POULTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16744, 27 May 1922, Page 11

POULTRY.

NOTES BY “CROW-BLACK.” The report received from Mr R. Pearce, honorary secretary of the Christchurch Poultry Club, regarding entries received for the forthcoming show is most gratifying, the present total being 2208. As the secretary will receive late entries this evening at tho club's rooms, Colombo Street, there in every prospect of establishing a fresh record.

The Wanganui Poultry Society is endeavouring to arrange with Mr C. A. House to judge its show. The Wanganui fanciers will have reason to pleased at its success in securing the services of the eminent English judge. The Christchurch Poultry Club will meet on Monday evening to furthercomplete arrangements for the show, which takes place at tho King Edward Barracks on June 8. 9 and 10. I am in receipt of the Ashburton Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Society’s prize schedule for the show which is to be held on June 23 and 24. Tho championships to be competed for *vt Ashburton are as follows :—Hamburg?, utility Ancona, Black-red or Brown-red Game Bantam, and Working Homer pigeon (cock). An outstanding feature oi the* schedule is the attractive list of trophies and special prizes awardel to the numerous classes. Tho judges are as follows:—Open classes, Mr P. Carolin; utility classes. Mr J. Tindall; pigeons, Mr T. H. Jones; canaries, Mr T. S. Jones.

The members of tho Christchurch Poultry (Tub unanimously decided on Monday evening to present Mr J. H Shaw with tho sum of ten guineas as a slight expression of their appreciation of his valuable services to the fancy. His untiring energy to the poultry industry in general is doubtless responsible for liis present illness. Mr Shaw lias successfully cari-ied out tho secretarial duties of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club, the Souf* Island Poultry Association, the South Island Wyandotte Club, the Leghorn and Minorca Club, and numerous other capacities which have helped to bring the industry to its present high standard of excellence in the Dominion. The wholehearted manner with which the motion was carried and the kindly references made by those who spoke to the motion are splendid evidence that the fanciers realise Mr Shaw’s sterling qualities. and all unite in wishing him * speedy restoration to good health.

Mr T. Doig. of We Uington. has purchased a Brown Leghorn cock and cockerel from Mr F. S. Gimblett, of Lin wood.

Mr C. Lafferty. an old member of the Sydenham Poultry Club, who is now licensee of the Grand Hotel at Frank ton Junction, is at present on a visit to Christchurch, and wishes to be remembered to all old friends. Air R. W. Hawke leaves early next week for Hamilton, where he will judge all utility classes at the Waikato show. The L nited Pigeon Club held a successful table show on Thursday evening for two classes. Working Homer cock, rung 1921, and Working Homer hen. rung 1921. The placingg in the former class were:—Mr F. Ivingsford 1, Mr L Wilshire 2 and Mr G. W. Robertson 3. the latter class placings being: Mr G. W. Robertson 1. Mr F. D. Wilson 2 and Mr L. Wilshire 3. These little functions should he encouraged. Y° r \ apart from their educative value they tend to foster a most praiseworthy hobby.

The many friends of Mr H. G. Hunt will regret to learn that he has been confined to his h#cL for the past live weeks. Though he is resigned to the fact that he will he unable to attend the coming show, he will be an exhibitor of Engli-:h W hite Leghorns. The Nelson Poultry Society has delayed its Show date two weeks to secure the services of Mr C A. House, the celebrated English poultry judge to judge the show. Mr House will also lecture in Nelson and during tho time of his visit will he tho guest of’ the Nelson people He will ho accorded civic welcome by the Mayor. Air House has been brought to Australia to judge the Sydney Show at a coxst of £ooo. The ‘‘ Australian Hen ” says: — lt He lias won thousands of prizes with poultry, pigeons and canaries, and as a judge he has been more inst *umental in purifying the genera; horestv m the British fancy than any other living man. In fact, one may say. than any other man who lias ever lived. FT is fearlessness in the matter of disqualifying prominent exhibitors is one of his best-known characteristics. He lias set his face sternly against fakes and dishonourable betrayers of the true fancier spirit, and

as a seagreen incorruptible he has no equal in tho world of fancy. He has judged in all parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and drawn excellent entries in every section. His services have also been appreciated by the fanciers of Sweden, Denmark, II Oi land. Belgium and France. No more remarkable and notable personality exists in poultrydom to-day.” Mr -T. B. Merrett. who will accompany Mr House on his Dominion tour, lias also been invited to become the guest of tho Nelson people during his visit. In view of the N.Z.P A. Conference being held at Nelson next March, the visit of Mr House will he of great value to the poultry industry. Last Saturday prior to his departure for Wellington Mr J. D. Merrett was presented bv his follow employees on the staff of J. B. Merrett and Coy. with a handsome travelling suit case. Mr E- G. Spellerberg. who made the presentation on behalf of the staff, complimented Mr Merrett on his appointment arid expressed the appreciation with which be was held by his co-worlcers and the many clients with whom lie came in contact. The recipient thanked the donors for their excellent gift which ho would always treasure as a memento of his pleasant association with them. Mr 11. Beck, who recently went into his new homo in Blyth’s Road, Papanui, has eight acres of good land in orchard. Ho has put up housing accommodation for about IJOO birds and is specialising in American Barred Rocks, Black Orpingtons. White Leghorns and Indian Runner Ducks.

