POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3334, 6 February 1918, Page 39

POULTRY NOTES.

By Teh RGB.

I —"J. H. M.," Gisborne, writes to eay that he has- on several occasions bred black pullets with black legs from Plymouth flocks, and that during' the 1916 season he bred a black' cockerel possessing beautiful yellow legs. This season he has bred from nilm six young cockerels and two pullets with all his characteristics, and he has been advised by "eminent" judges that should be prove potent enough to reproduce his kind and not throw back to the "barred," there was a very-valuable asset in the bird, as fanciers at Home had tried for years to establish the strain. He asks what I consider he should do? First of all, I r.ray say that when Plymouth Itocks were somewhat of a leading fancy and greatly boomed by America, it was quite a common thing to find black pullets and cockerels among ths young stock; but they were considered simply as evidence of a strong tendency in a comparatively newly-established breed to throw back to the black Java, which was part of its make-up. My own impression is that these black sports usually throw back again to the '"barred," no matter how carefully they may be mated, and this for the eimplc reason that the barring is there, though it cannot be seen. I have seen beautiful black specimens which in strong sunlight could not hide their barring. The barring is apparently dominant. However, if "J. H. M." can establish a black strain of Plymouth Rocks, there need be no doubt but that they will find many admirers; but I should not like to promise him that they will prove a " valuable asset," unless they turn out to be better layers than arc 'the barred. In the poultry world just now utility points are what are sought for. It is nowadays altogether a question of "handsome is as handhome does," and unless the black Rock is a better 'table bird, a quicker grower, or a bettor layer than the barred Rock, I don't think it is a good proposition to concentrate on them with the idea that they will prove a " valuable asset." As a last word, I think "J. H. M." will do well to remember that, although the black Orpington as an entirely new breed proved a valuable asset 'to the inventors, it cost money to introduce and push them, and they were introduced into public favour not for their looks, but as dual utility birds—i.e., good both as layers and for the table. Ic must be admitted that black Wyandcttes are finding it hard to attract attention as against the Orpingtons, and I fancy black Rocks would find < it harder still, not to speak of the confusion caused amongst fanciers by so many black birds of similar build. Finally, 1 may admit that a black Rock cockerel with yellow legs is a rarity, and, as in black Leghorns, the leg colour will be difficult to retain. This is how Mr Tom Barron, the famous English utility breeder, feeds hie record layers: —"Wo give about four parts bran, two parts ground oats, one part fish meal, one part Indian meal, and two parts biscuit meal. This we mix with warm water, and feed in troughs at night. Give the birds as much as they can eat. Do not mind if they leave a little. Provided the houses are rat-proof, better than too little is the birds leaving a little at night, especially in the larger flock. Use more bulkyfood if your birds are too fat. arid scald it and mix other meals in after: you will alter their condition. Do not scald the food if your birds are not too fat. Warm or even cold water is be'tter."

The Co-operative Fruit-growers of Ot&go (Ltd.) have pleasure in reporting: " Wo marketed a good consignment of poultry on Wednesday. All lines were in keen demand, and, considering the season, sold exceptionally well. At the present moment wo have a keen demand for all fowls and poultry, and strongly recommend consignments. Eggs: Fortunately, we we.ro a bio. to place the whole of our consignments at good values, stamped and guaranteed male*' ing from Is 4cl to Is 6d per dozen. The following prices ruled • at our sale on Wednesday:—liens, Is 6d to 2s 5d ; ducks, 2s to 2s 6d; cockerels, Is 6d to 2s 9d; chickens, 6d to Is 3d." OTAGO EGG CIRCLE. The Otago Egg Circle's agents (Messrs Fraser and Co.) held their first sale of live poultry at their stores, Crawford street, on Wednesday last at 11 a.m. Circle members and farmers will be pleased to learn that the benefits to be derived by means of co-operation are now to be extended to the disposal of live stock, in the shape of thensurplus cockerels, second-year hens, and other stock not suited for the laying pens. The entry for a first sale was very good, and Messrs Fraser and Co. are encouraged by it to extend their accommodation so fchac a really large number of birds may be dealt with. Some 400 head of poultry changed hands, and the competition by the chief poulterers and freezing buyers being*, keen, the prices realised were good. Indeed, there is every evidence that tho Egg Circle's weekly sale will be the principal one in Dunedin. Mr M'Donald, who made his maiden effort as the auctioneer at this sale, was cordially tendered the fair run he asked for, and it was agreed by all that he richly deserved it, if only for the consideration he showed all bidders. In future the sale will be held every Wednesday at 1v.20 p.m., and Messrs Fraser and Co. suggest that, in view of tho Chinese New Year, which occurs on Monday, 11th hist., good prices should be obtainable for ducks at the next sale. To illustrate prices current, it may be mentioned that at last week's sale __ prices realised were as follow:—Pen No. 1: Twelve three-year-old white Leghorn hens, 2s 2d each; 14 chickens at Is ; 13 do, Is 3d ; 36 hens.' Is 9d; 12 do, 2s sd; 12 do, 2s 6d; 10 do, Is lOd; 7 do, 2s Id; 30 cockerels, Is 3d; 80 hens, Is 9d; 50 at 2s each ; 4.0 at le lid each; 18 chickens, 6d each; 60 hens at Is 8d each; ducks, .3s to 3s 3d each; geese, 3s 6d to 4s each; turkeys — gobblers and hens 9£d (live weight). In many cases better prices would have been obtainable for young cockerels had the birds, been specially fed for sale for even a couple of weeks.

