POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3331, 16 January 1918, Page 45

POULTRY NOTES.

By Tkkbok.

I am informed by a recent "visitor to Christchurch that the birds in one of the leading pens ati the Papanui competition, entered as white Leghorns, are merely white of no particular typo, and which by a fancier would bo described shortly as "just fowl"! Presuming that I am correctly informed, I must say that this is not as it should be, for no birds should be accepted by the management and allowed to compete as of a particular breed unless they are typical specimens of that breed. Should such "aliens'* happen to put up good records, there is the danger that, they, or eggs laid by them, may be purchased by breeders desirous of improving 'their own stock, and who, without personal inspection, are justified in thinking that the New Zealand Utility Club is satisfied as to s the purity of _ the birds penned at the competitions. First crosses and mongrels properly treated will often do marvellously well ae layers;' but it is next door to a miracle when they reproduce stock of . equal merits as layers, of similar appearance as to plumage, or even, alike in shape. A 'Canadian poultry expert says that Leghorn varieties with white ear lobes in 'the fall (autumn) are better layers than those with yellow or creamy-coloured ear lobes. He says also that birds with closelyworn toenails are considered better layers than those with long nails; and the bird which goes into the moult with worn and ragged plumage is a better layer than the bird with no such marks that bespeak hard work during the preceding year. At the Papanui egg-laying competition the thirty-eighth week ended January 1 shows Mr W. H. West leading in the white Leghorn section (six birds to the pen) with 1087 eggs. Calder Bros.' pen comes next with 1080. In .the heavy breeds Mr F. Staine's black Orpingtons are leading with 1011 eggs. The leading pen in the single-pen competition is Messrs Green Bros.' white Leghorns, which has Aa.id 236 ceggs, and Mrs Mills's ' bird holds second place with 222. The Indian runner duck test (six bird~> to the pen) stands as fol-lows:—-W. Knight, 1126; Heretaunga Poultry Company, 1241; Mrs. Gee. 1160; W. T. Green, 1319;,H. W. Bower, 1320;—total, 6166. Forty-eight eggs were gathered from the nine spare ducks. Mr Alf. Walker, the veteran Christchurch fancier, well known locally as a consistent visitor (and exhibitor) to the Dunedin Fanciers' Club Show, and to all meetings of the South Island Association held here, is reported to he seriously ill. Mr Walker is not a young man exactly, but we may hope that his grand constitution, will enable him to pull through his personal trouble, so that for( apother spell he may be able to continue his usefulness in the fancy, in which ho has always taken great interest. dress at Waingawa, in the Wairarapa, on poultry matters generally, Mr Brown, Government Poultry Expert, said that it was not his policy to advocate commercial poultry farms unless under the control _ of an efficient manager. Commercial farming was like all other trades. An apprenticeship was essential to success. His department was out to' assist those who kept fowls as a side line—the small settler or suburban resident. It was from this source the country drew its supplies. If aM the commercial farms closed down rt would not make an appreciable difference in the supplies. Statistics showed that there were three and a-half million fowls in the Dominion, while the flocks containing over 60 birds were a negligible quantity. The small man produced eggs at the cheapest cost. He urged those who contemplated entering the industry to start with not more than 10 or 12 fowls, and gain their knowledge by personal experience. Many who failed in other avocations entered the industry as a last resource, and because they did not succeed decried the business. Inexperienced persons .should never launch out into the business —they wore doomed to failure. Those in the business should choose an authority and follow him to the letter every, time. Mr Brown said ho had boon asked repeatedly, What was the best breed? Ho would say there was no best breed. For egg-production it was a question of strain, not of breed. White Leghorns had been at the ton in many laying competitions, but there were eood and bad in these. In Australia the black Orpingtons had put up phenomenal, records, while some strains' were doing well in New Zea-. land. He advised those who wore starting or those who wanted to renew their stock to got into touch with a man who specialised in ono particular breed. Purebred birds should always bo kept. Hn would recommend those out to make money to go in for one-colour birds, either black or white • There were ample breeds 'o choose from under this category. It was easier to roino'v defects in on!*-colour birds than in those of mixed colours. He wished to impress '.he fact that egg-production should be strived after anH table birds treated as a

