POULTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16497, 6 August 1921, Page 12

POULTRY.

NOTES BY “CROW-BLACK.”

The New Zealand Duck Club will hold an educational meeting on Tuesday night, when Messrs It. W. Hawke and W. T. Green will give addresses. The White Wyandotte*championship of tho South Island at the recent Rangiora show war* awarded to Mr IX Archer ; the White Leghorn to Mr J. H Shaw ; and the any other variety fancy pigeon to Mr N. England. Mr R. W. Hawke, who judged the exhibits at the Westport Poultry Club’s show, returned to Christchurch on Tuesday evening. A meeting of all persons interested in the egg and poultry industry is called for this evening, at eight o’clock in the Chamber of Commerce Hall, to hear and discuss the policy for the foundation of a Poultry Producers’ Cooperative Association, Limited. SEASONABLE HINTS. During the next tvro months all chickens should be hatched if pullets are wanted for autumn and winter laying ; light breeds in the middle or Se’s- - for preference. Select smooth-shelled eggs weighing about 2oz 2dr each for sitting. Good results are seldom obtained from incubating very large eggs. Rough-shelled, badly shaped and very small eggs should be rejected. Remember, if you wish to produce chicks in all their turfy beauty, have your breeding stock in good form. Give them plenty of exercise, feed hard grain, and give them an abundance of green food—you cannot give them too much green food. Do not breed from immature svtoek. The male bird should be fully twelve months old and the females fully two .years and full of vitality. The competitions at Papanui have proved that stock birds four and five years old will j produce winners. W. A. Nixon’s eighth ! competition flock, team (1614 eggs in j 51 weeks; were bred from a four-year-old cock and five-year-old hens, and J Green Brothers’ (1492) pen in the same competition were bred from a five-j’ear-old cock and four-year-old liens. In i tho last competition Mrs Gorinski’s j team were from four-year-old hens mated with a four-year-old cock ; Smart Brothers’ were bred from four-vear-Md hens and a two-year-old cock ; A. E. Phillips’s and Hon C. Izard’s two-vear-old males and three-year-old females, and A. C. Goodlet’s winning sLnglo bird were the progeny of a fif-teen-months’ cock and two and a half vear-old hens. No time should he lost in providing a good snpnly of green food for the chicks. Thev miut have green stuff to keep them in health.

AMONG OUR ADVERTISERS.

Canterbury is an ideal province for fowls, and will become aa famous for ts poultry products ere long as for ts mutton. Out at Kaiapoi recently 1 found Mr Percy Whitford with a nice flock of fully 1600 White Leghorns. He is represented in the egg-laying

competition at Papanui, where his buds are doing him credit by laying numbers of weighty eggs. The breeding staock show great strength and vitality, and those wishing a single sitting or incubator lots can have their wants supplied at Mr \\ hitford’s progressive poultry farm.

At Mr W. Ward’s I found over u thousand White Leghorns in full bloom, on an area ol : two acres. Mr Ward’s strain of White Leghorns showed up conspicuously' in the Papanui egg-laying competition, and his representative in the present single pen contest was leading the other competitors at the-close of the contest on Monday evening last The houses on the farm are 280 ft long, subdivided into four principal houses. These again are subdivided. Large runs are provided in each case. The whole cover a large part of the section, and over a thousand birds are kept continuously. A special breeding house has just been completed, introducing new ideas. Mr Ward has an incubator house, iii which arc fonr incubators, capable of dealing with 1532 eggs. These he has ’ now working to supply large orders for day-old chicks. There is a special chicken-raising house in which the Ward cool brooders are used each year with marked success. For green feed Mr Ward has an eighth of an acre in lucerne, and each year plants a certain quantity of silver beet, cabbages, etc Water is laid on into all houses, so

