POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2997, 23 August 1911, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

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The Utility Poultry Club of England has drawn up a standard of points for tab!© poultry, in which (1) size and qualitget 25 points; (2) youth—quantity and quality of breast meat, 30 points; (3) straightness of keel, firmness of bone, absence of offlal, and surplus fat, 25 points; (4) general marketable "appearance, colour of skin, etc., .get 20 points. From this it may be inferred that the much-discussed question of colour is by no means a bar to any breed or cross of poultry, for if the otherwise general marketable appearance was good, only a fraction of 20 points could be lost for colour. An English authority (Mr J. G. Edwards) directs attention to the fact that quite recently the total sum | paid for table poultry to senders m the j counties of Surrey. Kent, and Sussex alone j amounted to £l9,22o—and this in one j year—by a firm in Leadenhall Market. Mr j Edwards says that in order to succeed in ! producing- fowls with the excellence the j standard requires, it is necessary to have I good material to work with. It is possible | to improve a chicken and make it marketi able when it would not otherwise be so, j and it is equally easy to spoil a promising ! bird by injudicious treatment. The founI dation of success in producing the true I type is to have the right kind of fowl to' | begin with. The most popular sire for j obtaining the required qualities is tin ; donbtedly the Indian, game, on account o*» the exceedingly good quality and quantity of the breast meat, the primary essentials in a table fowl. Let us see in what a good breast consists—depth, breadth, and length. The breast should be deep, especially in front, as on this depends the. breadth of the slices to be cut from it; the quality depends upon the depth of the keel of the breast bone. The breast must be broad, as on this depends the number of slices it will yield • and it must be long, so that there shall be leneth in the slices out as well as depth and width. The. drawbacks to the. game fowl are the tinted skin and large bone. It 16, therefore, advisable to make a cross in order to obtain the ideal bird. For size and whiteness o'f skin, the old English Dorking has been found to be one of the best makes, but the Dorking has its failings, being a somewhat shy layer and difficult to rear. This is the cross with which Mr O. E Biooke was so successful in carrying off. the prizes at and the Daiu-v of late yearrc. Since the introduction of the Orpingtons. ! crosses of Indian game-Buff Orpington have, been very successful. The Orpington is a J large-framed bird and a good winter layer. | The Langshan has the same oualifications. I The Sussex has been speoiallv bred for I table purposes, Of French breeds, the | Houdan and the Faverelles arc excellent, j the latter being the earliest to attain I maturity of any breed, cockerels having j been reared to weigh 41b 12qh at 13 weeks, I and pullets 31b 6oz, Orpingtons averaging' I 41b 4oz for cocks, and pullets 31b 3oz at i the same a£e. Both of these have the white flesh which is considered a sine qua noln with most people. Of breeds with tinted flesh, but otherwise eonformin-r to the standard, we havo the Plymouth Rock and Wyandotte, both of which make excellent table bird;'. The prejudice against tinted flesh is disappearing. Having decided on which breed to keep, the next consideration is how to obtain the qnafi- / ties of youthfulness. plumpness, size, and I the absence of offal in the one fowl. As a

