POULTRY NOTES

Southland Times, Issue 24163, 27 June 1940, Page 16

POULTRY NOTES

By

A. PEAT

Mr W. Jordan presided over a large attendance of members at the nightly meeting of the Invercargill Canary and Cage Bird Specialists Club when final arrangements were made for the annual show which will open today. All fanciers who have given birds, to be sold by auction tomorrow evening at 9.15 p.m. in aid of the Patriotic Funds are requested to bring them in today so that the public will have an opportunity to inspect them. Exhibitors are reminded that no entries wil be accepted this morning on any consideration unless through unavoidable delay of trains or some similar circumstances.

Because of the Mataura canary and cage bird show being held on the next regular meeting night this meeting will not be held. The next meeting will be on July 20 when all prizes and cups will be presented. Mr R. A. Lilley won a first and. a second with his rollers at the Christchurch Federated Club’s show. Mr G. D. Holloway won two firsts, a second and a special for the best utility bird in the Sussex section. Mr Hartley was first in Rhode Island Red cocks. Mr J. Calvert won the whole of the Indian Runner duck classes at the Christchurch Poultry Association’s show. The North Canterbury Poultry Club’s show will be held at Rangiora on July 5 and 6 when the New Zealand championships for utility Orpington and Tumbler pigeon other than self c.7.7.f., also the South Island championships for Brown Leghorn open, utility Black Orpington female, utility Pekin drake or duck, Old English Game Bantam, Duckwing female or any other colour Old English Game bantam, Partridge or Wheaten female, Black Tumbler pigeon c.7.7.f., Norwich unflighted canary will be competed for. The Omaru Poultry Club’s show will be held on July 12 and 13 when the following championships will be competed for: New Zealand: —Khaki Campbell duck and drake. South Island:—■ Old English Game hen, utility Barred Plymouth Rock, utility Silver Wyandotte, Black Pekin bantam, Old English Game bantam, black red or light red male, Modena pigeon, white or whitewing Buderigar any suffusion. A local breeder has purchased the 1937-38 winning Taranaki competition trio of Khaki Campbell ducks from an Auckland breeder. Their official records for 50 weeks are 278. 323, and 342 standard weight eggs. The 342 egg duck’s eggs averaged 2oz. 15 drms and she also won the special for the most typical duck in the test. These ducks are mated to a drake imported from the Broadleigh Stud Farm, Australia. CAUSES OF INFERTILE EGGS It is very unsatisfactory to have an incubator full of eggs and on testing to find that nearly half of the eggs are infertile. It is not only a waste of good eggs, but also a waste of good time which is often more important in a short hatching season. The proportion of fertile eggs is dependent upon the management of the breeders since it is not an inherited factor. This means that the poultry keeper has only himself to blame. It is much more satisfactory to take precautions at the beginning of the hatching season than half way through because the laterhatched chickens are never quite so good as the early chicks. Apart from the inconvenience, a big percentage of infertile eggs is a serious financial loss. If a breeder wants fertile eggs, the following precautions should be considered as far as possible with his own particular conditions. Use active vigorous males. These need not be cockerels two-year-old males are equally satisfactory especially when it is known that they gave good results in their first year. If the bird is still alert and full of vigour he can be used. See that the hens are in good condition but not too fat; this is important. Quite often valuable breeding hen are kept on for several years, and as they get older, they tend to get fat, especially during the moult, when they are seldom in lay. They must be free from internal fat if their eggs are to be fertile so see that the birds have plenty of fresh green feeds—free range is much better than small runs. OVER-MATING Be careful not to over-mate. On free range one cockerel has been known to take care of 40 hens successfully when he is strong and healthy and is is given good feed. In small confined runs it is advisable to reduce the number of hens. On free range a good cock is quite capable of fertilizing about three dozen hens. Prevent fighting between two or more cocks in a pen and between two pens through wire netting. The cocks will damage their combs, and also exhaust their vitality. Use sacking or iron between the pens. If cocks running together in a pen will not agree take out the bully and use him by himself.