Al i* M’Lean. of Rotorua, has pur chased from Mr West a full sister tr i the world’s record hen. Queen West j tho price I understand being eighl guineas, which is a high price for ar untested bird. Mr M’Lean has also made a very tempting offer for Mr West's No. 3 bird now competing in the competition. SEASONABLE HINTS. Tt- is well to watch stock this time of the year for the appearance of colds among the birds, especially the laying pullets. With a fairly heavy ration their blood becomes heated, and, with a sudden change in the weather, they are subject to colds. Always keep snmo Oondy’s crystals handv. and put a few grains into the drinking water It is a good thing to put a little in tho water when there are changes in the weather. 1t will not affect their egg production if used wisely. Do not change the diet if the birds begin to i suffer from colds. It would he better i to remove them to a pen away from the others. »nd feed them on grain.

chiefly oats- Squeeze their nostrils out regularly with the thumb, and then use an oil can with kerosene and syringe the nostrils- Let the birds have access t«o water for only ten minutes daily.

EDUCATIONAL MEETING

Tlie New Zealand Utility Club held the first of a series of educational meetings in the club rooms on Tuesday evening. Mr H. Williams was chairman.

Mr W. .T- Chambers gave a practical demonstration of how to breed, train, wash and prepare a bird for the show pen. First the bird was placed in a bath of warm water, heated to about 70 degrees, to which was added a little ammonia. Air Chambers washed the bird, a White Leghorn cock. He worked up a good lather, rubbing the feathers backwards and forwards right to the skin in order to bring out all dirt. Tho bird was then rinsed in three waters, the last being almost cold, to which was added a little blue. Tho bird was then dried by rubbing with a towel and placed before a fire Air Chambers explained that the ordinary course was to place tho bird in n box containing chaff and put it in the sun to dry. Birds should he washed about five clays before the show, and should be nibbed each day with a piece of silk slightly smeared with oil. Tn order to obtain a good leg colour it is necessary to bind the bird’s legs with a piece of rag soaked with vaseline and olive oil about three weeks prior to showing. A good preparation for improving the ear lobes is peroxide of hydrogen. The comb and wattles should have a dressing of two parts salad oil and one part of acetic acid or white vinegar. Tn training a bird for tho show pen a good plan was to give occasional titbits of meat, etc., which induced the bird to come to the front of the pen and show itself off. If it was found that the bird was not quite in condition a good plan was to boil a quantity of wheat in a pan, and place it in an oven to dry. This would have the desired effect when fed liberally. Sometimes it happened that a bird would go off his food. Tn this ease a few pieces of bread should bo baked in an oven, soaked in milk, and fed to the bird at night. This would help to bring hack on appetite.

SELECTING BREEDERS. In selecting breeders it was neces sary to know about the pedigree- A cockerel for pullet breed ing should he fairly Inn? in the back, and a pen for cockerel breeding should have a straight eomb without thumb marks Mr Chambers stated that bv sticking to the utility standard it wa* possible to breed both show birds and layers. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Air Chambers. N.Z. DUCK CLUB. An interesting educational meeting vas held by the above club on Friday. May 19 in the Christchurch Poultry Club’s rooms, when Air R AY. Hawke, the well-known duck breeder, gave an address on selecting and preparing ducks for the show.

PREPARING FOR EXHIBITION.

During tho next few days poultry men will have a busy time preparing their exhibits lor tho show. Nearly every bird requires a certain amount of “dressing” before being staged for competition. If the birds are of a dark or red colour they will not usually need washing, but a clean handkerchief held in the steam of boiling water and smoothed over the feathers while slightly damp will remove much dirt. Pure white birds, or those which have white about them, generally want washing before the v .are exhibited. The better they are washed the greater is their chance in the show pe.n. The mistake of most amateurs is that they never wash a bird until they want to send it to a show, and then they are almost sure to “ make a mess of it.” It is advisable to experiment with a commoner specimen, and thus gain experience and get satisfactory results. A thorough washing is, perhaps, easier accomplished by a novice when one person holds the bird and another does tho sponging. The fowl must he stood in the water and the washing be thoroughly done with a sponge. There must Ik" no surface cleaning only, tho very foundations must be reached. The only care to be observed is that the feathers are not rubbed the wrong way ; wash down the feathers not against them. With this exception wash as much as possible, and be sure the plumage is wet through. The water being warm the bird may faint, in which case dip its head in cold water. After the bird is clean place it in another tub of water heated to about 70 degrees, and wash all the soap thoroughly out Add a little borax to the water if there is any difficulty in getting the soap out. After the bird’s feathers have been rubbed gently downwards with a piece of new flannel that has been warmed, the bird should bo placed in a wicker hamper about four feet away from a good fire. Care should lie taken that tho feathers do not dry too quickly, otherwise they will curl. If such should happen damp the curled feathers again

