Poultry World.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11805, 16 September 1916, Page 15

Poultry World.

NOTES AMD NEWS.

(By CrowblackJ

The South Island Poultry Association's ait union will bo drawn this o\ euiug, at eight o clock, iu the Christehurch Poultry Club's rooms. On Tuesday evening Mr L Cocker, at the quarterly meetiug of the Canterbury . Egg-Farmers'* Co-operative Association read a very educative paper (contributed by L. K. Keysar to the Poultry Review ") on " Selection and Mating." .In commenting on the paper, Mr Cooker said the writer had hit tho nail on the head when he referred to most people keeping iiU the pullets they reared just because they were pullets. no matter,' how bad the bird's constitution. With legard to the practice of discarding hens after two or three laying .seasons and renewing the fleck with pullets, the writer was again very much to the point when he said it was not a safe plan to determine by its age a bird's usefulness as a layer or .a breeder. Few expert poultry-men to-day readily discard the late moulter even in her third year, said Mr Cocker, and ho considered it was a great pity that the Department of Agriculture did not help poultry-men on questions of this kind by' experiments at tho State farms. Sincere sympathy is felt by all fanciers for Mr and Mrs P. Cnroliu, of Dunedin, in the loss of their eldest daughter.

Mr L. E. Keysar, tho author of the paper read by Mr L. Cocker on Tuesday evening at tho meeting of eggfarmers. says: "One of the principal causes for breeding so many poor lay-, ing pullots lies in the selection of the bleeding stock. This is usually done in the fall, either before or after the moult, and the handsomest and sleekest hens aro selected regardless of their marks as good layers or possible breeding qualities. If this selection is made before tho moult, which is the best time, these sleekest hens are almost sure to be .those which aro the least productive. The heavy layers aro ragged, dirty and worn, while their less ptoductivo sisters which have devoted their feed to the care of the body, look spank and clean. Nearly every poul-try-keeper knows how to tell laying hens by the position of the pelvio bones, and in makin" a selection for breeders ho should choose tho9o which are laying late in tho foil, that have large abdomens and straight, thm pelvic .bones, which, if laying, are wide apart. The abdomen should be pliable. A hard .abdomen indicates a bird of the meat type, but such wo are not apt to find laying late in the fall nor with thin pelvio bones. It requires study to become an expert at selecting hens, and it is a good time now to commence this study. Observe the hens in the yards and on the nest. Handle them often so you will become familiar with their formation and changes it will go through from now on until they quit laying. You will learn a good deal by doing this, and will so be able to pick out the good layers. Do not be deceived into believing that a hen is an especially -rood layer because she is wide between the pelvic bones. This merely indicates that she is laying, but a considerable distance from the pelvic bones to tho end of the breast bones indicates that the hen has capacity in proportion to that distance. * This distance varies in the same hen according to her condition, and is greatest during heavy laying. If you are using trap-nests, observe the body formation of tho best layers, but in this case breeders and next season's layers will doubtless be chosen by their records providing • they are rigorous an<| healthy. By the use of the trap-nest for several seasons a close observer may learn to detect the good or poor layers. It is something we must learn from observation. Printed directions are of little use even when well illustrated. They do not show thoso characters in a hen which we consider go to make good layers, and which an expert is looking for when choosing breeders.

In congratulating Mr Cocker on the way he had handled his paper at the egg-farmers' meeting on Tuesday night, Mr Wilson said j.t would start members thinking and good would be bound to follow. He quoted from breeding authorities and said, like Mr Cocker, he regretted that the Government poultry farms were not conducted on experimental instead of commercial lines. The Government poultry instructors were doing good work, but the State farms appeared to be content to supply stock, and to that end were not likely to conduct experiments which would interfere with their profits. He hoped the Egg Farmers' Association would make an effort to induce the Department to systematically carry out breeding and culling experiments on an extensive scale, as such experiments would be invaluable to the Dominion, The Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association has issued its programme of exhibition to be held at Leeston on October 19. It has included a section for utility poultry, which I understand will bo judged by Messrs Brown and Cussen, Government poultry instructors. The chief instructor will give a demonstration at noon on the show all day, when all interested in poultry-keeping are invited to be prosent. „ ~ Mr E J. Ross will represent the Christchurch Poultry Club at the conference of poultry societies to bo held at Timaru next Thursday evening Mr T. H. Jones will be the. United Pigeon Club's delegate . Air J. H. Shaw the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club s representative, and Mr G. E. Jeffreys will go as the South Island Association's delegate. Messrs K. K. Watts and W. A. Cook, members of tho Ohristchurcli 1 oultry Club,, have enlisted for the front-. At the Christchnreh Poultry Clubs mostin fr on Monday night, tho chairman presented Mr F. Dacre with two handsome, silver cups which his pullet n'on at" the Ashburton show. In replying Mr Dacrc thanked the president 'of tho Ashburton (Society (Mr Butldv), who was jpre»ent, for getting sucli Valuable special prizes put on tho club's schedule. Mr Dacre said he had judged the first Wyandottes in Christchurch,'' and sinc-j then he had never been without them in his yams, and hj« felt proud of breeding the pullet which had gained such great distinction at the Ashburton show. Mr Bundy (the president of the Ashburton Society) said iv< was unique lor one exhibitor to win both cups, and he hoped Mr Dacre would be successiul in winnintr them outright next year. Th,.» Educational Committee of the Xcw Zealand I'tilitv Poultry Club has requested Mr L. Cocker to read his paper on .Selection aiui Muting at' j the club meeting on Tuesday night, > when di.-cus.sion <m the paper will be j invited. ' . , j

At the Egg Farmerh' Association meeting on Tuesday evening. Mr J. VV. Green said ihe paper read by Mr Cocker appealed to hi'.i a-s an eminently practical one. It wa-i unquestionably hard to cull on an even flock, but _ his method wa* t.o east out all birds that fell far .short of his Every breeder had ■i!i ideal,'and the nearer one win keep t<> the ideal the better. Ho did net favour- continually breeding from pullets. chiefly because, iti Ills opinion, they would not aivo stock strong enough'for the brooding pen. He claim-ed-that-breeders should test the maK bird and if this were done there would, hot, be so many disappointments. Mr Hawke said he often hesitated to express an opinion on poultry breeding because it was very hard to lay down a hard"and fast rule, lie agreed with Mr Green that it was not wise to breed from pullets if continuou-3 laying stock was required, but he also agreed with Air Wilson, t-nat the fertility of fltiHvts

was higher than the fertility of two-year-old henß. He said that a pertinent, question in reforonco to the paper thoy were discussing was: "How can yon pick tho cull?" . Ho noticed that the writer did not give this information. Ho holt] that it was almost impossible to cull young stock, mid ho had proved by experience that a rejected pullet had pro ml one of his host, layers. In his opinion tho best guide in selecting breeders and lavor» was tho eye. t.no bird's eye Ntocxl out bold and bright vim would not go far wrong. Mr llawke concluded by saviny that he had enjoyed both tho paper and tho discussion. ...