POULTRY NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 25305, 7 June 1935, Page 5

POULTRY NOTES

CAGE BIRDS (By “Feather.”) GENERAL NOTES. I have been asked by a reader to stress the importance of the capon industry. ' I will take this matter in hand later on in the season when the cockerels are being separated from the pullets. In the meantime it is just as well to note that caponizing is quite a simple operation. Full directions as to method accompany the outfit. There is no comparison between the ordinary cockerel and the caponized bird for table purposes. A nice compliment was paid to Miss, F. Kerr, of Opawa,. at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club, when she was elected patroness of the club. Miss Kerr specializes in both Black and Buff Orpingtons. : The South Island championships offered for competition at the Kaitangata Poultry Club’s Show are : Game, other than Old English or Indian (open class), utility Rhode Island Red; and Rhode Island Red (open class). Entries close to-morrow. During his recent visit to Australia Mr A. E. Salisbury, .of the Hutt Valley Poultry Company, visited a number of the leading poultry plants, and collected some pedigree stock in the lines of White Leghorn and Australorp. This stock, being of all-round high quality, will be a welcome acquisition to breeders in New Zealand. The Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club’s show opened yesterday at the Army Stores building. The entries far exceed those of last year, being: Open poultry, 249; utility poultry, 314; ducks, 52; bantams, 204; fancy pigeons, 186; homing pigeons, 332; canaries, 196; budgerigars, 98; cage birds, 7; cats, 47; rabbits, 49. There are entries also for needlework and cookery.

A new breed of utility bird, the Catalina del Prat, has recently been imported into New Zealand. These birds are a Spanish variety, and come from the Argentine. The shipment comprised nine birds, three males and six females, to the order of Misses Whitehead and Earl, of Auckland. The breed is a buff-coloured bird with a black flecked tail, in type much like the Leghorn, ear lobes white, comb single and turned over, wattles medium in length and fine in texture. The male is a handsome bird, sprightly in carriage and having the same colouring as the brown Leghorn male—body colour and neck hackle a rich red, tail beetle green and wings flecked with the same to almost black, legs slate, ear lobes white and head generally as in the Leghorn. The chief difference from the other Mediterranean breeds is the size which compares more with that of the Rhode Island Red and in the female, the English Leghorn. The strain is a 283-egg one, and the eggs are between 2| and 2joz. During his recent visit to New Zealand Mr J. W. Collins, New Zealand Trade Commissioner in Canada, was approached by poultrymen regarding the matter of chick-sexing in that Dominion, and he promised to forward any information available on his return. A lengthy report arranged for by Mr Collins has been received from the Chick-Sexing • Association _of America under date April 26, setting out the advantages to be derived from determining the sex of baby chickens at one day old, most of which are familiar to poultrymen. “Chicken-sexing,” the report states, “is not a simple thing to learn, and it has taken our experts who have to qualify for a special 100 per cent, examination before they are allowed to do work abroad, about three years to attain sufficient accuracy and speed to be commercially valuable. Although we guarantee that our experts can sex 4000 to 5000 chicks per day with 95 per cent accuracy, they can all do a great deal better than this. Practice is an important feature and the only thing which will ensure 100 per cent accuracy. Decrease in percentage of correct classification of the sex of day-old chicks is followed by corresponding decrease in value of the work to poultrymen. Before starting practical work the youths study for a certain length of time in Japanese experimental stations until they learn all there is to be known about the theory of the sexing of day-old chickens. Then they are allowed to practise for six months, using about 30,000 chickens each, and at the end of six months they can take an examination. Those failing to make a percentage of 90 per cent, correct classification are eliminated. Successful candidates continue to practise, but now occupy more prominent positions as assistants to full-fledged experts. In the following six months or more, depending on how long they take to become 100 per cent proficient, these assistants sex approximately 300,000 chicks each. After two or more seasons of work (they hatch 12 months of the year in Japan) they take the final examination, which calls for 100 per cent, accuracy. Each student has sexed about 