POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3802, 25 January 1927, Page 33

POULTRY NOTES.

By Terror.

We are informed . by Reilly’s Produce Alart that they have been entrusted to cater for a large number of turkeys, ducks, and large hens. Good Birds Cost Aloney.—lt is not uncommon to hear caustic remarks on the folly of paying high prices for poultry. But is it folly? Can it be expected that a man will give all the best years of his life in producing a bird of higher standard than those generally produced, and one that will transmit features gained only by years of patient toil and (many times) great disappointments, for a figure that does not give some real return on the cost of production? If, then, it is desirable to secure just the- very best results of the year’s work iu a faincier’s yard, whatever the breed, some temptation must be offered that will induce him to take the risk of breaking his line of breeding in exchange for money, and for giving away his success to another who has had none of the years of toil and' patient work. Any progeny from a long line of pedigree stock which year after year secured premier honours has a special breeding value of its own, and, personally, I would rather have the cheapest birds off such a stud than the best off a stud that could show no pedigree of home-bred winners, or of birds with some marked characteristics that I needed. Let the motto be the best or none at all along the line; and whenever it becomes necessary to infuse fresh blood, though the outlay at the time may make one hesitate, let it be remembered that it is those who foresee the possibilities and take the opportunities that occur who win success. , The most decisive factor in all business is the human factor. It is allimportant in an industry that requires continuous individual effort. A Home writer says: “The failures in poultrykeeping can be graded as easy as the high fecund from the low fecund layers. For instance, white collars and spats are not associated with this phase of life, nor are white hands and clean boots. To bed when possible and early to rise are more compatible with success than'are moving pictures and coffee in bed at 9 a.m.” “Faking is thieving. Passing ..encourages it; it is like catching a burglar red-handed and letting him go free.” So says ’ George Scott, F.Ph.S., F.R.A.1., F.P.C.(London), F.Z.S. If Air Scott is doing nothing more than stirring up the Home fancy by his outspokenness he is doing' good. In the course of an article he says: “The man who denies in .the press that faking is.,rampant throughout the fancy is either consciously suppressing the truth or he knows not of, what -he writes. His attitude is - thaif of an ignoramus or a conscious hypocrite. It was owing to this general attitude that in Alodern Poultry Keeping I wrote: ‘ln the hypocritical world we live in the truth is never liked, and it is for this very thorough reason that the most diligent search throughout the literature (sic) of poultrydom on two continents has failed to unearth so. much as a solitary writer who has had the courage to face the matter. The result is a position of infinite badness. There is a hardline division whereby poultry-keepers are • split into two camps, in one of which, either through child-like innocence or through the invention of palliatives, the belief is current that faking does notexist; and another, the constituents of which are most thoroughly convinced that no exhibitor can gain a prize with an honestly-shown exhibit. The one is as wide of the mark as is the -other. In strict truth anything beyond mere washing to remove the dirt from head, legs, feet, and plumage is a species of faking, but the average fancier appears to; hold a totally different view, and the elasticity of his opinions' somewhat naturally, increases with his years of experience; with the result that there comes a time when what in the days of novitiate loomed up as; a dire abd dreadful thing is glossed over as the . merest of mild . peccadilloes. The subduction of stubs' from a gird’s legs, the careful removal of a side-sprig;

