POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

BY (

G. H. AMBLER

THE TWO-OUNCE EGG. < i 5 ( Durhig’tlie last few year* the poultry f keeping public has taken a keen interest in' laying records. The 300-egg-a- ' year layer has been boomed and glorified, and in many cases we do not think the public ever troubled to ascertain < whether the 300 eggs averaged 2oz. a- J piece or only IJoz., or whether the bird ' J was of any practical value afterwards, I more especially for breeding purposes. This interest in laying records has been J largely responsible for. a pronounced I tendency to exaggerate utility ideals, 1 and even for a good deal of misrepre- < sentation in the description of utility 1 stock. The conditions arising out of i the glorification of the individual super- ; layer are by no means favourable for the development of the egg-producing industry on, commercial lines, which, 1 after all is said and done, is (lie chief purpose -in the breeding of utility poul- 1 try?' ' • WHAT TO AIM AT. To produce the greatest possible number of marketable eggs, and to main- 1 tain the productive and progenital vig- ’ our of 'their flocks, should be the aim * of all who engage, in the. breeding, of laying stock, and if it can be shown that layiiig trials and contests, are alienating breeders from this practical purpose, it will constitute, a grave 1 charge against these tests,, which have, 1 am convinced,’ rendered valuable service to the industry in stimulating in- i ter.est in the breeding of better stock. • There is no more serious menace to the progress of commercial egg production than the increasing predominance of the small egg. .We. have only to glance through the reports of the laying contests to. realise how prevalent this fail- ■ ing is among stock bred for heavy production. Every allowance can be made for pullets in laying contests for comparative immaturity, and for other circumstances that might be regarded as direct causes of small'eggs. However, I fail to see that anything can excuse those breeders who send out undersized eggs for hatching, though the transaction may permit of explanation. ■EFFECT OF BREEDING. For instance, one may be tempted by a breeder’s advertisement of a very select pen containing bir&J with great laying records, and one makes a purchase, only to find that the eggs fail to scale the normal 2oz. apiece, which is surely a very moderate minimum for eggs from matured hens, But what is" the permanent effect of breeding from birds of this class? Is there not evidence in the large proportion of small eggs recorded in laying teste? I am not suggesting that the experienced professional breeder is so blind to his interests as to raise stock from hens that have nothing more than big laying records to their credit. But competition has raised the standard of productiveness to such an extent that many people who are in the habit of buying eggs demand these high records as an essential qualification, and the breeder is not to be blamed for competing with I his fellows in making bids for public [ custom. The small e.gg menace can only be by a more general understanding of its causes, and the public must take a hand with the breeders in discounting the importance of heavy laying records unless they are accompanied by an exceptional physical character and reasonable egg size. If there are individuals capable of producing 300 2oz. eggs in a year, and of retaining a high standard of physical vigour, we may be sure that breeders will make good use of them. However, to assume that every hen which lays 300 eggs in a irrespective of the size of the eggs, is to be ’regarded as a desirable breeder is a policy which can only lend to disaster. REMOVING THE CAUSES, It is, however, gratifying to know that several of our leading breeders are working with the express purpose of defeating the small-egg menace. To what extent the question is bound up with that of breed characters remains to be seen. I am well aware there are direct as well as indirect causes of small eggs. Even pullets bred from the large egg. strains may fail in this respect through errors in feeding and management, and such failures cannot be laid to the account of breeders. But first and foremost it should he the business oi all who engage in specialist breeding for egg production to remove. what may be called the indirect cause, . such as breeding from hens with high laying records without regard to vigour and egg size, and breeding from immature pullets. No breeder should endeavour to develop any breed for his own particular purpose. EGG EATING AND ITS CURE, There is nothing more annoying and ruinous than to have egg-eaters in the flock. Whenever there is any suggestion of eggs being eaten" by the hens a watch should be kept in order to discover the culprit, so as to check the, vice, before, it becomes general, in which case serious losses may occur. This bad habit is usually caused by overcrowding, lack of exercise and the use of nests that are low to the ground and too light. The habit rarely is found among a fleck that is on free range, or that is given proper housing and a well-balanced ration. It is sometimes caused by giving too much grain, when the hens eat the eggs in an effort to obtain meat food. As a rule the hen first acquires the taste for eggs by pecking at a soft-slielled egg or one that has been broken in the nest. It is hard to cure a hen of thio habit when once she has acquired a taste for eggs. If you wish to try breaking the bird ox the habit, the most successful methods are either to use a number of china eggs or loaded eggs in your nest, where the birds will be sure to find them. After several unsuccessful attacks on the eggs the hens will probably become ’ ; discouraged and leave the rest of them alone. The most effective way of pre- / venting hens from acquiring the habit is to give a balanced ration and -plenty

of exercise, to build nests dark ami about 2 feet from the floor, and construct them so that there is no dangei of the eggs being scratched out on the floor and broken. WHERE DUCK KEEPING WILL PAY. The keeping of ducks for egg production is becoming so general that we now frequently see Indian Runners.and Khaki Campbells and other laying breeds confined in very small enclosures. This means that the birds, which, under natural conditions, are great foragers, have to be provided with all their food. Nevertheless, there is ample proof that even uuder these conditions they can be made to pay, so that when they can be kept in circumstances that tend to greater economy and productiveness, they should yield a handsome profit. The ideal conditions for the keeping of laying ducks are to be found on n farm where they can have free range. To the busy farmer they represent a more economical proposition than hens for egg production, because they need very little attention and their accommodation is of the simplest, consisting of a well-ventilated outhouse, • with a dry floor, or a low house, costing one third the price of ft scratching shed for are equal number of hens. GENERAL NOTE 3, The Stratford show, as usual, provided excellent competition in the poultry •section. Entries in the fancy section were not quite so numerous as last year, but were more than, compensated for by the quality of the exhibits and the increased entry in the utility section. Mr. Hicks, Otane, judged the fancy section and Mr, R, D. Whyte, Palmerston North, the utility section. ThLs was Mr. Whyte’s first appointment .as a judge of all classes, and, from the reports to hand, he. acquitted himself remarkably well. The executive of the Auckland Game Club is looking forward to a record entry'-for this year’s event. Already entries have been received from practically every part of the North Island. Messrs W. Wilson and E. J. R. McLaren have been appointed judges. Mr. W. Bish, Henderson, has forwarded trios of White Rocks, Black Orpingtons and Rhode Island Reds to Mr. J. Turner, Suva, Both the White Rocks and Rhode Island Reds were exceptionally fine specimens, having been bred from Mr. Bish’s winners. The .Black Orpingtons too, were typical specimens. Answer to Correspondent. —The “New Zealand Poultry Bulletin”, has ceased publication in its present form and in future will, I understand, be incorpo- - rated in another paper. The address of the ‘‘New Zealand Feathered Life” is Theatre Buildings, Mt. Eden Road, Auckland. A letter to the manager will, give you the information you require.