POULTRY

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12405, 24 August 1918, Page 11

POULTRY

NOTES.

Official Organ of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club

The annua! meeting of the Christchurch Poultry Club will he held on Monday night. Next mouth Mr F. C. Brown, the Chief Government Poultry Instructor, will give an address in Christchurch on “Incubation and Artificial Rearing-” Eggs dropped to Is 3d and Is 4d per dozen during tho week, and owing to the high cost of production poultry men ore already considering cool storing some of their eggs. Last summer the Egg Farmers’ Association cool stored some thousands of dozens of eggs, which realised Is 9)d per dozen this past winter. The Canterbury Egg Circle members also benefited by preserving a largo quantity of their summer eggg, Mr E. E. Marsden, of Richmond, has eleven chickens from tho pair of White Leghorns ho recently secured from Mr H. B. James, Melbourne. Mr James, in a letter to Mr Marsden, states that the cockerel going forward is ouo he had set apart for his own use. He is a full brother to “ Lady Constant” out of No. 11 single tested hen (293 last year)—a sister bird laying 286 eggs in just over eleven months’ laying. A pullet, by father of the cockerel, out of the 2Sti hen, had started off with seventeen eggs in eighteen days in Bendigo test. Tho hen is from a fine typo of hen (267 eggs) by father of “Lady Constant.” She was hatched August. 1916, and single tested 271 eggs. Mr Marsden is mating the imported cockerel with four of his best selected layers as well as the_ imported hen. H c reports good inquiries for settings and cockerels, particulars of which are advertised. The “ New Zealand Poultry Journal ” _ for August, which is to hand, contains several helpful articles ou line breeding. Mr G. Ambler’s address and tho discussion that followed at the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club are published in full, and Pelch’s chart, an excellent guide to beginners, is illustrated. A first instalment of the editor’s trip to Australia makes interesting reading.

Luring the week 1 visited Mr H. Williams’s yards, in Brougham Street, Sydenham. Mr Williams is the enthusiastic breeder who claimed “ Lady Cornwall,” with a record of 317 eggs in the last Papanui single bird contest, from Green Bros, for £3O. This New Zealand record hen has been •mated-to a Green Bros, cock, which is, I understand, a brother to the father of Master Ern Gee’s wonderful pullet. Air Williams has fully two dozen strong chicks already horn this mating, and as ho finds every egg is fertile, ho intends to breed a number tins season. The Sydenham breeder Ims already booked n number of orders for cockerels, and as Air Williams is most thorough in his records of his breeding stock, purchasers can rely on getting cockerels from Lady Cornwall. Mr Williams has a pen of White Leghorns, full sisters to his team which laid close on 1400 eggs at Papanui, mated with a good typo cock bird, which sired some of Air Chambers’s fine utility exhibition females. Minorca® are also kept by Air Williams, and his two breeding pens are splendid specimens of egg-pro-ducers; in fact one pullet has recorded 101 eggs in 121 days. Air Williams’s team of Alinorcas. at Papanui are also demonstrating that he possesses a good laying strain, and he has fulfilled' orders for sittings and birds all over the country. •;

In _ the Invercargill egg-1 ay inn- competition tlie 239 pullets laid 866 C£ f, S for the week ending August 13. The leading teams are ns follow;—,

Daily Weight. Grand Laying. oz. Tl. R. C. Ferguson . 3214432—22 43 442 Maslor C. Dixon . 3363341—26 51 439 Mrs J. Anderson . 4334322—21 ii\ 405 Mrs Gorinsld . C5C1614—34 72J 405 Glia'). Thomson . 4G35135—30 G2J 404 J. J. Schultz . 3134154—27 524 392

The number of eggs gathered in the Papunui egg-laying contests for the week ending August 20 is the best gathered in this trial. Improvements are noticeable in most of tho team’s totals, and from now on heavy laying can bo expected. Atkinson Bros. White Leghorns still lead the sixty-ono other pons of light breeds, and havo tho good total of 5 19 eggs for 135 days, which is a better performance than any of the teams at Bendigo or Burnley. The ducks are laying solidly, especially T iDowthwake's and W. 'L Green’s teams' The hitter's team of six ducks has* laid 250 eggs out of a possible 252 eggs duriiuc the last six weeks. Phenomenal laying is also being done bv Master Krn Geo’s "White Leghorn- Her figures for the first nine days wore 001101111 then seven eggs each week for the following nine weeks, ono egg for the eleventh

SITTINGS Rhode Island Rods, Ss 6d. T, U A. Berry, 166, Tuam St. and Nursery Rd ' ]jln ' VOW L_ 0581

u A-KGG Cycle Hatchers, £3. Only 4 left OU Sm them working at 189, Btcjighom bt., Sydenham, SSW POE Sale, Sitting. Indian Runner-Bufl , °fP 1 , n . KtoI J D , uck winning strain; also U hue Lcchorns and Blk, Orpin-tons, 2C, burroy St., Linwood. 5573

QITTINGS for Sale Black Orpingtons. 10 Leghorns, prolific layers. 19. Rochester bt.. Linwood. g-,77 OITiTNCiS White Leghorns, PldHipTutiiThr a.lnwg,,! Kls ”‘' *■

NOTES BY "CROWBLACK.”

week, two eggs for the twelfth, week, seven eggs fur the thirteenth week, six eggs for tho fourteenth and fifteenth weeks, followed by seven eggs in each of tho four subsequent weeks. The highest totals in tho live tests are as follows: '

LIGHT BREED TEAMS (G2). Atkinson Bros. . . . 4434643—28 579 Tracey King . . . fi.| 13113—29 556 S. L. Beot . . . 3611635—20 555 HEAVY BREED TEAMS. (16). T. E. Conway' . ; , 4611331-27 419 T, E. Conway No. 1 . 3113332—32 838 C. H. Izard . . . 2533330 18 870 DECK TEAMS (7).