the extraction of a foreign coloured feather, are insufficient to bring a blush to the cheeks of a Sunday school superintendent. And yet the self-same person who looks upon' these matters as part of legitimate show preparation would raise both hands heavenwards in outraged horror and disgust at- the ghost of the. i idea of bleaching the plumage of a white' bird or dyeing that of a red one. To the logician the raising of a distinction smacks of splitting hairs; to the cynical philosopher the whole thing resolves itself into the degree of culpability being in exact proportion to the risk of the thing being found out. It is a sheer impossibility for any one to detect the- removal of a few mismarked feathers from the ordinary plumage of a fowl; and it is useless to deny that the sophisticated exhibitor extracts such feathers with the smallest hesitation and the minutest qualms of conscience. The pulling of the large feathers of the wings or tail is entirely another thing, and anyone who is daring or foolish enough to try the experiment runs a very big risk of his faking being detected at the very first attempt. Knowing this, the wise exhibitor does not remove any such mismarked feathers. But it is pure hypocrisy for him to wear any airs of virtue on that account. The one is in no sense a more reprehensible action than is the other—the sole difference lies in the risk and consequent fear of detection. In no small number of cases it is this, and nothing else, that keeps the exhibitor on the straight and narrow path, and not any extravagant ideas of morality.’ ” The Pullets to Keep.—The pullets to keep are those which have developed well, and are alert —they are the birds which have steadily grown from the day of hatching. These birds will prove profitable as layers, although in subsequently culling for the selection of a breeding pen some of them may not possess the points most desirable to transmit. These may be called your first-class pullets. The second class are fair, not quite so vigorous, a little less matured; but they may turn out average layers. The third class are the ones to get rid of as quickly as possible. They are awkward, shallowbodied, immature, and slow-growing birds; they have been left behind in the progress to maturity. The selection of pie pullets for the laying shed is easier if they are all hatched at the same time, or if each hatch is kept separate from the others. Indeed care should be taken to keep each hatch separate, because it is quite possible that, so kept, some of the later hatched may prove the best. If all run together the older birds harass the younger ones, deprive them of their proper quota of food, and, generally speaking, give them little peace. About Turkeys.—As a table bird the turkey is very popular, and prices for well-conditioned .specimens are always high. The supply of good birds seldom suffices. Although not a general practice, there are a few people in the Dominion who make a practice of fattening all the birds they sell. Others market them just as they are —grass fed. in fact. Different people have different methods, most of which have certain good points. A well-known American breeder writes as follows: —“Turkeys require a wide range, as they do not endure confinement, being ■ as yet rather wild in their habits, preferring to seek their feed in the fields rather than to stand round in the farmyard. Where they can have the run of the farm they require little feed after they are a few weeks old until it is time to fit them for the market. They should be fed a little grain in the evening to keep them in the habit of coming home to sleep. This is not always effective, as they will not come very regularly at the season when grasshoppers and other natural feed are abundant. The hen turkey seeks a secluded place for her nest, and lays her eggs. After a clutch is laid she sits four weeks to- 4 bring off her young. It is much better to watch the hen turkey and remove the eggs as . fast as they are deposited in the nest. Substitute china nest eggs for the eggs taken out, until three are in the nest. If the eggs are all taken out the hen is likely to change her nest. If the eggs are moved in this way, the hen turkey will lay two or three clutches in the season, and may be allowed to sit on the last one. The eggs of the first layings may be hatched under ordinary domestic hens, giving a hen seven to nine eggs, according to her size. A single mating with a male will fertilise all the eggs of a clutch laid by a turkey hen. After the young turkeys (which are called ‘ poults ’) are hatched, they should be kept for several- days in a coop, to which is attached a small run. This should be set on dry ground, and the sleeping part should'have a board floor. Alove the coop and run frequently, so that the poults can get at fresh grass. Protect them from dampness, and (he direct rays of the sun, if the weather is at all warm, as they cannot endure direct sunshine when very young. The poults may be fed with bread which has been soaked in sweet milk and pressed dry as possible by squeezing in the hand. A little fine grit and finelycracked oats, wheat, and corn make good feeds for them. They like young onion tops cut fine, and these are good for them. Good sweet beef scraps in small quantities are also advantageous. As a general thing copy Nature as nearly as possible, never giving wet food. The wild poult is a seed and grass eater, and there is no advantage in trying to change its habits of feeding when we raise it in the farmyard. Do not overfeed young turkeys. This is very easily done; Never give more than they will eat with a good appetite. Place finely-ground charcoal where they can get it at any time. This ; prevents bowel trouble. As the poults grow give them coarser feed, and allow them to run about the place. As soon as the young begin to show red caruncles on the neck they are saved. That is called ‘ shooting the red,’ and as soon as the poults begin to shoot the red the owner need worry no longer, as they will then endure any kind of weather.” Some time ago the Tasmanian State Government invited applications for the post of poultry expert at a salary of £350 a year. Twenty-five applications were received. Eleven came from Tasmania, /seven from Victoria, six from New South Wales, and one from South Australia. The successful candidate was Air A. E. Powell, of New South Wales, who has had a long experience in. poultry breeding, and for several years has been connected with the , New South Wales Repatriation Soo : “*'*

