POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 50

POULTRY NOTES.

By Tekeob

Reference is made in the Kennel column to the intention of the Dunedin Fanciers' Club to hold a social in conjunction with their annual show. Some oldtime fanciers will remember that former club socials brought them together into more intimate and more pleasant relationship than the show itself can do, and, consequently, will now look forward to show-time with znore interest J;han they have of late years.

The capacity for high egg-production can (says an Australian authority) "be fixed and made hereditary." All breeders, he points out; who have become noted for big records in laying competitions owe their position to the fact that the bottom of their Guccess has usually ' been one very fine layer, discovered by means of single testing, and when found bred from. The question which novices will ask is: "How is this breeding from best layer to be effected?" The answer given by the authority I am quoting is, I think, as good as any. He says: "Well, you can't go wrong in proceeding on the lines that the sire transmits the laying character through his daughters, and the mother passes it on through her sons. Every experienced breeder knows that this is a fact. This being so, it will be recognised as most important that the care should be exercised when mating birds. The. sire should come from a strain that has been noted for several generations for high eggproduction, and the hen should come from a strain where similar conditions have existed, and if there is some amount of blood relationship, so much the better. As a matter of fact; if you produce big layers from an outoross —that is, from birds —it will bo a fluke, because you should not get them that way. In breeding operations it is pedigree that tells, and if you produce pullets from parents that are related —and where the laying ability has been pronounced on both sides for several generations —you are fairly certain to maintain the egg-laying habit in the bulk of the progeny, for the reason that this fixed character is the same on both sides, and the 'nick' is in the mating—in other words, . the breeding is in line." _ j There is a good deal of interest being '■ shown just now in the Old Country _ in respect to the Hogan system of selecting the layers. The poultry papers are devoting whole pages to explanations of the system, and correspondents are given rpace for inquiries and comments relating thereto Apparently there is no secret regardin"- the system nowadays as there was years ago, when it was introduced into New Zealand, and, consequently, people have not now to pay a heavy fee and remake a solemn vow not to divulge. In tins connection' a rather amusing thing is recorded as happening".at a recent conference of the National Utility Poultry Conference, when one of two authorities leo-