that the birds may bo provided with a copious supply of water at any time. The farm is easily readied from Bligh’s Road by anyone taking No. 1 car. At present Mr Ward is taking orders for sittings and day-old chicks in any quantity. In Caledonian Road Mr W. H. West, who specialises in White Leghorns, has four breeding pens mated up, and advertises sittings for sale at a very reasonable charge. Mr West’s strain of Leghorns has gained great distinction since testing them in the egg-laying competition at Papanui. In 1917 and 1920 ho captured the winter test, and finished equal second in this year’s. His 1918 flock team lq,id 1366 egga, finishing fourth ; in 1919 the flock team were fifth with 1414 eggs, and his three-bird team won the autumn test on March 31 last, finishing up third in the test with 704 eggs in eleven months. Mr West is to be congratulated on the. fine average of 232 from the fifteen White Leghorns representing him at Papanui, and should come in for a good share of the sittings that will have to bo supplied this season. Mr H. L. Downey, of Barba does Street, is an enthusiastic breeder of Rhode Island Reds and utility White Leghorns. In Rhode Island Reds he has won highest honours this year in the show pens, and he lias the Christchurch utility winning cockerel heading one breeding pen, the Ashburton and Rangiora champion mated with four special hens, and the sire of all his cockerels with a number of utility hens. In White Leghorns the breeding hens are

sisters to his single bird whi:h laid 240 standard weight eggs at Papanui, and tho ooek is a special one from Green Bros’ yards. Mr Downey is prepared to book orders for day-old chicks end sittings.

Mr R. Christie has a very nice situation for poultry at Opawa, and has erected a number of siiitable houses during the last year. His breeding pens include the best strains of White Leghorns, and he is prepared to supply day-old chicks in any quantity, also sittings of eggs at a moderate charge. For many years Mr Christi© was an enthusiastic breeder of canaries, but since retiring from business he has devoted all his attention to utility poultry keeping. At Burwood, Mr J. Liggms’a poultry farm, of four acres and a half, is located. H© ia farming some 1600 head of poultry at preesnt, but is erecting a lean-to house, 120 ft x 16ft, 7ft Sin high in front and 6ft at back, to enable him to increase his tiook. This long range of house will be subdivided into''* six 20ft x 16ft, and each will b© provided with a large grasß run at the back. The layers have all well-built houses, provided with dropping lioards and all conveniences, which give the placo an !

up-to-date appearance. The two breeding pens have fully one hundred late mouiters in each. livery bird in these two pens laid well into April last, and any bird that* was slow in coming baeli to profit was rejected before liberating seven cockerels with the hens. “ In fact, 1 keep a very close eye on my breeders, and any I don’t like, out it goes ; I only want strong, vigorous hens,” said Mr Biggins. Ihe excellent condition of the breeders showed that the enterprising Bur wood poultry in an thoroughly understands the feeding of his -breeding stock. They are fed nothing but hard grain in dee]# litter, and allowed an abundance of green food and access to their run in all weather. Four Newtown Giant brooders have been procured for tliis season’s chicken rearing. “1 am always increasing in size of equipment as profit allows,” said Mr Liggins. “ Everything is built up from the fowlsj and the place is self-contained in every way, 7 ’ ho continued, “ and purchasers of a single sitting of eggs or incubator lota are supplied with eggs from the same pens as it has taken me years to work up to this standard.” Mr Harry J. Conway advertises sittings and day-old chicks from his large egg-strain of Black Orpingtons. Mr Conway has an idea! place at Dunsardel for this popular breeder—plenty of hard grain and free range. To cope with the demand for Black Orpingtons he has just installed another 320 incubator. Anyone purchasing day-old chicks or sittings may safely look for good results from these yards. H. E. Shacklock, Ltd., advertise their f< Oriom” brooders in this issu«. They are 300 chirk capacity, and coal or coke may be used. These brooders have proved mo«t satisfactory on the Government Poulfcy Farm at Milton and elsewhere.