by-product. Mr Urown -stated thai it was impossible to overfeed good layers Some peoplo wore heard to say that "their fowls were too fat to lay. Such a condition \vas indicative that the bird was not concerned in egg-production. As to the class of food, ho could recommend nothing better than tho bill of fare used at laying' competitions. It must bo good and wholesome. Faced as we were with a scarcity of feed, it was essential to look about for a substitute for wheat and the etaplo food of to-day. Ho advocated the growing of'lucerne/which bad been satisfactorily experimented with, as .food by the department. —At the annual meeting of the South Island Poultry Association tho question of the framing of a utility poultry standard for tho whole of the Dominion of NewZealand oaused considerable-' discussion. After Messrs Amos, Brown, and other delo« gates had spoken strongly iivsupport of the Government'' instructors being allowed to judge, Mr A. E. Wilson (who was representing tho Wostport Club) said 'the efforts of tho Executivo Council to frame a standard acceptable to all parties had hia hearty support; but in fairness to tho New Zealand Utility Poultry Club he desired to. point out that the club was. in no way to blame for the position which had. arisen.- Tho Utility Club was standing by the principle that the utility breeders of New Zealand had a right to have a voice in the compiling of a standard, and the speaker said that the day. would come when tho valuable work done by the New Zoaland Utility Poultry Club in defence of this principle would bo appreciated and prized at its true worth. He asked ; delegates present to point out any defects in the standard now m use, ajid stated that' it had been approved by both the North and South Island Associations, and had been for two years before the Now Zealand Poultry Association without a singlo alteration being suggested. In conclusion, Mr Wilson stated that there could, bo no doubt of the loyalty of the vitilitv breeders to the North and South Island Associations, as they recognised that theso associations wero the governing bodies for show fix* tures.

—An Australian writer, recommending* the use of potatoes as poultry fee,d, says; " The potato by itself is neither a good egg-producing diet nor one that ordinarily gives good poultry resulte. But if po'tatoes are used as a basis for a summer poultry mash, good results may be obtained. Its poor protein results can. be improved by the introduction of desiccated nieat meal, the whole brought to a good mash form by an intermixture of bran and lucerne meal or chaff. Such a mash would be aa follows: —251 b potatoes, 4]b meat mc/d, 51b bran, and 51b luerne meal or chaff. Twice a week add to such a mash ilb flowers of sulphur. Variations of the suggested form of mash should be made frequently. Ground! oats may be added instead of bran, and maize meal instead of lucernemeal or chaff, or anv other fat-forming ration." Messrs JVaser and Co., agents for the Otago Egg Circle, unsteady. Case eggs, Is 4d ; stamped and guaranteed. Is sd. Poultry: 'All lines are wanted. Cockerels, 5s to 5s 6d;'liens, 3s 3d to 3s 9d; ducke, 4s to ss; geese. 6s; turkeys—goblers hens 9d to 9-jd (live weights). Wheat is now arriving from Australia, and is bringing 7s 3d to 75.6 d. Our own local be on the market about the middle of March. Owing to rust and smut we believe fowl wheat will be plentiful, and for this reason we wish to impress on poultry-farmers not to get nervous and sell off their stocks. The price of eggs will be good this year, and with proper management poultry-keeping will be a payable proposition." The Co-operative Fruit-growers of Otago (Ltd) report: "Fair consignments of poultry came forward for pur sale on Wednesday, and prices all round were fully maintained. Stamped and guaranteed eggs have been realising good values, and we have confidence in recommending consignments. The following prices were realised at our sale oil Wednesday:—Hens, Is 9d » to 2s 4d; cockerels. Is Id to 2s lid • ducks, 2e 3d to 3s; chicks, .7d each. Dressed poultry: Hens, 2s 8d to 2s 9d each."