Age of an Egg.—To tell the age of an egg to within 12 hours, hold it- between the eye and a 50-candle power metal filament lamp or similar light. An egg less 'than an hour old appears uniformly transparent except for a few dark spots due to inequalities in the shell. Twelve hours afterwards, however, lighter patches appear, and the ends look blotchy. As time goes on the marks increase in definition and number, and after 24 hours they are easily distinguishable. These patches are due to the hygroscopidity, or affinity mi 1- "? ter ’ ° f certain parts of the shell. ,“ e . formation of blotches is prevented by keeping the eggs in an atmosphere saturated with moisture. — Canadian Poultry Review.

Reilly s report there ,was a good yarding poultry. Unfortunately quite 'a lot of the birds'coming forward, are not in good condition. In all we penned 338 hens, which s ° ld „ at :-Hens—l2 at ss, 76 at 4s 4d, 23 at 4s 2d, 46 at 4s, 18 at 3s Bd, 29 at 3s 6d, 40 at 3s 4d, 36 at 3s 2d, 77 at 3s, 19 at 2s lOd, 16 at 2s Bd. Cockerels —12 at 8s 15 at ss. Bantams—3 at 4s, 2 at Is 'fid. Chickens—l2 at 3s 6d,_ 13 at 3s 4d, 10 at 3s 2d,. 6 at, 2s Bd, 2 at 2s 6d, 13 at 2s, 15 at Is 10a, 7 at Is 4d. Ducklings—l2 at 10s 3 at 8s Bd, .2 at Bs. Pullets—23 at Us 6d 8 at 9s. Pigeons—6 at Is 6d (all at per pair). Eggs—Unfortunately eggs are not selfing freely, and the best price obtainable to day is Is 7d lo Is 8d per dozen, with every indication of the market going lower ; probably Is 6d will be the best price obtainable. During the week we cleared all our consignments on a basis of Is 7d to Is 8d per dozen. , 22nd PAPANUI ECC LAYING COMPETITION, Leading Pens 40th Week ended January 8 (280 days). FLOCK (six birds) —Light and Heavy Breeds.—

Week’s White Leghorhs— . Eggs. Weight oz. dis. Total W. E. Ward .. .. 27 55.12 1267 J. Liggins .... 31 70. 8 1186 F. Hawes ..' .. 25 52. 8 1154 J. Bobbett .. .. 27 60.14 1145 H. Williams .. .. 26 54. 9 1130 H. Harrison .. .. 24 53. 8 1104 SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. (For Light and Heavy Breeds.) Week's Weight White Leghorns— Eggs. oz. drs. Total. Miss M. White .. 5 9. 7 241 N. Harrison .. 6 13. 4 231 A. .G. F, Ross .. 6 13. 1 210 F. Hawes .. .. 3 6. 7 201 J. Rattigan .. .. 6 Black Orpingtons— 13. 5 196 J. Kingsland .. 4 8. 7 228 WHITE LEGHORN SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enters three birds.) Week’s Eggs. Total H. Williams, No. 2 5 241 A. C. Goodlet, No. 3 6 240 K. W. Coombes, No. 1 7 236 W. J. Richards, No. 1 6 234 Miss M. White, No. 3 4 228 R. W. Coombes, No. 2 6 228 W. E. Ward, No. 3 .. 4 227 SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enters three birds.) Black Orpingtons— Week’s Eggs. Total. G. Blair, No. 2 1 214 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 4 206 H. Harris, No. 2 Anv other variety. 6 199 Heavy Breeds— Cuthbertson and Mitchell, W.R., No. 2 ;. .. Cuthbertson and Mitchell, 5 226 W.R., No. 1 Cuthbertson and Mitchell, 3 201 W.R., No. 3 7 198 D. O'Hern. WiW., No. 1 5 191 SINGLE DUCK CONTEST. (Owner enters three birds). Week's Indian Runners — Eggs. Total J. W. Thomson, No. 2 6 265 H. A. Dawber, No. 3 Y 263 R. W. Hawke, No. 3 6 260 R. W. Hawke, No. 1 7 259 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 7 257 H. W. Beck, No. 1 .. .. J. W. Thomson (Pekins) 7 254 No. 2 7 251 — —-