turing on the liogan system, after grading the same hen ; declared that it would lay 120 eggs in its first laying year; whilst the other authority, after covering the same ground, declared that the bird was good for 2CO during the same period! There are some good points about the liogan system, but I fancy that the English poultryrncn will find out in due course, just as we did, that it is not all it is cracked up to be by its most ardent advocates. The fact is that the "man" behind the hen is the most important factor in successful poultry-keeping. Even the selected hens sent to egg-laying competitions would lay poorly under bad management. In speaking thus I am not underrating the Hogan or any other system of selecting the best layers, but_ am simply trying to impress the novice with the importance of the fact that: let his birds be "capable" of the best, they will not "do" what they are capable of unless ho serves them as the "best" deserves to be served.^ "Eight years ago," says "Utility,'/ writing in England, "I knew nothing of poultry-farming, but through being discharged from the civil service I had to cast round for a new means of making a livelihood. I spent a full year on a well-known poultry farm, receiving board and lodging in return for my labour. At the end of the year I obtained a good post as poultryman, and gained a groat deal of valuable experience whilst earning a fair wage. At the end of the second year I started poultryfarming on a capital of £4OO, and since then I have made my living solely from the sale of table birds, eggs, eggs for sitting, and day-old chicks. I lost £3O the first year, and since then I have made well over £2OO each year. This sum suffices for the needs of my family. I live an outdoor and easy life. What I can do others can. What we want is State encouragement which will equip our discharged soldiers with the necessary experience." —To be successful it is imperative that we know our hens. We must test their abilities. We cannot afford to keep drones. Therefore, we must adopt some method by which we can determine the good from the bad. Noticing a hen repeatedly upon the nest is not a guarantee that she is about to lay. In using trapnests (says M. K. B. in the Maritime Farmer), I have almost daily captured hens on the nest, but no egg, and their annual records were very low. Every time a hen cackles when coming out of the laying room is no criterion that she has laid. I believe it was Collingwood who once said: "A cackling hen is either a layer or a liar" —and in using trapnests I have found quite a number of these cacklcrs to be "liars." So in the absence of trapnests the selection of layers is more or less guess work. It was said by some writers that "spare and leggy birds are the best layers." This opinion no doubt was based upon the fact that the Mediterranean class is built after that fashion. It was corroborated by the late Francis A. Mortimer, when he said that he found that hens with short legs, chunky bodies, short nocks, and small heads are as a rule indifferent layers. This would seem so from the standpoint that such hens are more of the meat order; but trapnests have told us that during the past few years our chunkiest Wyandottes are in the front row of layers. Felch said the* pullets that commence laying earliest in life are the ones to lay the largest number of eggs. There is some logic in that, but -we cannot always tell our earliest layers, if wo have no system of trapping them. necessary ,to a fowl as it is to' a human being. In the- ordinary dietary which we provide for our birds they do not obtain that amount of iron which their systems require. This loss should be made up in some way. In the absence of the medicated grits which are specially prepared in England, it is an excellent plan to introduce iron to the drinking water. The old fanciers did this by means of a few rusty nails or an old horseshoe. The modern method is to put in, a pint of water a piece of sulphate of iron of the size of a bean. After this has been done, and the water has been exposed to the air for a considerable time, it will become yellow in colour. If the proper amount of iron sulphate has been used this tint will be a light, not a dark, yellow. If it is of an orange hue too large a crystal has been used, and this is not desirable. Neither is it desirable always to' have the drinking water medicated in this manner. Once at the beginning of the week, and again at the end, is sufficient, allowing the water so treated to remain in the vessel for a whole day on each occasion. There are other ways of medicating drinking water. It is not a bad idea occasionally to pour a little Pamsh s chemical food into it. This is a good tonio and blood enricher, though probably it is better given in capsule form.. The empty capsules can be bought from most of the chemists, and filled with any medicine or oil by the fancier as required. Water in which ouassia chips have been steeped is also valuable. This will tone tho bird up,, and they grow to like the bitter taste. A Home paper is responsible for the following "simiole cure for gapes" :—"Procure from your stationer 3d worth of blotting paper, and from your chemist 3d worth of saltpetre. Dissolve the saltpetre in a gill of boiling water, then roll your blottin"- paper into small pieces, and soak in the° dilution of saltpetre and water. After doing this nut the paper on a plate in tho oven to dry. When this is done it is ready for use. Place the young stock affected in a cote or coop, which must be practically air-tight. Then set fire to some of the blotting paper on a tin plate or in a can, which the chicks cannot knock over. Burn enough to fill the cote or coop with fumes. _ Judge your own time to leave the birds in, but a few minutes is quite long enough. After this treatment —given not more than twice —the birds will bo in the best of health and free from gapes." According to the Daily Mirror, a laying competition is in progress at the Zoo. The entries include an ostrich, a couple of love birds, owls, vultures, pheasants, a penguin, storks, cranes, and a host of others. Tho 'favourite is a pretty eagle owl. which has already laid. The rest are simply nesting. We will back the ostrich if weight of esrsrs is taken into account. Reilly's Central Produce Mart (Ltd.) report:— A big yarding of pullets came forward for our sale on Wednesday. Small and unfinished white leghorn pullets realised 2s to 4s each, well-matured large pullets coming into lay realising from 4s to 8s each. Hens realised from 2s to 3s 6d. _ Good cockerels were in keen demand, as high as 4s 6d being secured. We sold a pen of Rhodes Island red hens at 7s 6d, and cockerels at 10s each. Ducks are in good demand, Indian runner ducks and ducklings making from 3s 6d to 5s each, and Pekins and Aylesburys would realise very good money." Eggs, stamped and guaranteed, realised 2s Bd, and preserved Is lid per dozen.

Fraser and Co., produce merchants, auctioneers, and commission agents, 146 Crawford street, Dunedin, report :—Eggs: .Fresh 2s 4d to 2s 5d Egg Circle eggs 2s 6d, preserved eggs (market weak) Is lOd to 2s. Fou!»':ry : Wo held our usual auction sale on Wednesday at 1.30, and the following prices were realised:—Black Minorca pullets, four and a-half months old —9 at 7s, 3 at 7s 3d; white Leghorns, five months old, 6 at Bs, 7at 8s 6d; cockerels—ls at 3s 3d, 18 at 3s 6d; ducks—3 at 3s 3d, 10 at 3s 6d; geese—4s to 5s each; turkey hens lOd, gobblers lid per lb, live weight. DUNEDIN FANCIERS' CLUB. A meeting of the committee of the above club was held on Wednesday night. Mr W. Esquilant presided. " The Secretary reported that the question of increasing the dog tax had been referred back to the General Committee of the council, and that he had written asking if the council would receive a deputation from the club on the matter. Mr R. H. Cunningham wrote resigning as a member owing to his leaving Dunedin. Mr Cunningham's resignation was accepted with regret, and a vote of thanks was accorded him for the many valuable services he had rendered. Messrs A. Goodman and R. W. Brown were appointed to fill the vacancies on the committee.

The Rhode Island Red Club wrote advising that it approved of the club's judges, and forwarded specials to be competed for by members of the Rhode Island Red Club. The Town Clerk wrote stating that the matter of increasing the dog tax is stiil under consideration. Mr J. Doe, Invercargill, wrote stating that he would offer 10s 6d as a trophy for Ihe best Wire Haired Fox Terrier. The South Island Association wrote approving of the schedule. It was resolved to close the club entries on May 23. , , , Mr H. Abernethy offered 10s 6d for the best Persian cat or kitten in the show.