POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 33

POULTRY NOTES.

By

Terror.

SHOW OATES. The following show dates for the 1928 sliows were allotted by the South Island Poultry Association at its annual meeting:— 16 N and Z i e 7 aland Ut ’ Hty Pou,try Club ' March Ma D rch e 3o anr 3 i a . ,iSt8 ’ Y ° UnS B * ds Club ’ Canary Club, March 30 and MaTV and 10 d D ’ StriCt Progressi ™ League, Nightcaps, May 18 and 19 JuneT B.Tnd PC ' and C ' C!ub ' Wairnangaroa Poultry Club. June 8 and 9 Dunedin Fanciers' Club, June 14 and 15 ,n,?° utb Cai 2 te rbury Egg and Poultry Society (Tfmaru), June 15 and 16 Westport Poultry Club. June 22 and 23 Ashburton Poultry. P. and C. Club. Friday and Saturday; June 22 and 23. 3 Taierl Poultry Club, Saturday. June 23. Balclutha Poultry Club. June 29 Walmate Poultry Club, Friday and Saturday. June 29 and 30. North Canterbury Poultry Club, Friday and Saturday, July 6 and 7. 3 Granity Poultry Club, July 6 and 7 Hokitika Poultry Club, July 10 and 11 Oamanj Poultry Club. Friday and Saturday. July 13 and 14. Tapanuf Poultry Club. July 14. Invercargill Poultry Club. July 17 and 18. Kaitangata Poultry Club, Wednesday and Thursday, July 18 and 19. Lyttelton Fanciers’ Club, Friday and Saturday. July 20 and 21. Gore Poultry Club, July 27 and 28. Temuka Poultry Club. Friday and Saturday. July 27 and 28. Greymouth Poultry Club (reserved dates), July 27 and 28, or August 3 and 4. " Tapanui.”—l cannot do better than advise you to communicate with the secretary of the Papanui Egg-laying Competition, Christchurch, who could give you the address of the competitors in the Indian runner contests.

“ Awatuna.”—This correspondent asks: What is wrong with my white Leghorn hens? Some of them go about all the time making a- noise like hiccough. They eat well and get plenty of green food, good grass land to run on, and have a warm houoe to sleep in.” Seeing that the birds are eating well and have plenty of good range, I do not think there is anything seriously wrong with the birds. They have probably acquired colds through sleeping in a too warm house, and get chilled when getting out into the cool morning air. I advise looking to the ventilation of the house, seeing that there is no overcrowding, and in order to give immediate relief from the coughing to pour a little kerosene on top of the water in the drinking vessels. The symptoms mentioned may indicate bronchitis or pneumonia, but I do not think the case is so serious. Your letter would have been answered sooner, but the 'writer has been on holiday. P R., Mossburn.—lt is a mistake to feed birds by the ounce. My advice is to feed a cropful per meal. Throw enough to satisfy the birds, with nothing left over, at the morning and evening meals, and a little grain into the litter at noon, just sufficient to keep them employed and no more. If you serve a given weight, say, 2oz per meal, some birds will get more than their share, and others will go short. A handful per bird is the fair equivalent of a cropful. Christchurch Fanciers.—Mr H. L. Sprosen, just returned from a visit to the City of the Plains, informs me that he visited Mr Collett at Lyttelton, and saw a very nice pen of Minoreas, one of the hens being the winner last year at the local show. Mr M. H. Roderick, also of Lyttelton, showed a particularly promising Minorca cockerel. It should be heard of at next Christchurch Show, being good in eye, head, and promising in body. He had bad luck in losing early birds through influenza..

Air P. Sprosen. of Christchurch, has some very promising young stuff in Minorcas, but it is too early to predict how they will turn out. The New Zealand Poultry Association holds its annual conference in Wellington on March 7,8, and 9. All buildings for poultry should face east, whether it is intended to keep them on the intensive or semi-intensive or open system. When birds are housed in small areas, say, back gardens, the important point is to face the poultry house so that it will get most sun. Facing too exactly to the east may be facing a ton-close building or high fence. The ends of the poultry house should face the prevailing winds. Good drainage is essential, and a watertight roof equally so. In planning a poultry house be careful to provide good ventilation.