EGC-LAymG COMPETITIONS PAPA NUT. The average egg yield from the fowls and ducks during the will ter months of the New Zealsnd . U il' + v C’ub’« egg-las’™ co repetitions has been excellent, though Brbrwi* four do-/..-, 0 f the 2*2 9-nde pen i—ted pu’lets fa'led to lay sufficient eggs (three dozen each) to pay for the co«t of the food 'approximately ss). A perusal of the returns, however, show? that rb nt 100 of the single-pen tested birds 3’ielded over six dozen eggs for the 112 winter days. The laying of the birds in the several teats for the fifteenth week was ao follows: No. Last eggs. week. 5 Henvv bre-d pullets (s.p.) . 22 23 18 Light breed pullets (s.p.) . G 7 76 60 Light breeds 'flocks of six) . 236 213 72 Light breeds (returned soldiers, flocks of six pullets) 270 251 25 Ducks (s.p.) . . . . 113 113 18 Ducks (flocks cf six) . . 11l 100 41 Heavy breeds (s.p.) . .163 169 2-03 Light breeds (s.ps) . . 725 782 442 Fowls and ducks . . . 1697 1730 Thera is a falling-off in the egg yield from the birds m all the einglo pen tests, but there is increased egg-productiju in the flock beams of fowls and ducks. J. P. Drewett’s Black Orpington continue® to do good work. Fifteen of the sixteen pullets in the light breed singlo hen contest are laying eggs , averaging 260 zto 270 zper dozen, including W. E. Ward’s (73), H. W. Beck’s, Mrs Chambers’s and J. Liggina’s (each 78 eggs). In the light breed single hen contest in which competitors have three representatives, 88 were out of profit for the week, 118 laid standard weight eggs and 47 slightly under-weight eggs. With only one day to go to complete the winter test, the followi ing had three pujlta laying standard weight eggs on July 30:—C. P. Bradford, Mrs Gorinski, W. J. Chambers, J. Lyness, T. J. ' Richards, P. R. Whitford. G. H Bradford, R W. J. Gunn, Hon C. H. Izard, j i W. P. and W. H. West. The returned soldiers’ flock teams aro laying well with the exception of three teams, and practically all of them are complying with the weight conditions. hn the open flock team section ad aro laying weighty eggs excepting the leading team. Four competitors have one or two single birds out of profit in the heavy breed singles, and four of the fourteen competitors have the thr«*° Hrd? laying ?oz esre® or over. They are A. E. Houn?pll’s and PI. Hunter’s Rt*.nde Island Reds and A. G. F. Roob’s and Spro•F<*n and Arthur’s B'ack Orpingtons. Tracey King a«rl F. H. Lovell had two Silver Wyandottes each and A. H. Wheeler two B'ack Orpingtons laying over standard weight eggs on July SO. The leading pens are as follows: HEAVY BREED SINGLE HEN CONTEST. Weekly Wght. Tl. 11 •> tl. oz. dr. days. J. P. Drewett, 8.0. . Q 12 4 100 -J. W. Mathieson, W.W. .5 9 3 7-i R. Christie . . .1 i io 66 HEAVY BREED SINGLES. Competitors to enter ihreo pullets. Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 tl. oz. dr. days. A. G. P. Ross, 8.0. .6 12 9 94 A E. Hounsell, R.I.R. 1.5 10 3 90 T. E. Conway, 8.0. 3.6 10 13 92 R. R. Chrietie, 8.0. 3.5 912 %9 LIGHT BREED SINGLE PEN CONTEST. Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 tl. oz. dr. days. W. E. Ward, W.L. . .4 8 13 79 H. W. Beck, W.L. . .4 0 4 78 Mr? Chamber?, W.L. .5 10 14 78 J. Liggir.s, W.L. . .4 8 G 73 LIGHT BREED SINGLES. Competitors to enter three pullets. Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 tl. oz. dr. days. Ivan Penrose, W.L. 3 5 9 14 93 ' Hon C. H. Izard, W.L. 1 G 11 4 91 W. H. West, W.L. 3 .5 10 7 91 G. H. Bradford, W.L. 1 . G 12 5 SG S. L. Beer, W.L. 2 . .5 9 13 83 R. Wilson, W.L. 1 . .0 10 5 S 3 Mrs Gorinski, No. 2 .5 11 3 81 Green «ros., No. 1 . . 5 9 14 82 Green Bros., No. 2 . . 5 9 13 82 FLOCK TEAMS (G White Leghorn Pullets). Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 tl. oz. dr. day*. Green Bro-s., W.L. . .25 41 9 395 H. Williams, W.L. . .22 44 9 238 i Verrall Bros., W.L. .27 67 13 880 j RETURNED SOLDIERS (six pullets;. 1 Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 * tl. oz. dr. days. •’ A. H. Adams. W.L. . . 2G 83 6 450 1 E. L. Rice, W.L. . .27 49 13 433 1 J. Gold, W.L. . . .29 67 7 423 ( J. C. Musgrave, W.L. .29 69 8 423 < E. Orchard . . .30 60 5 421 SINGLE PEN DUCK TEST. 3 Weekly Wght. Tl. 112 tl. oz. dr. days. R. W. Hawke, I.H. . G 15 0 109 , W. T. Green, No. 1 . .7 19 6 DS T. Bond. No. 2 .. 5 11 9 92 T Dowthwaite, No. 9 . 7 20 2 91 A. C. Clements, No. 2.7 20 8 90 W. T. Green’s three-year duck team laid 28 eggs for the week, bringing their total to . 8139 eggs. Broodies —Pens 2, 3 and 131-2, one bird j WINTER TEST. The leaders for the winter test, which ter- j minated on Monday evening, but subject j to complying with the weight clause, are as J — Heavy Breed Singlo Bird Teat—J. P. j Drewett, 101 eggs. j Light Breed Single Bird Test—-W. E. j Ward, 80 eggs; R. W. Beck,79; E. J. Mer- ' riman, Mrs Chambers and J. Higgins, 78 i eggs each. j Three-bird Single Light Breed?—l. H. Penrose, 91; C. H. Izard and W. H. West, 92 J eggs each. Three-bird Single Heavy Breed?—A. G. F. j Ross. 95; T. E. Conway, 93; A. E. Hounsell and R. R. Christie, 90 eggs each. Open Flock Teams—W. T. Green. Returned Soldiers' EJlock Teams—A. H. Adams. Returned Soldiers’ Flock Teams Ducks— J. H. Hannah. Single Pen Duck Test—R. W. Hawke. 109-EGG PERFORMANCES. FOWLS.