EGG-LAYING CONTESTS

TEST No. 1.—WHITE LEGHORN SINGLEHEN TEST (three purebred be single penned). pullets to A. J. Severn 5 6 G 49 63 57 R. K. Summerfield 6 5 5 60 60 48 Cotswold Poultry Farn 3 4 4 49 54 42 Mrs J. A. Ritchie 5 5 5 56 57 37 J. E. Rainley 1 4 4 48 49 60 T. S. Dove (No. 1) 4 5 0 40 37 18 T. S. Dove (No. 2) 0 4 6 33 29 55 Argyle Poultry Farm - 4 1 23 40 27 Green Bros. 5 5 0 54 53 35 F. Ashworth 6 5 5 57 18 52 Mrs M. Garrett □ 5 5 49 61 54 E. Tilley (No. 1) 0 0 5 21 33 58 C. H. Penrose 5 - 4 45 18 52 R. T. Thomson 6 0 G 44 52 56 A. J. Lucas 6 5 G 67 50 66 J. Cunningham ,1 5 5 52 32 33 J. Wilde 4 5 4 57 42 40 W. Ellis 5 0 5 7 1 57 J. Turner 5 4 6 53 62 60 S. B. Roberts a 0 0 56 3 5 R. R. Gare 6 5 5 46 56 49 T. Barr (No. 1) 6 6 6 57 66 17 T. Barr (No. 2) 5 6 6 54 29 54 G. H. Dahlenburg (1) 4 5 0 57 47 16 G. H. Dahlenburg (2) 5 5 5 58 51 54 A. O. Oakley (No. 1) 6 5 6 42 63 66 A. O. Oakley (No. 2) 7 6 5 40 51 56 W. M. Evans 4 5 0 28 42 38 L. J. McNeill (No. 1) u 4 5 52 49 27 J. W- McGlinchy 6 4 0 65 54 39 R. G. Bell 0 5 3 33 43 30 L. J. McNeill (No. 2) 3 3 5 48 26 53 W. Skelton 5 4 6 45 50 62 J. Liggins 4 5 2 46 51 36 L. Brumby o 2 0 13 13 0 E. Tilley (No. 2) 4 0 4 52 9 55 F. Sugden .5 6 0 54 63 29 W. H. Robinson 0 5 0 28 54 22 W. F. Stent 5 5 4 57 36 35 Mrs F. Wilding 4 a 5 49 37 57 TEST No. 2.—BLACK /kUSTRALORPS. ORPINGTONS AND Mrs E. Lees 7 1 5 56 53’ 55 W. Waites 4 3 1 53 7 21 S. Brumby 0 2 7 40 41 70 L. Brumby (No. 1) 3 5 6. 26 57 34 F. A. Atkinson 3 5 5 52 54 60 E. J. Walker 6 6 2 58 73 56 L. Brumby (No. 2) 6 3 4 64 36 54 J. Gunn 2 0 7 7 15 62 TEST No. 3.—ANY VARIETY LIGHT OR HEAVY BREEDS, OTHER THAN WHITE LEGHORNS INGTONS. OR BLACK ORPJ. D. Cobbe (Br.L.) 1 4 5 1 10 50 J. E. Ritchie (R.I.R.) 5 6 6 27 14 11 W. H. Morgan (H.I.R.) 6 0 6 64 26 63 W. Baxter (R.I.R;) 0 0 4 1 0 7 A. E. Williams (L.S.) 6 6 4 17 62 49 A. W. Pritchard (L.S.) 0 0 0 18 0 0 Mrs F. Wilding (L.S.) 5 2 4 24 2 16 C. N. Goodman (Min.) 1 0 2" j 45 25 51 J. R. Griffen (Barn.) 5 4 5 36 50 30 H. J. Anderson (Lan.) 5 7 2 28 48 8 TEST No. 5.—SINGLE DUCK TEST. G. H. Brandford (K.C.) 0 0 7 0 32 23 F. Ashworth (K.C.) ■7 0 0 53 0 0 H. J. Anderson (K.C.) 0 7 7 51 71 63 G. Wright (K.C.) 0 0 0 38 18 30 J. W. Thomson (I.R.) 6 7 4 63 67 70