POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3714, 19 May 1925, Page 29

POULTRY NOTES.

By

Terror.

“Poultry Breeder.”—You will find a list of shew dates at the head of this column. Jt will remain till the end of the show season. The schedule for the Dunedin Fanciers’ Club show, to be held on June 11, 12, and 13 this year, is to hand ; also that of the Christchurch show, on June 11, 12, and 13. It is rather awkward to have these two shows held at the same time, and looks like bad management on the part of the association. It means, I take it, loss of entries to both show's. I have also the schedule for the fourth annual show of the Nightcaps Club, to be held on the 22nd and 23rd of this month, and find that the usual classes are provided for. Hie following inducements show that a good entry is deserved by the promoters of this young club:—Best bird in show, £2 2s rosebow'l; most points in poultry, gold medal donated by Air F. Boyle; best Wyandotte cockerel, either class or variety, 10s 6d cash; best Orpington in show, 10s 6d cash; best Rhode Island Red pullet, one sack of wheat; best utility white Leghorn pullet, 10s 6d cash; best utility white Leghorn cockerel, 10s 6d trophy; best Sussex fowl, 10s 6d cash; best Old English Game cock or cockerel, 10s 6d cash; best bird in Novice Class, 10s 6cl cash; best local bird, 10s 6d cash; best bird in Children’s Class, one setting Old English Game (value 15s), 10s 6d cash; Most points in ducks, £cwt meat meal; best Homer cock, 10s 6d cash; best Homer hen, 10s 6d cash; best bantam in show, 10s 6d cash; best canary in show, 10s 6d cash. The egg-laying test at Bendigo (Victoria) for the 12 months just ended has produced the very creditable result of an average of 253 eggs per bird, with an aggregate laying of 157,000 eggs. Several of the birds, both in light and heavy breeds, layed over 300 eggs apiece. Sluch results reflect credit, not only on the breeders, but on the management at the test, for, as has been often pointed out, high production is due half to breeding and half to feeding. Talking about eggs! A New Zealand poultry expert who chaperoned a million local eggs to England has returned with good news. He declares that if Enzed hens would only lay enough we could capture practically the whole of the British import trade, amounting to £13,000,000 worth of shell-backs per annum. This sounds healthy, and suggests that if someone comes along and invents an artificial hen, or a synthetic egg, he will make a fortune. This, in fact, is the only way we can produce those £13,000,000 worth of eggs, for assuredly the Labour Party will object to such a colossal task imposed on our already overworked cacklers. But there is one thing we cannot understand. Our egg man also tolls us that New Zealand eggs brought a penny and twopence per dozen more than the British eggs a week old. This raises an interesting problem. If a dozen of Enzed eggs, two months old, bring twopence per dozen more than a dozen of English eggs one week old, how much per dozen will a dozen of Enzed eggs two years one day old? The answer will amaze veu, as, indeed, it does us, in the light of the fact that we have now discovered the secret of wiping off our National Debt.—Aussie. Preparing Fowls for Show.—First thing, put the birds intended for show in coops similar to the ones they will be in at the show. The birds require a certain amount of training to fit them for the show pen. This is better done in a small pen, where you can handle them and stroke them down, and get them accustomed to being handled. Then you can with a short, smooth stick teach them to stand well, and show off their best points. If you feed them by hand, giving them little bits of cooked meat through the bars or wires of the pen, they will soon learn to come to the front. So much for training. Before going to the show they will require washing, aqd this is best done two or three days previous to the show. In washing Leghorns you require three lots of water —soft water, if possible. The first lot of water should be nice and warm. Hold the bird in this a few minutes, tho head, of course, being out of the water. Now take some very soapy water (not soap) and rub it. well into the feathers with your hand, until you get a good latner and tho bird soaked to the skin. Keep squeezing out all the "dirt; then dip the bird again in the water, and repeat the soaking and rubbing. Before taking tho bird out of this water, try to get nil tho soap you possibly can out of the feathers: then place her in water No. 2, which should bo \varm, and sponge the bird thoroughly, getting anv remaining soap out of the fenlhers. Now with your sponge endeavour to get as much water from tho feathers as you con before you put her into No. 3 water. This will want just a little blue—enough to tinge the water a light blue colour. Hold the bird in this water, and rub the fenthers well with your hand under the water so that the water penetrates nil through tho feathers. After this, dry the bird as much as you can with the sponge: then use n soft towel, and drv tho bird by rubbing the feathers oarefully one way only. The bird should now' be placed in an unlined exhibition basket about 2ft from a nice

blight tire; keep turning her round every tew minutes, so that sue will uiy evenly all over. Give her a final rub (town wida a silk pocket handkerchief. Just bet or® going t 0 show give the legs amt comb a nnui wash, using a soft nailbrush, and. alter drying, apply just a little olive od lo comb and legs. A good rub with a piece of rough haunel will greatly improve ihe leg colour. See that tneie is no dirt under the scales on legs and feet. Tho above treatment, along with a small piece of sulphate of iron in the drinking water during tiie time you have the birds penned will be all you need to turn out the birds in first-class condition.’’ Another Way of Putting It.-Tiio fii f°ld in different ways. The iol owing by a contemporary sounds reasonable “ihe hen that lays 250 eggs in 10 months and then stops is not such a -rood from " hlch breed as the lien produces eggs in 12 months without a bieak. Ihe stoppage from laying im \[. cates a lack of constitution and vitality and the pegging away for (he full i£ months is evidence of tho possession of constitutional vigour.” -Reilly’s Central Produce Mart reports: An exceptionally good demand for table poultry of ail descriptions; supplies coming to hand are not sufficient to meet local « mei, T tS - ii ** ncoß show U distinct auvance. Jn all we penned at our sale on Wednesday about 540 birds, hens realising from o.s 2d to 6s, pullets from 8s 2d to 14s bd, cockerels from 3s 2d to 10s 6d, ducks tioin bs 4d to 9s 6d (all at per pair). Breeding pens of Silver Wyandottes, Black Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds realised f ‘ ol ß ' ?s 6d to 12s 6d each. Breeding pens of Brown Leghorns, White Leghorns, and Aiinorcas realised 6s 6d to 13s each, Minoica cockerels 10s to 21s, \\ hite Orpingtons bs to i4s Od each. Breeding pens of (.’arapines—hens realised 21s each, cockerels 30s each. At the moment there is a good inquiry for stud birds of all descriptions. Eggs have been coming lo hand freely, a* large quantity being pullets’ eggs. There is every indication of the market coming back; prices will be easier, but w*e hav® been fortunate, inasmuch as we have been able to place all consignments received up to the present at 3s 3d to 3s 4d per dozen, for stamped and guaranteed, while ordinary cased eggs make 3s 3d. Pullets’ eggs ar© making 3s per dozen. Preserved Eggsl Large quantities have come forward, bub we have been fortunate in clearing consignments at 2s and 2s 2d per dozen. Afc the moment we would strongly urge upon, our poultry friends to market all their eggs as speeduy as possible.