1,000,000 chicks and has ample practice to make his work commercially valuable before he is allowed to work commercially. We thought at first it would take about a year to train a man to sex chicks, but after two years of practice in B.C. our students are not qualified yet. Mistakes are too costly to the poultryman to allow men to sex chicks before they pass a final examination. This is the reason that the Japan association was formed. There had to be some method of protecting poultrymen from employing chickgexers who were not proficient. We sexed 1,500,000 chickens last season, and did not have one complaint.” POUTRY RAISING. Ailments (Continued). Egg-bound is a condition affecting most frequently the heavy breeds of fowls. It is usually due to an over-fat condition, producing pressure on the egg passage, and thus causing difficulty i in the proper function. The muscles often become weakened through streaks of fat causing straining; following on, the weak walls give way permitting the egg or its contents to pass into the abdominal cavity, the condition producing inflammation. The affected hen has a constant desire to strain; this violent straining frequently ruptures a blood vessel, causing sudden death. The treatment is to hold the fowl’s vent over steam from boiling water, afterwards passing a well-oiled finger up the vent; pierce the egg with the finger and remove the contents, break the shell and be sure to withdraw all the pieces. Provided the inflammatory condition is not too far advanced the treatment will be effective, but in most cases of egg-bound it is wiser to destroy the fowl. Egg-eating is a bad habit, sometimes brought about by the nests being low and near the light; or by soft shelled or broken eggs being left lying in the yard. By mashing a quantity of egg shells and dumping them in the yard the hens may be cured of the habit. Place the nests higher, at least two feet from the floor, and see that they are slightly darkened; also carefully remove all broken eggs. Watch for the culprits and isolate them from the rest of the flock. If they persist in the habit, empty an egg of its contents through an opening in one end. Mix pepper with the contents and put back inside the shell, pasting a piece of white cloth over the opening. Give this egg to the affected hen in a place where she will peck at it, ana the trouble will cease. , . .

Feather-eating is due to overcrowding, improper feeding, or lack of ,exercise, and usually occurs during the moulting season. Bare patches and injured feathers are the symptoms. First, detect the cause and remedy the same; it is usually a matter of carelessness. Give the fowls plenty of animal food and keep them busy scratching. Drop a piece of sulphate the size of a cherry down the throat of the offending bird, repeating the dose three days later. Add plenty of salt to the food. A good ration is boiled oats mixed with beef scrap and a pinch of salt; or finely cut liver with oats and salt fed every morning; also give sour milk to drink. Above all, keep the fowls busy by supplying plenty of fine litter, making it necessary for them to exercise when searching for their food. Colds dr influenza must not be confused with' roup, though the latter may follow on if the influenza is allowed to continue. The trouble is usually caused by the birds being poorly housed in wet weather. The affected fowl is feverish, the eyes and nostrils are watery, there is a good deal of sneezing, but there are no patches on the throat as in roup, and there is an absence of the roupy smell. It is necessary to at once see to the housing conditions, correcting any faults of dampness or draughts. Colds are infectious; therefore the affected birds must be isolated. A grave danger of non-isolation is a possible, outbreak of roup. A grain of quinine per fowl is one remedy. Use equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water as a wash for the mouth and nostrils. Twenty drops of camphor in a teaspoonful of sugar dissolved in a pint of water allowing no other drink, will often check a cold at the outset. Red pepper in the food is recommended. A good remedy is to immerse the fowl’s head in a strong solution of permanganate of potash. Leg weakness is a trouble that affects growing fowls when they”are from three to- six months old, the cockerels. being more liable to the affection than hens. It is due to an insufficiency of bone and muscle making food, and overfeeding with rations that are fat producing, causing the body to put on more weight than the legs can properly carry. The symptoms are an unsteadiness in gait and noticeable weakness of the legs when the bird is walking. The fowl is inclined to sit about, even when eating. As a result the bird does not get its full share of food, it becomes thin and louse-ridden, and is