with a sponge. It is essential that birds that have been washed should not too soon be exposed to draughts. Dark or coloured birds which it is not considered necessary to wash, will require a little more attention than merely dressing the plumage with a handkerchief as already described. Their legs and feet should ho soaked in hot water for three or four minutes. Then take a piece of soap and a nail brush and thoroughly scrub their legs and feet till all traces of dirt have disappeared. Then dry the legs, and rub in a little olive oil. and polish with a piece of clean flannel, rubbing briskly until they are as .smooth as glass. This process will put an excellent polish on the legs and will materially improve the colour. It is needless to remark, except for the beginner, that birds intended for exhibition should be very quiet to to a judge than to find a bird endeavouring to escape his hands by making an exit through the top of the pen. ECC-LAYINC COMPETITIONS With few exception® the birds in the single pen championship, both light and heavy breeds, are doing well, but a, good number of birds are off in the three-bird teams. Birds that pro off now will most likely be out of profit till after June 21. In the three-bird duck teams. A. C.

Clements's and R. W. Hawkes’s birds laid the possible for the week. The following are the leading birds and their weights:— • SINGLE HEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

Wkly Wgrht. Grand total. oz dr Tl. P. W. Shacklock . . 6 11 7 32 11. Whittle . ... 5 8 8 32 Mrs W. llewitt . . G 32 3 31 W. .T. Richards ... 6 12 1 31 \\ . Spence 14 2 31 S. 1.. Beer . ... G 12 8 31 11. C. West .... 5 10 13 31 I). M'Dougall . . .5 9 1 30 C. N. Thomson ... 5 10 12 29 Mrs F. Gorinski . . 5 9 12 29 Green Bros. . . .5 10 5 23 HEAVY BREED SINGLE HEN CHAMPIONSHIP. J. P. Prewet t .7 14 2 37 L. A. Wadhara . 12 5 34 Rogan and Christie . 5 8 11 29 Kogan and Chrisctie 6 12 7 1>. E. B. Smitli . . . iT 9 6 E. V. Arthur s Croad .Langsliau la id 5 eggs for the week, weight 9oz 12dr. otai 12 eggs. LIGHT BREED SINGLE HEN CONTI ST. (Competitors to enter three pullets.) W. H. West . 5 10 11 39 W. 11. West . G 11 11 35 T. S. Dove .... 5 9 1 33 T. S. Dove .... 6 10 4 3). F. Coulter . . G in 31 Hon C. II. Izard . G 11 0 W. 11. West .... 6 10 8 32 W. J. Chambers - . ."> 9 7 31 J. Liggins . . .51 10 9 31 C. A. Inder ... 7 12 1 31 E. Fuchs . . . . G 12 0 31 Hon C. H. Izard . . 5 9 12 31 T. S. Dove . . . S 10 1 30 Mrs W. Hewitt . \ . .5 8 12 30 E. Fuchs . G 32 0 30 (Black Orpingtons.) HEAVY BREED SINGLE HEN CONTEST. (Each competitor to enter three birds. P. Olorenahaw . .6 11 11 35 A. H. Wheeler . G 11 2 A. H. Wheeler . G 10 3 35 A. G. F. Ross ... 5 9 9* 34 Mrs A. M. Stewart . . t 7 0 32 W. R. Sprosen . .5 10 0 30 R. M. Cookson . .4 R. M. Cookson . . 3 6 3 E. T. Ross . 5 9 11 28 T. Gunn . . G 11 14 *28 SINGLE PEN DUCK COMPETITION. (Each competitor to enter three ducks.') Indian Runners. R. W. Hawke .7 16 3 4o A. C. Clements ... 7 20 5 32 R. A. Hollis ... 7 16 14 30 T. Bond ... 7 16 13 31 J. II. Hannah . .7 16 1 29 A. C. Clements . . .7 18 12 29 A C. Clements . 7 17 13 25 Mr T. Dowthwaito'’ White Indian Runner laid seven eggs for the week, weighing 17oz 10dr. in the single duck championship. LIGHT BREED FI-OCK TEAMS CONTEST. (For six purebred pullets.) White Leghorns. F.. Orchard . . -S 51 0 74 T. H. Gardiner . .27 51 7 1G3 J. C. Musgrave . . 15 30 0 154 M. C. Craig . . .29 52 0 152 H. Whittle . .25 45 10 150 ,T. Liggins .22 41 7 134 W. E. Ward .26 50 7 Verrall Bros'. Brown Legho rns lai d 27 for the week, weighing -ISoz 8dr. ROT7THL VXD COMPETITION The following are the leadin g birds ending May i*C Wkly G rand Tl. Tl. Wm. Thomson ... 30 Master M Cushen 30 John Thomson John Thomson . 6 Andrew Love .... ('has. Thomson Mrs A. E. Morris . 6 23 WOOLSTOX TANNERIES. Weekly W’ght total. oz dr. Total 9 11 35 E. Irvine . - - 5 32 S. Loader - - - • 10 5 28 27 J. Farrar • l> H. Tait . . . . * G. Black . . * • t 20