Prevention the Main Object.-—Mr Edward Brown, LL.D., F.L.S., writes: “Resentment is sometimes expressed against those who call attention to the heavy losses incurred by disease among poultry. li. this respect to bury the head in the sand is to court disaster. Such is the greatest menace at the present time. Attention has been called previously to this question. Yet the bulk of those most concerned concentrate upon cure rather than prevention. In many cases there is no cure. A statement recently made by Mr Tom Newman in ‘Eggs’ may be commended, namely: ‘ What little things may affect a bird's health or productive powers, strengthen its powers of resistance to disease, and so increase its economic value to us; these are the points we should study, and not get on to the false track of drugs, serums, and vaccines.’ To which may be added, ' and other nostrums.’ Whilst disease in young or old stock maybe treated when it appears, the great consideration should be to take it as a warning that the system is wrong somewhere and somehow, and to seek for the cause with a view to its removal. Let it be remembered that, so far as knowledge has progressed, bacteria and microbes ard impotent' in their assaults on a perfectly healthy body. When disease breaks out. individually or on a more extensive scale, it means that there is a loss of health and of power of resistance.” The nest boxes are best placed when at least 2ft from the ground. This position of the nest makes it easier for the attendant to gather the eggs. Kerosene or petrol tins make good nest boxes, as they are less liable to become verminous, they contain no cracks or crevices, and the soiled nesting material does not adhere to tin as it does to wood. One nest to every four birds is sufficient, so long as broodies are removed from the pen.

A good-sized egg weighs 2oz, and is composed as follows:—64 parts water, 25 parts albumen, II parts oil and salts, and 10 parts shell and mineral matter. The shell of a hen’s egg is composed principally of carbonate and phosphate of lime, the egg itself containing, in addition to the albumen, sulphur, oil, phosphorus, iron, etc. The fowl, unless it can obtain abundance of natural food, should have plenty of meat included in her daily food. “ In fact,” says a contemporary. “ whilst I admit grain in moderation will benefit fowls, it will be found that soft food in some form is a necessity for a prolific egg production and nutritious eggs. Further, there must be a variety of food to ensure eggs and promote health.” Impressions of the size of the eggs produced in America and Canada were not favourable to Mr F. Snowden, one of the delegate of the recent world’s conference in Canada. He stated that he had intended to purchase a pen of birds .there if he could get anv that were suitable, but it was of little use bringing in birds which were producing eggs of not more than each, especially when his own stock were laying eggs 2oz and oyer. The Americans and Canadians did not even appear to desire an egg weighing more than 2240 z to the dozen. They were advocates of “ record of performance.” It would be the worst day’s, work English poultry breeders ever did if they adopted the “ record of performance ” scheme. Vitamins.—Although it is true that the accessory food factors—the so-called vitamins—are of great importance, much has. been written about the subject that was hardly good enough for the waste paper basket. Cod liver oil has been known for many years as possessing a specific action in certain chest diseases. It also is in

repute as a source of vitamin A, and as such lias been used largely of recent years’. Salmon oil, however, possesses 10 times the amount of vitamin A. The oil of the liver of oxen and sheep, and particularly calves, possesses 200 times the percent ge of vitamin A as doos cod liver oil. Here, then, is a probable reason why ox and sheep livers have always given such good results in poultry feedlno-. _V itamin D, which possesses the antirachitic factor, is now made synthetically. No doubt a substitute for cod liver oil and its very fishy taste will be found in the practically tasteless liver oils of various mammals. However, birds kept under si nitai-y conditions, properly fed and housed, require neither cod liver nor mammal liver oils.—Breeder, Adelaide.

Run Taint. Many small poultry keepers I’, 61 ?. 18 *' , la throwing food—especially green stutt—down on the ground, because it is the least arduous and most speedy method ot supplying it. By this means pieces of lood, and the stalky parts of cabbage, get buried in the ground, with results only too obvious. Mash, particularly, if spilt on the ground, is apt to make it sour. A good rule ii to avoid feeding the fowls close to their house, and in fine weather the Corn feed should be scattered to the iaithest part of the enclosure. That part ot tlie run immediately joining the house should be renewed from time to time. It is not always sufficient merely to dig the run when you wish to sweeten it, for no matter how deeply you dig, the result is not as satisfactory as if the fouled top layer were cleared out and fresh earth brought in to replace it. The stuff removed from the run will mix very well with the manure heap. The alternative run system is the best of all where sufficient ground is available.—E. Bostock bmith.