THE FOLLY OF CROSSING HEAVY LAYING STRAINS. (By Mr Oscar Smart, the Scientific Poultry Expert.) The fecund factor constitutes what is known as a "fluctuating variant" —that is to sav. that it is never under any circumstances transmitted to the progeny—or., rather, developed in the progeny—to the same degree as it is found in the parents. If vou have a male bird from a 280-egg dam, and mate this male to a hen that gave 280 eggs in her pullet year, all the female progeny will not be 280-egg birds; it ii even doubtful whether any will come up to this standard., Moreover, the female progeny will also vary in respect to the number of eggs that each individual bird will lay. I have usually found, when plotting egg-production into a curve of error, for statistical purposes, that there are two means instead of one, as is found with many characters, such as weight. By this I mean that you will find the progeny'from two high fecund parents come out into two groups, both varying around two distinct figures— the first group will have a mean value of about lfiO, while the second group will have a mean value of approximately 220. Now. these figures are interesting in so far as thev show that there is no intensification of inheritance so far as egg-produc-tion is concerned, and there is but a small correlation between the progeny and the parents. When vou cross strains you find that this variation is greater, and that the degree of correlation between the parents and their progeny is proportionately lees. After yon have been breeding with one pure blood 'line for a number of generations you find the fluctuation less, and the degreo of correlation between the parents and the progeny gradually growing more pronounced. Nov,', this is what wc want, for the profit from fowls is not derived from a few "sprinters" and a number of poor producers—it is derived from those strains where the average production for the entire floe 1 .: very closely approximates to the mean production. The result of crossing strains is, therefore positively disastrous if the strains so eroded are of anv great value; for if the fecundity of 'the strain is high, any variation that occurs must necessarily tend to reduce rather than to increase this production and this for the very simple reason that it is impossible for 'the average pro- , duction to iro verv much beyond the present production of our best fecund birds. But. "if you take a converse case, you find that this rule, while still applying, yet puts the matter in a totally different light. If you are dealing with very low fecund stock, instead of with verv high fecund stock, you will still obtain the same extreme variation where strains are crossed. But with this difference: the variations will tend towards higher production rather than towards lower, because there is more scope for variation in this direction, under those circumstances, than is to be found in the case quoted above. My advice, therefore, is. if you" have a very fine strain of layers, do not ero?<? strains, and if you have a verv poor strain of layers cross strains freely until a high variant, or variants, i 3 produced. Changing the Method of Breeding.— Tt will clearly be seen from what we hare said that the methods necessary to build tip a strain of layers, and the methods necessary to preserve a slrain of lavers when once that strain has been evolved, are not by any means alike. In the first caso you encourage variation in order to produce your high fecund birds, but in the second case you discourage variation in order not to produce low fecund birds. I trust tba't this will not appear paradoxical to the reader —if he keens the, facts of variation always in view I feel sure it will not. Many excellent strains are built up. become famous for a few year*, and then degenerate. Why is this? It is simply because breeders are foolish enough to endeavour to preserve a strain of high fecund birds by the same methods of mating as thev have adopted in the building up of that strain. Surely this is absurd ! We want to learn how to preserve just as much as we want to learn how to improve; but tin's is a subject that has for too long been neglected.