tormented and bullied by the others. The treatment is to stop the corn meal; feed three times daily; put the weak birds in a place by themselves. Give them steamed cut clover at midday; see that the water is clean and the house in good order. Rub the legs with arnica, and add half a teaspoonful of nux vomica to each quart of drinking water. A good ration is to give bran, wheat, and oatmeal, with skim milk instead jpf water. Cook oatmeal and when cool add 30 drops of diluted phosphoric acid for each affected bird and give twice daily. A tonic of from three to six grains citrate of iron once a day is recommended. EGG-LAYING CONTEST. PAPANUI. The contests for 1935-36 are now in progress at Auckland, Palmerston North, New Plymouth and Christchurch. The leading pens in each section at Papanui will be published weekly in the poultry column of the Southland Times. Any matters of outstanding interest at other competitions, or answers to inquiries regarding same will also be published. The 31st competition organized by the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club was commenced at Papanui "on April 7. Following are the returns (leading pens) for the week ended May 31: — Single Hen Test. For light or heavy breeds. S. J. R. Dick (A. 0. (6) 49 H. Williams (6) 48 L. J. Glasson (6) 48 E. F. Butler ~(5) 46 Mrs B. B. Andrews (6) 46 R. Watkins (B.O.) (7) 46 White Leghorn Single Hen Test. (Each entry three birds.) H. Williams (15) 139 A. Crawford (18) 136 A. C. Goodlet (17) . 132 Miss H. Keddell (17) 132 J. W. McGlinchy (17) 124 F. C. Innes (15) 123 E. Tilley (16) 123 Black Orpington and Austral Orpington. (Each entry three birds.) A. H. Fowles (B.O.) (16) 142 L. Brumby (A. 0. (16) 125 B. Cotterell (A. 0. (13) 123 F. Hughes (A. 0. (17) 122 G. D. Hollyman (A. 0. (16) 121 L. P. Hawke (B.O.) (12) 117 . Any Other Variety. Light or Heavy Breeds. (Each entry three birds.) E. R. Buckley (R.1.R.) (17) 120 A. Dalziel (Lan.) (14) 112 J. P. Stevens (Lan.) (9) 84 A. W. Adams (S.W.) (9) 47 A. D. Fabian (Min.) (11) 37 R. signifies Rhode Island Red. Lan. signifies Langshan. S. signifies Silver Wyandotte. Min. signifies Minorca. Single Hen Test. Light or Heavy Breeds. (Each entry six purebred pullets.) H. Williams 266 W. Turner 245 D. A. McKie 236 L. G. Ansall 224 G. H. Bradford 223 J. Brennan 220 M. C. Craig 218 Flock Teams’ Test. (Each entry six birds.) Mrs B. B. Andrews 241 W. E. Ward 205 Miss H. Keddell 202 E. P. Anderson 197 J. Leggins 188 M. Holroyd 165 Single Duck Test. (Each entry three ducks.) H; A. Lucas (P.) (19) 150 Miss N. Dale (1.R.) (21) 147 Mrs C. J. Collings (K.C.) (21) 144 T. Ashworth (K.C.) (21) 140 W. A. Pollard (1.R.) (21) 110 J. W. Thomson (1.R.) (11) 101 P. signifies Pekin. K.C. signifies Khaki Campbell. I.R. signifies Indian Runner. JUVENILE SECTION. The Silvereyes are late in arriving this year. There have been two or three short visitations just for an hour or so. The reason these delightful little birds have not yet taken up their winter quarters in our gardens is because we have had a warm summer and an unusually long autumn in Southland; though we are now into the month of June there has not yet been any severe wintry weather. As a.consequence of these good seasons there is an abundance of food in the bush, and the birds are remaining in their natural elements meanwhile. A good fall of snow or a succession of hard frosts will result in driving them to the towns and city. Have your feeding boards ready for their arrival, and put food but for them at their first appearance. Give your canaries a bit of fresh suet every morning during the winter months. Canaries are whistling well

now, and are looking beautiful in their new feathers. . , . The Korimako is the bell bird of New Zealand. Originally the Tui held the title, but the mako’s notes are an bell-like, whereas the tui introduces a corkscrew noise at the end of his. peai which is quite out of harmony witn tne ringing of a true bell. , The Grey Warbler has been noticed lately in a few gardens. He is a busy little chap and consumes great quantities of green fly and other small insects. I will give you a full description ot this cheerful little bird later on m the season. A suggestion has occurred to me that we might be able to form a juvenile bird club, with a membership or girls and boys up to, say, sixteen years of age, and hold a one day show late in July. If any of my juvenile readers favour this suggestion write in ana let me know. The vocal organs of a bird are somewhat different to those of a man, tor, instead of having vocal chords located in the upper part of the windpipe, they have simple membranes which vibrate, located at the lower end of the throat, in a structure called the syrinx, me shape of this structure and the number of the muscles controlling the membrane vary with