatched cluck from external shock. The shell of an egg was, praoticaJly speaking, carbonate of lime. If the ovaries were overexcited by stimulating food or other causes, on© result might be a doubloyolked egg. A Yen could only lay as many egs» as were- contained in her ovaries, and the old text-books said there were about 800 in the c rdinary hen. However, he believed that thia estimate was very much under the mark, and would be found to bo largely exceeded at the present dato If the hens were given spio<-s, csyenne^ peppor, and other stimulating foods, the excitement in the reproducing crgens might result; in the fowls shedding yolks without albumen or fth.^l1 — a serious state of affairs. Undue exctf^rnent in any form was liable to cause fcto hens to lay abnormally-shaped Ptftffl. For export purjSobcs infertile eggs were preferable to those which were fertile, be\v-u* r ? they kept better. There were only ways of

ascertaining whether an egsc was feriila or not — one was to break the epg and examine it with a microscope, and the other was to place it under a hen rind see whether it would produco a chicken. Poi.ltry-farmcrs who wanted egs?<; for export should keep the male birds away fiom the hens. There was no life in an infertile esjg, and therefore nothing to cause internal decay. But fertile eggs contained gernis which had undergone a transformation before they were laid. People often wondered why hens that laiil away in a hidden nest usually hatched large clutches The reason was that each day when they visited the ncsi to lav another egg they revived the warmth of the other eggs. In gathering eggs for an incubator they were kept at <he temperature of the atmosphere, whatever that might bo, from the time they were laid until they were placed in. the fostermother. The best thing to do was t«> place, if possible, none but new-laid eggs in the incubator. The introduction and extensive use of the incubator was gradually having the effect of doing away with the brooding- inclination in some breeds of fowls, owing to modern methods of poultry management.