R. M. Copland . , 4355144—29 591 L. A. Wadham . . . 5311144—38 559 W. T. Green, No. 2 . . 5555555 —35 513 SINGLE HEAVY BREEDS (5). T. E. Conway , . . UllOU— 6 88 T. Wilson . , , 1009101— 3 . 79 A, E. Wilson . . , 1111111— 7 62 SINGLE LIGHT BREEDS (19). Master Ern Gee . . 1111111 S. L. Boer . . . 1110111— 6 114 Green Bios. . 1110111— 6 ICO T. Wilkinson . . , 0111101 5 100

SCIENTIFIC OR LINE BREEDING

PAPER BY MR G. H. AMBLER. At the request of the Educational Committee of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club Air G. H. Ambler read a paper on “Scientific or Liuo Breeding ’ on Tuesday night at the club’s rooms. Mr Carlyle Atkinson presided, and there was a very large attendance, including prominent members of the Homing and Fanciers’ Clubs. Mr Ambler in his opening remarks said ho was one of the most successful breeders of exhibition Mbit© Leghorns in the United Kingdom, and had long practised inbreeding and carefully noted its many qualities and few deficiencies. He bad gained the highest honoiirs possible at the Crystal Palace. His lines of breeding had been strictly in accordance with the chart laid down by Air 1. K. Fclch. Scientific or line breeding may popularly be defined as systematised inbreeding. It is a system of inbreeding to perpetuate and intensify in their offspring tho good qualities of individuals, and at the same time avoid the difficulties and failures that often result from too close inbreeding. Persistent inbreeding, such as mating brother, and sister, if practised for several generations, will nearly always result in impaired fecundity, loss of size and decrease in constitution and vigour. Cross-breed-ing or out-breeding, on the other hand, where birds of different varieties, or oven different strains within a variety together, tends to break down the blood lines and cause variations from the types of the parents. In many cases where birds of outstanding excellence, hut different blood lines, have been mated together, the offspring has been decidedly inferior to either of the parents. Cross-bred stock, however, usually possess good fecundity and constitutional vigour. Line breeding, therefore, endeavours to secure the good properties of both systems without Hie faults of either. A study of the rudiments of inbreeding is also a most essential feature of the poultry breeder’s education, without which success will bo less permanent. Inbreeding has also its detractors, hub those who have learnt of its value have usually “lain low” and have allowed the wordy condemnations, frequently from impartial sources, to pass by miassailed. By inbreding not only are the external characters of the bird or animal under control, in the hands of careful and experienced management, but constitution can ho strengthened and utility qualities increased. Writers on this subject frequently forget to point out that inbreeding as surely and as faithfully reproduces the defects as it does the good points, both externally and constitutionally. By inbreeding the constitution may ho destroyed, and the utility or reproductive qualities can he wiped out just as quickly as they may he built up by the same principle. In commencing inbreeding, therefore, tho most important and entirely essential aid is sound slock. No constitutional weakness of any description must he tolerated, mid if the system is to he continued any specimens that may turn up later which give evidence of any weakness should not he bred from, and if this rule is carried out much trouble will be avoided- There has boon an extraordinary development with tho productive efforts of the fowl in recent years. AVo have domestic fowls, nob only in Now Zealand, but in tho colder climate of England, that have trapnestod over 300 eggs per annum in competition. This has been brought about, not only by out-cross-ing, but essentially by a process of linemating, possibly crude at first, but ns the high fecundant element asserted itself scientific breeding, methods have been more generally and more carefully applied, and we ventured to say that very few successful utility breeding plants now exist where some cf tine-breeding is not practised. Now breeds are of necessity made mid fixed by the mating together of related stock, otherwise breed-making would be a slow, disappointing, haphazard and unprofitable enterprise. The pronounced degree to which the high fecund faculty has boon raised during the past few years is due undoubtedly to the same influences, in a more advanced form perhaps. The common-sense breeder carefully avoids breeding from.

immature stock and forcing his breeding stock upon rich diet, two of the principal causes of chicken mortality and dead in shell. Line-breeding from such material can only result in failure In conclusion, Mr Ambler pointed out to the beginner that he does not require a big stock. Ho can cither start with a dozen eggs from a reliable breeder, or if his financial strength will permit a breeding cock and two herm is bestThere jii'o u number of reliable breeders of most breeds who recognise that to further the interests, and to popularise a variety, the necessary way is to sell properly mated stock which will produce something of reasonably choice quality, and which is correctly linebred. Assuming that the beginner has started so, ami been properly heated, ,he can tho second year extend his operations without further outlay in Ids stocli. The best two females of his first year's produce must be put back to tho sire, and another pen also mated containing the best cockerel and the two liens from the original pen. At this stage the amateur has got on tho line of in-breeding, and if he has started well and has been sufficiently rigorous and strict in. his selection, and if he is.a lover of fowls and has adopted tho policy of never selling his best, I venture to say that by the third year ho will not only have, improved his stock, but his ispare birds will be eiaiminp, ciw tomers. _ Thus a strain is established and special peculiarities retained and improved. If it is advisable to introduce new blood it is best done by adding _ a female to tho mating desired H is a safer course to add new blood through a female- than a male. Especial care should bo taken therefore no! to mnfo anv individuals which have the same fault in common. Of course when in-breeding our poultry, we are following a law of Nature, which will only prove- hurtful when we offend against another natural law—tho survival of the fittest—by breeding from weak or immature specimens.