' rule, the big- birds arc too old and th 4 young ones havo not the size. With tba right kind of chicken, the rapidity . of development is the one thing to Mm at, as this means that the bird will bo more tender at a larger size than if the growth : were prolonged; besides which there is a considerable saving both to the rearer and the fattencr. Both will have them off their hands in less time, so saving timet and money. j The question of how to attain quick development is the problem that puzzles | poultry-keepers. Some breeds attain ! maturity quicker than others, but in an* case it must depend to a very large extent upon the care and feeding of the chickens in their earliest stages. They must go right ahead from the shell, and never "look back. The Sussex-rearers pin their faith to ground oats and milk. Others think there .is nothing better than biscuit meal and ground oats. When the birds are three to four months old they should be put through a special course of fattening by being shut up in coops for from 14 to 21 days." These coops are 3ft long, 18in wide, and 24in high; the bottoms are made of slats laid lengthwise Ijin apart, so that the birds can stand firmly to allow the excrement to drop through. The front is made of upright j'ods 2in apart to enable the birds to feed from Y-shaped troughs hung on the out<s/de of the coop. The food is in a semiliquid state, about the consistency, of thick cream. The birds eat -as much as they can. The troughs are then removed until next .-■,-tune, a sack being hung over the - „... oi the pen to keep the birdg quiet, i rough-feeding' lasts until the appetite begins to fail. The birds are either sold As half-fatted or they are crammed for another week. Although they do not increase in weight at the same rate as during the first fortnight, * they set , a finished appearance, which makes them more saleable. The increase in weight during the three weeks is from l-|lb to 2£lb, according to the size and condition of the* fowl. The process of killing generally adopted is to. take the bird under the left arm, securing the legs and wings; then take thobird's head in the right hand, having the neck between the first and second fingers. The neck is stretched to the full extent; then by an upward turn of the wrist th& -neck is dislocated, and death is instantaneous. Plucking- and pressing should commence at once, the bird being held between, the knees, with head hanging down. The' blood then flows into the cavity beyond the beak. When, plucked and the stumps of feathers removed, the birds are placed in shaping boards until cold; they are then packed in boxes of a dozen or two dozen size. Clean straw is put on' the bottom, then a layer of birds, then more straw and white paper. The birds should be graded in sizes and the box despatched to the dealer, who is advised by \>ost as to number of -birds sent and how. Ail birds should' be fasted at least 24- hours before being killed, so that the crop and intestines' 1 should bo quite empty. This makes therh. keep better. THE POINTS OF AN EGG. An instructive leaflet (recently issued by the National Poultry-Organisation Society and written by Mr Ed. Brown, F.L.S., deals with the important subject of the standardisation of eggs. Mr Brown makes some thoughtful remarks and mentions 11 points as worthy of particular attention. They are as follows: — 1. Size. The consumers' preference is for eggs weighing 2oz each, or 151 b per 120 eggs. 2. Shape. Medium formations are preferred; anything in the direction of malformation militates against value'. 3. Shell. Roughness of sheel is undesirable; the smoother it is the better. 4. Bloom. A new-laid egg has a bright, shiny coating, and experienced buyers can tell the ago more or less by appearance. Washing is undesirable. A dirty-shelled egg is useless for the best trade. 5. Colour. Tinted eggs are often preferred, and to meet the demand there' should be a fair proportion of ''brown" eggs. _ ' 6. New-laidness. W hen one or two days old the'white of an egg when boiled dees not thicken to the extent that it will later, but remains milky, clothv, and flaky. After from three to five days this condition disappears; something has gone which makes for flavour and quality, and such eggs do not. command the top price. 7. Fullness. On« sign of "new-laidness" is that the egg shall be- full, by which is meant that the air space is scarcely visible. Observations on the evaporation of eggs, made in cool weather, show that out of 120 oggs one ceg contents disappeared in six days, two in 13 days, three in 21 days, four in 29 days, five in 36 days, six in 47 days, and seven in 60 days. 8. Brightness. By this is meant clearness of contents through the shell, not dull opaqueness. There must be no spots which represent moulds or dark areas, generally betokening development of the germ ov bacterial colonies in the white. 8. The white and the yolk ligaments must be strong and firm, and the volk also round. A flat age. These qualities are not revealed until the shell is broken. 10. Dolour of yolk. The best eggs have a reddish-yellow look, not mire yellow. This also 'is not ascertainable until "the shell is broken. 11. Infertile eggs keep tetter than those that are impregnated. Mr Brown states his conviction that if infertile eggs could be guaranteed for market purposes they would soon win favour. Large /producers, h<-. says, may easily secure this result, and small ones also, if they set themselves to do so. THE REARING OF TURKEYS. (By Miss M. Graham.) Those who have space and suitable soil —light, and dry—should go in for turkeyrearing. If the soil, however, is heavy clay, don't at.ionmt this branch of poulti-v-rear-ing. With h*»avy clav land egg-production would pay better. Where tu ,- k-ev-rearing is a success it is ntw> of thr> roo.?t, remunerative of the pou'h-v industry. Select stock birds with large frames and good bone--not, less than two roars old; year-old hens lay earlier and mare in number, therefore many neople prefer to use them; but as year-old birds are not matured stock, ther -lionM in all cases be mated to a. three-year old stag, or vice versa. -—Notes on Feeding.The turkey hen is a.n excellent mother even when young, and ran be safely trusted with hor brood. It is better to store the eggs in a cool, dry place till t.li4