Th® pMfoimancj® of J. P. I>row®tt'e aingl* pen Bla/.'k Orpington «.& Papamii us one of the beat recorded — ’loo *&&& in 112 days, and Standard weight. la tho 1919-20 singles W. Eksnsld'a Black Orpington laid 100 eg-ga in 108 days at Papanui, standard weight. ! In i 917-18 Bendigo singles H. 3. James’s b&dy Constant produced her first 190 eggs in 107 day s, second hundred in 108, and third hundred in 111 days, and 82 <&&£» in the remeaning: 80 days ©2 the year j the 882 eggs weighing <i3lb—slightly over Sob z^uxh iSrn Oa®’» White Leghorn. in the fonxfcoen competition yielded 100 eggs in 115 days. Slightly under the 2oz standard. Greect Bros.' Lady Cornwall produced her first 100 eggs in .Id 7 days, the second 100 in 109 days, tho third in 113 days, and 17 r&&9 in the remaining 21 days of tuo ys«rs

- a total of 017 eggs, averaging over 2os fo” the year. T. Wilson's Silver Wyandotte laid 100 egg- * in days. 1 E. E. Marsden's six White Leghorns laid - 103 egg Bin seventoen days during last Or fcober at Papanui; finishing up the montl 5 i with. 178 eggs; weight 83loz 2dr. In th 1 previous year’s single-pen teat the earn r competitor’s single pullet recorded it 3 fir? In 1319 S. L. Beer’s single yielded its 1 first hundred egg 9in 119 days. b , DUCKS. At Papanui in the present single pen tes' 1 l * R W. Hawke’s No. 2 duck laid 100 egg f ir. 102 days. I In 1920 tho world’s champion duck laid 10‘ eggs at Papanui in 102 days; the second . hundred in 100 days; the third hundred i> [ 99 days, and finishing up with 63 egg.* in 61 days. W. T. Green’s single duck laid its flr?f ’ 100 eggs in 108 days; the same duck having i a sequence of 174 eggs on October 19. AUCKLAND. j For the fifteenth week of the Auckland egg-laying competition there was a genera 1 ' improvement in egg production in the light ' and heavy breeds of fowls, but a number of diicks are in full moult. The leading individual scores are as follows: LIGHT BREEDS. Eggs. 1 R. M. Smith’s No. 4 W.L. . . Si N. Dickey’s No. 4 W.L. . . .84 G. E. Moodv’s No. 4 W.L. . . .82 T. F. Richard’s No. 4 .82 HEAVY BREEDS. G. H. Shaw’s No. l 'B.O. ... 88 W. Tin,swell’s No. 1 8.0. . . * . 83 E. M. Tapp's No. 3 8.0. . . .86 DUCKS. Mrs M’Cullagh’s No. 2 W.li. . . 99 <T. O. Lew’s Nos. 2 and 4 . . . 99 A. «T. Rowland’s No. 2 . . . .94 The leading teams of four are as follows: HEAVY BREEDS Black Orpingtons— J. R. Roberts—3 l, 85, 70. 32 . . . 323 R B. Cruickshank—os, 80, So, 72 . . 302 E M. Tapp—B2, 75, S 6, 56 299 F. O Barge—79, 72, SO, 60 . . . 297 W Timewell—Bs, 5-1, 83, 64 . . .291 Wise 8r05.—69, 75, 77, 04 2SS R R. Clmstie—73, 77, 65, 70 . . . 285 LIGHT BREEDS. White Leghorns— J N. M’Lean, No. 2—64, 78, 80, 69 . 291 G E. Moody—Bo, 63, 62, 82 . . .287 W. R. Fretiicy—67, 66, 71, 70 . . 274 Waitoitoi Stud Farm, No. 2—60, 71, 74, 68 273 T. F Blomfield—S9, 68, 67, 67 . . 271 T- F. Richards—76, 65, 4'5, S2 . . 268 DECKS. Fawn Indian Runners— H. Scott —94, b 7,9 i, 76 S2B J. O. Law—o, 99, 92, 99 . . . . 290 J. Owen—77, 77, 58, 77 . . . 289 A. J. Rowland—3B, 94, SI, 20 . . . 283 A. Wood—7s, 63, 73, 70 . . . . 281 SOUTHLAND. The leading totals lor the fifteenth week avo a 3 follows: Week’3 Grand Total. Total. C. Thomson, W.L . . .6 85 • Tracsy Ring, S.W. . . .6 84 P. Nelson, W.L. . - . .6 Si S. Faircloth, W.Jt. ... 6 79 F. A. Williams, W.L. . 5 79 Tracey King, W.L. ... 4 79 FLOCK TEAMS. Tracoy King, W.L. . . . 34 425 A. E. Morris, W.L. . . . 33 415 G. J. Scott, W.L. . . . 25 356 J. E. Anderson, W.L. . .29 374 Smart Bros., W.L. . . 28 363 Mrs F. Gorinski, W.L. . . 22 359 DUCKS. Alex. Peat . . . .33 383 | Alex Peat 34 306 K. J. A. Clarke .... 28 261