POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 1 August 1931, Page 12 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

BY 4*

G. H. AMBLER

SELECTION AND MATING. It is now quite generally conceded that one’s success in incubating brooding and growing stock depends very largely upon the vitality of the breeders, especially if disease does not enter in as an important factor. This being the case, constitutional vigour should be the basis for selecting and mating our breeding stock. But how constitutional vigour is to be measured is the vital question. To my mind there is only one absolute method, and that is to test our stock during the pullet and cockerel year. Then the second year we would be breeding from tested specimens. What we term a tested hen is one that has been trap-nested to determine the number of eggs laid, her eggs tested for fertility and hatchability, and her chicks tested for livability, rapid and continuous growth. By a tested male we mean one which has been tested for the same points as the hen, except egg production, and in addition to these points the performance of his daughters, which is the supreme test for the male. Of course, we want to apply this test to the hen also, but if she is a good layer herself we naturally expect her daughters to be good layers, if the sire is of the right composition. SIMPLE MEANS OF TESTING. To test a flock in this way we realise is beyond the ordinary poultry-keeper, and, as a rule, belongs to experimental station work. But poultrymen who trap-nest their birds can easily test each hen for fertility and hatchability, though to keep a record of the livability and growth of the chicks would necessitate keeping a record of each individual chick from the time it was hatched to maturity, 1 which would ■be out of the question. Inasmuch as the average poultryman cannot resort to such scientific methods, there are other ways by which he can determine fairly accurately the vitality and worth of his breeders, and one of the most important of these is general appearance and shape. There is a very close relationship between shape and vitality. By shape I do not mean those, characteristics that separate our birds into breeds and varieties. Select breeds that conform as closely as possible to the breeds they are supposed ,to represent. 'They should also be strong, vigorous specimens. This applies to both male and female. THE KIND TO REJECT.

No one should select for a breeder a specimen that lias the following characteristics : —Long, slim back, crow or snake head, sleepy eyes, long neck, narrow chest, wedge-shaped back, pinched tail, long, slim legs and toes, extremely shallow abdomen, or a bird which is deformed in any way. Specimens of this description either have hereditary taint br have been grown under conditions that are far from ideal, or it may be that they are overloaded with disease germs or worms. Observe closely how the male uses his legs as he walks about. If he lifts them high and pushes them forward before putting them to the ground the joints are affected and he is apt to be troubled with rheumatism. Such specimens, in time, become unable to fertilise the eggs, and owners wonder why their fertility is low. Those that have had any serious sickness should also be rejected. So far as possible we should breed from fowls that are sufficiently strong and vigorous to resist disease. One should not’ attempt to lay the foundation of a laying 'strain without first knowing something of their immediate ancestors. If one can start with those who have had years of good breeding and growing back of them one should do so by all means; mate up your pens with a definite object. Either you are breeding for fancy requirements, for eggs, for table purposes, or for a combination of the two last-named requirements. Definitely make your choice, and select ac- 1 cordingly, and do not be wafted about like a straw by the wind, without purpose or object. Then bear in mind, that, like usually produces like. Your idea iii breeding should be* improvements of your stock;

eliminate, therefore, without hesitation any hen or pullet possessing undesirable qualifications. Twisted toes, knockknees, bad combs, all have an unhappy habit of reproducing themselves, whilst it should be a sine qua non that every bird is absolutely sound conditionally. Eliminate all wastrels from your yard. Your food bill will be lessened, your labour and accommodation be less severely taxed, your land will not be so polluted, and your average per head will be increased. Every poultrykeeper makes mistakes. They may be the outcome of lack of knowledge, over-devel-opment of the experimental bump, too great a zeal, x or many reasons; but the intelligent poultry-keeper will always profit by such mistakes, because he will observe them, ascertain the why and wherefore, and in future avoid such pitfalls.

FEEDING AND EGG PRODUCTION.

Scientific ' research, in combination with practical experience, has taught us that if we supply certain ingredients in correct, proportions hens will yield their maximum results according to their capability. Egg yields will naturally vary according to the bird’s capability; by that I mean, whether she is from a strain that has been bred to lay for generations past, or merely a nondescript. You will bear in mind how frequently I have begged of you to acquire only such birds or sittings from these birds. At the moment, however, I do not propose discussing the “strain” of fowls, but to point out, that whatever birds you may possess, you know theoretically that if you would secure their maximum' yield you must feed them correctly; in other words, you must supply the necessary material for the manufacture of the desired eggs. And how many of you do so? From practical experience I- doubt whether one in the hundred use their intelligence in this direction.

A decade or two ago any old stuff was considered good enough for poultry, not only by the poultrykeepers themselves, but by corn merchants and dealers. To-day the former have a theoretical knowledge that “anything” will not yield the best results. Unfortunately some of the latter, in order to secure the maximum profit and. still sell cheaply to secure trade, continue the old order of ’ things, and anything that is grindable and is cheap is good enough for their poultry meal. And they are not altogether to blame. You insist on having something cheap; the dealer must cater for you, and he supplies you with what is cheap and nasty. There are exceptions, of course, and some capital and satisfactory poultry meals are on the market, especially where a practical poultry-breeder is connected with the firm.

This brings me to another aspect of the question. This latter class, a very small one, has expert knowledge acquired by experience, and those who deal with him, in acquiring his meal, purchase not only the actual commodity, but his experience. Do not be solely governed by considerations of pricer of food, exert certain ingredients in the correct proportions, your birds will yield their maximum results —and it is results that you want. Place your orders with those who really know the requirements of the business, and who make a specialty of that knowledge. Then, even if you have to pay a little more for the superior materials the meal is composed of, yet the resulting increasad number of eggs, and the absence of sickness, will make it a profitable investment.