turkey hens have done laying. When letting, put the surplus eggs under hens, hatehtng l out all at the same mising labour and giving the jouiig tm keys a better chanoc. If. Hocks of ditte rent ages are hatched out it means a great deal of extra labour looking after them, as they will not thrive, if put together. Unfa* going in for a very large number of btxb? it is better to have them all of the same ago. ~, Don't leave young turkeys so long without food as chicks. About 12 to IB hour? old they will eat nicely. Custard with a little oatmeal they enjoy, especially it held on the fingers for them to peck at, Haix boiled eggs and breadcrumbs moistened with milk, milk curds, and oatmeal—all this" is excellent for first feeding. Sharp grit must be supplied from the hist day, scalded biscuit meal of a good, sound quality, makes a nice change, and is good lor building up the frame. Raw chopped fine and mixed with the soft rood is a favourite dainty. .Any tender green food—onion tops, chives, lettuces,- dandelions—is of great benefit to them. Nettles should be cooked and given in the form of porridge, as they arc rather tough when raw. Skim milk to drink will bring them on quickly. Meat, if sound and the liquid in which cooked, may with advantage be added. However, this is not imperative, as excellent turkeys can be reared, without it, and for the majority of poultrykeepers it is just as well they can, as in summer it would be a somewhat difficult matter to get sound meat for turiceys. Groats or No. 2 chick feed gives variety and exercise if scattered on clean pasture. —Rearing the Youngsters.— It is better not to confine the mother inside the coop during the day. A strong cord fastened to a swivel can be fastened to her leg, allowing room to go into the coop out of showers. This liberty will be good for the bird, and she will c«!4ainly protect her young from birds of prey, giving them warning to hide long before the human eye can detect anything amiss. Move the coops daily on to fresh ground. At an early age they will take steamed wheat and " poultry rice dried off with sifted barley meal"; middlings, or Sussex oats form excellent feeding. For the rest feed' early and late, often and little. Never let the food or milk get sour if you wish to avoid bowel trouble. Keep them clean and dry; give roomy, well-ventilated coops; shelter from too strong rays of the sun. This can generally be obtained under shelter of a hedge where insect life is more abundant •than in the open field; also protect them from strong winds. This treatment is the one till after "shooting the red," when, with full liberty, they thrive well on three meals per daytwo of soft food and grain for supper. The soft food may consist of cooked potatoes dried off with plenty of meal of a nitrogenous nature. Some poultry-keepers give meal for the entire food without the cooked potatoes, but they thrive equally well on the potato mixture, and it is not leiarly so expensive. During the harvest, if grain is plentiful and good breakfast., is, generally all they require. You will easily know by theii crops if any supper is necessary. Milk they will always drink and enjoy. Keep a box of grit beside their feeding troughs. RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN AMERICA. - —lnfluence of Food on Colour of Yolk and Skin.— Many experimenters have observed that foods affect the colour of the yolk of the egg iand shanks, and, in a less pronounced way, feathers -of fowls. Alfalfa, clover, and yellow corn impart a 3-ellow or cream colour. Buckwheat, oats, and wheat have a tendency" to give a lighter colour. The colour of the shell appears to be more largely a question of individuality, although it is believed hbxt certain colour pigments in the lime supoly will affect the colour of the shell. However, so far as the writer can learn, this has not been conclusively demonstiated. No definite conclusions have been formed as to the influence on egg-production, except as compared to forced idleness, or bare floprs in cramped quarters, which, as might be expected, produced very unsatisfactory results. It ap£iea_r6 from the experiment tried that free range and natural exercise and liberty are beneficial, but that forced exercise, which keeps fowls hungry in order to induce may restrict the amount of food eaten to such an extent that it will limit production and defeat the beneficial effect of exercise. Wheeler found that the heavier breeds were benefited by the exercise of hunting for grain in the litter, which was explained by the fact . that it prevented laziness and the tendency to become too fat. — : Inheritance of Prolificacy.— The conclusions of Dryden and Gowall are that the developing of high prolificacy is a .slow process, because of the tendency to inherit qualities beyond immediate ancestors, and because of the uncertain influence of the male. More important, perhaps, is the self-limiting tendency of abnormal production, which weakens the constitution, thus limiting the strength of succeeding generations to withstand the strain of heavy production,, even though they inherit prolificacy. To quote: In 1908 the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station designed and constructed 50 trap-nests, and put them in use by the pullets kept that year. . From time to time the work has been extended, until now 200 trap-nests are in use. by 1000 hens. By the tra.p-inest it is possible to know the exact daily work which every 'hen is doing. At the! end of the year those that had laid 160 eg-g9 or over were selected and saved for breeders. They were bred to males whose mothers had laid 200 or more good eggs per year. No female has been used in the bleeding pens for six years whose mother did not lay at least 160 eggs in her pulle/t year. No males have been used as breeders unless their mothers had laid above 200 eggs per year. The breeding-pens are nowfilled with birds of both sexes that have ?ix generations of mothers and fathers before them that were bred under these rigid rules of selection. The stock commenced with in 1898 had been laying about 12!0 each, par year for several years, as shown by the flock records. Dunne- the last two years the hens have averaged 144 eggs each during their pullet year. There seems to be reason to conclude that the producing capacities of the hens have been Increased by about two dozen eggs per E>ar. Perhaps this increase is not a*' due the selection and breeding. The dry eding and open-air housing, doubtless, have contributed to the improvement. But. reason about it as one may, the fact re-

mains that not a drone or small producer, backed only by beauty of form, feature, or colour, has had a place in the breeding of these birds in any of the last six generations." The above sums up the spiendid practical, work of Professor Gowall.

CENTRAL PRODUCE MART. Messrs Reilly, Scott, and Gill report: Poultry: At cur sale'on Wednesday 'ast we received in all 905 birds, all of which mvt a splendid demand—in fact, the sale was one of the best we have had for some time. Hens realised 2s, 2s Id, 2s 3d, 2s 4d. 2s 6d, 2s 9d, and 3s each. Young roosters realised 2s 3d, 2s 4d, 2s 6d, 2s 9d, 2s lOd, 3s, and 3s Id each. Ducks realised 2s 6d, 2s Pd 3s, 3s 3d, and 3s 6d each. Pullets made 2s 6d, 2s 96, 3s 4d, 3s 6d, 3s 7d. 3s lOd. and 3s lid each. Geese mrdo 2s 3d, 2s 4d, and 2s 6d each. Turkey gobblersgood id, light 7id per pound: hens—good weights 6d to 6£d per pound, light-weights 5Jd per pound. Beeswax Is sd, bloodmeal 15s to 17s per 1001 b. Eggs: Stair;* ed. land! guaranteed, Is Id to Is 3d per dozen ; ordinary case eggs from Is to Is 2d per dozen, to-day Is.