TEMPERATURE IN INCUBATORS. Uno of tho latest reports dealing with this subject is that issued by tho Produce Agricultural Experiment Station, U.S. America, and it has reference to an experiment planned with tho idea of determining tho upper and lower temperature limits, tho influence on the temperature readings of tho position of the thermometer within the machine, and the influence of different temperatures in tho incubator on brown and white eggs. Five standard incubator thermometers and four 150-egg capacity incubators wore used. Four experiments wero made with each incubator, whilst tho brown and white eggs wero those of white Plymouth Rocks and white Leghorns respectively. Tho thermometers wero placed in tho following positions :— The hanging type* was suspended within the egg chamber at a height of 2in above the centre of the tray, tho standing thermometer was in the centre—towards the front—with the bulb on a level with tho top of the eggs, but' not touching them, whilst tho touching thermometers, two in number, were placed one on the brown and one on the whit© eggs near the standing thermometer. The remaining type, the Inovo, a long bulbed thermometer in a celluloid egg (supposed to register the temperature in the position ofthe germ in an egg) was placed near tho other thermometers. Tho details of the observations have been carefully tabulated, and the following are. tho " general conclusions drawn:—Touching" thermometers average slightly higher temperatures than standing thermometers; but the differences appear to have no influence on the hatching results. A temperature with a standing thermometer of ioo.sdcgthe first week. 101.5 deg the second, and 102.5 deg tho third, compares well in temperature and hatching with a hanging thermometer temperature of 103 deg for three weeks. No fixed recommendation is .given for the proper temperature of an Inovo instrument. That the heat given off by the developing embryos tends to equalise the temperature in all parts of the machine is demonstrated by the fact that whereas the hanging thermometer runs at a uniform temperature for the three weeks. Hie temperature at the level of tho eggs starts about 2.sdeg lower and rises to within Ideg oi tho hanging • thermometer tempeiature on tho twenty-first day of incubation. As regards temperature limits, the following are the conclusions : —That operators ol incubators should endeavour to hold down temperatures below common practice rather than allow them to rise above it; that lOldeg, 102 deg, 103 deg the first, second, and third weoks respectively, using a standing thermometer on a level with the top o£ the eggs, but not touching them, will prove very satisfactory; that a temperature slightly above or below tho series named will not influence the hatch one way or another; but that a temperature of 102 deg,». 103 deg, 104dcg is a little too highfor sue-' ■oessful results, and a temperature of 103 dog, lo4deg. lOodeg will injure the hatch greatly. Relative to brown and white eggs it is shown that they need the same tempera.-; ture, but tho interesting observation is made that brown eggs-have'a tendency to produce poorer fertility, more dead germs, more chicks dead in shell, and fewer chicks than white eggs. It is curious to note_ inS this connection that a similar observation, has been made at the . Harper-Adams Agricultural College, where results have tended to show that the white eggs of white Leghorns possess a higher hatchability than the tinted eggs of other breeds. No reason from the standpoint- ■of incubation can bo given for this peculiarity, and the subject is one for further investigation.

DUNEDIN FA?>SC!ERS' CLUB.

' A meeting-of the committee of the above club was held in Mr E. S. Wilson's Board Room last night. Mr W. Esquilant pre-' sided. The South Island Poultry, Pigeon, and Canary Association wrote stating that the conference to decide upon the utility poultry standard would be held in Christchurch. on February 4. The Otago Egg Circle wrote stating that it had appointed Mr P. L: Brown to act as one of the delegates to attend the conference to iix the utility standard for poultry. Mr Sam Crabtree wrote explaining that owing to war measures he was prevented from leaving England to come out and judge the dog section at the club's last show. He hoped the day of peace would soon be here, and that he would then have the pleasure of coming out to judge the, dog section. The Special Prize Committee reported the receipt of several additional prizes. The various schedule committees submitted reports in connection with their sec-': t:ons. —The reports were approved of. It was reported that the Young Bird Show Committee had agreed to include a section for cats and children's pets in con-"? nc-ction with its forthcoming show. Messrs P. L. Brown and H. L. Sprosea were appointed the club's delegates to attend the conference in connection with fixing the utility poultry standard. -> It was agreed to grant the Young Bird Show Committee the use of the club's pena for its show.