the different families, of’ birds and produce the different songs. • ~ The curious displays and courtship antics of birds are always of much interest. Those of the peacock, the turkey, and the domestic fowl are familiar to us all. We are quite tomed to seeing the tails spread, the heads thrown erect, and the proud strutting round of the male bird in these species. The pouter pigeons have peculiar air sacs which they inflate during courtship, giving them a very grotesque appearance. The skylarks perform feats of flying when showing off to their mates that are quite spectacular. After mounting to such a height that they are barely visible, continually’ singing, they suddenly close their wings and dron like stones towards the ground. They appear as it they would be dashed to pieces, but when near the earth they gracefully spread their wings and make a perfect landing. Finches. Beginners in airculture are advised not to mix budgerigars and finches, or to put any two species of birds in the same aviary, as some birds bully others and even inflict physical injury, sometimes resulting in death to the weaker ones. After a while, when one has gained practical experience and knowledge acquired from other bird lovers of experience, the mixing of different species will add attractiveness to the hobby. Some of the finches do quite well along with the budgerigars, and the combination is very pretty. The most common and the hardiest of the Australian finches is the Zebra Finch. This bird is quite at home in an aviary and breeds freely. It is about the size of a wren, is close in plumage, and has a short tail, the tail being almost completely overhung by the black and white tail coverts. The general colouring is grey above and white below, the cock having bars on the breast like a Zebra, orange feathers on his cheeks, and a chestnut band dotted with white along his sides. The bill and the feet are a pretty coral red. The Zebra Finch is very hardy, and is as perky as a house sparrow. His song is nothing very wonderful, just staccato repetitions of a squeaky note as he hops about, and when still the notes form a stanza. Several pairs may be kept in the one aviary. They agree quite well. The star finch is also an Australian bird. He is slightly larger than the Zebra, is of olive green colour, spotted with whitish-grey on the sides, the face is scarlet, and the tail is dull red. The diamond sparrow is a very handsome bird, bigger still than the two previously mentioned. , Its colouring is drab above and white below, with a black band across the breast, and another band, heavily spotted with white, along the sides. Towards the end of the back it is bright scarlet, and the tail is black, these two colours making a striking contrast. .The bill is bright red. This bird breeds in an aviary, but is inclined to be quarrelsome. The parson finch is a thick set bird like the Zebra, but much larger. It is pale brown in colour, with a grey head and a black tail; it also wears a black bib. The bill is black and the feet are red. It is mischievous and quarrelsome, and therefore not a good mixer. A bird very much resembling the parson finch, but much handsomer, is the long-tailed grass finch. Like the parson it has a black bib, but its attractiveness is its long tail. The masked grass finch is somewhat similar in colour, but the tail is not so long, and the head and back are brown. _ The black bib extends upwards forming a mask. The bill is yellow and the feet are red. Two other finches are particularly attractive, and excellent aviary birds—the Gouldian finch and the pintailed nonpareil. The former is an Australian, and the latter comes from the East Indies. The Gouldian is the size of a red poll, sleek in shape, and has a pointed tail. The upper surface is green changing to blue at the back of the head and over the tail; the under surface is yellow, the breast a brilliant violet. He is ■ a lovely bird, but is rather delicate and requires very careful attention. They will breed in an aviary, and it is possible to get a variation in the head colouring, sometimes red instead of black. The Gouldian performs a minuet dance when he has plenty of room. The pintailed nonpareil, originally from the East Indies, but now plentiful in Mexico, is of exquisite colouring. He is a beautiful shaped bird, and has a lovely tail. The feathers are extremely brilliant, yet matchless in their delicate shading. The upper parts are dark green, the face and 'throat blue, the breast and tail scarlet, the sides and under surface a tawny orange. Like the Gouldian finch, the pintailed nonpareil requires special care in our climate. I feel that I have mentioned a sufficient number of finches to make you interested in these delightful wee birds. They all make splendid pets, and are a never failing attraction.