Reiilj s report: A distinct advance in the prices of eggs. During the week we placed all consignments from Is lOd to 2s Id per dozen. Poultry.— A fairly heavy yarding, which sold as follows: — Hens: 22 at 6s lOd, 32 at 6s, 37 at 5s Bd, 26 at 5s 6d, 18 at 5s 4d 49 at 5s 2d, 25 at ss. 24 at 4s lOd. 15 at 4s Bd, io at 4s 6d, 49 at 4s 4<l. 58 at 4s 2d 124 at 4s 21 at 3s Bd. 19 at 3s, 3 at 2- Sd. Cockerels: 9 at 9s Bcl, 12 at 7s, 10 at 6s 2d. 12 at 6s, 18 at 5s 10d i at ss, 18 at 4s 6d. 10 at 4s 2d 13 at 4s. Ducks: 16 at 6s 6d. 12 at 5s 6d 29 at ss, 19 at 4s lOd. 39 at 4s Rd 19 o lt <H 2 J?’ 29 „ at 4s ' 10 at 3s 10<l > at 3s Bd, 6 at 3s 6d. Pullets: 26 at 23s 3- 3d 2 (A11 3 \ at 12S- - Ghickeus: 13 to 3s od. (All at per pair.)

23rd PAPANUI ECC-LAYIHC COMPETITION. Leading Pens -l-Gth Week ended February IB (322 days;. FLOCK TEAMS CONTEST. (Six birds.)

Seldom do the people of Dunedin see within their city at the same time four Ministers of the Crown. That, however, was the position at the week-end. Mr Coates (Prime Minister), Mr Williams (Minister of Public Works), and Mr M'Leod (Minister of Lands) came to Dunedin on .’rid ay afternoon, and Mr W. Downie Stewart (Minister of Finance) has been here for some days. The Prime Minister’s arrival was the centro of interest to a large number of people. The Mayor of Dunedin (Mr W. B. Taverner), local members of Parlian.er.t. and leading citizens welcomed him, and kinema views were taken of Mr and Mrs Coates conversing with friends on the platform, and of their departure by motor car from the Railway Station for the Gran.i Hotel.

Week’s W eight - v eggs. oz.dis. Tot fl. White Leghorns— A. Woolley .. .. 29 63. 2 1423 J. Liggins 27 59.14 1391 F. Hawes 27 53. f 1374 T. H. Wiiee .. .. 19 43. S 1359 Verrail Bros 29 62. 6 ISol J. G. Venal .. .. 21 43.14 1336 H. C. Vest .. .. 23 C6. 0 1336 SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPION SHIP.. —Light and Heavy Breeds.— Week’s Weight eggs. oz.drs. Tot fl Black Orpingtons— H. W. Beck .. .. 4 10. 1 249 Mrs Hellaby .. .. 4 8. 7 231 A. M. Espie .. .. 2 4. 5 225 • .-ite Leghorns— 11. C. West .. .. 5 11. 8 256 fc. E. Davey .. .. 5 11.12 235 W. Spence .. .. 6 14. 5 241 J. M’lntosh .. .. 4 8.15 237 E. V. Crouch .. .. 4 7.11 233 A. H. Adams .. .. 5 11.11 233 G. H. Chambers .. 4 9. 6 233 SINGLE DUCK CONTEST. (Owner enters Three Birds.) Week’s eggsTotal. Indian Runners— A. G. F. Ross, No. 2 .. . 7 308 G. Voice, No. 3 5 305 F. R. Cotton, No. 1 .. 5 304 Mrs Gee, No. 3 7 304 A. Adsett, No. 1 <7 300 A. Adsett, .No. 3 6 2S2 G. Voice No. 1 6 389 SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enters Three Birds.) Week's «ggs. Tots! A.O.V. Heavy Breeds— P. Bailey, R.I.R., No. 1 . 0 244 P. A. Cornish. L.S., No. 2 . 4 235 P. A. Cornish, L.S., No. 1 5 206 Black Orpingtons— G-. A. Grainger, No. 1 5 252 T. D. Dalziel, No. 1 .. 3 245 T. D. Dalziel, No. 2 .. 1 240 H. M. Cookson, No. 3 .. 1 239 H. W. Beck, No. 1 .. 5 23# G. A. Grainger, No. 2 .. 0 232 WHITE LEGHORN SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Owner enters Three Bl. ds.) Week's eggsTotal.. A. C. Goodlet, No. 3 .. 5 277 H. Williams, No. 3 .. 6 276 A. M. Espie, No. 3 .. 5 075 G. M. Mitchell, No. 2 .. . r 275 H. Harris No. 2 7 274 W. H. West, No. 2 .. . 5 2G8