Among the Poultry

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16923, 23 December 1922, Page 6

Among the Poultry

Notes and Hints by

“Crowblack"

NOTES AND HINTS BY “ CROW- jj BLACK.” The next meeting of the Christ- | church Poultry Club will be held on j Monday, January 8. Tho Christchurch Canary Club will j hold its second young bird table show I at tho Poultry Club’s rooms on Wed- t nesduy, January 3. Mr H. Boards- ‘ ley will officiate ns judge. j No meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club will bo held until ! the first Tuesday in February. ; The Executive Council of the Soutn ; Island Poultry Association will meat i this evening to consider an application | from the Toy Dog and Cat Club to ; iflUiatv with the Poultry Association. Mr R. M. Masefield, who was a prominent owner some eight yeara nB o at* tho Papanui egg laying competition, has bran appointed secretary of the Auckland egg-laying competition. Lai-t week Green Bros, forwarded ten early White leghorn Pullets to Mr Hare. Waipara. Mr C. Bennett, of Rangiorn. win recently imported a trio of White W'vandottea from Mi* T. Barrow, England, has already about forty strong chickens doing well. Mr W. Spiv.sen, of Armagh Street, ha* About fifty very promising Blae* Orpington pullets, amongst them being some good quail fcv chickens from the winners of last year’s Orpington shiet l at Papanui. Some time ago Mr Sprosen shinped a Black Orpington cockerel to Mr W. Hillyard. the Lang•han specialist breeder. Melbourne. Dr S. B. Smith, an American, placed on the market. a *IO.OOO-egg capacity incubator. A complete machine, ready for operation, was shown and demonstrated last September at the Babv Chick Convention. Cedn-* Point. Ohio. Extraordinary interest was taken in the incubator by the people in attendance, and twentv-four orders were booked, each incubator costing about £l7f>o. The incubator set Tin on the obsolete guarantee that, ft will hatch ns great a percentage of good chicks ns can possibly be hatched. Mr Alf. Walker, who has been a Game fancier for about seventy rears will probably rive. at d\c o* breeders, an address early in the year o» the Game fowl. T,a*r. week Mosses Cusscn and Brown Government Poultrv Instructors, ap ivsrtfoned points for sample of id the single penned birds in the three bird team. In Februarv next the* instructors will strain judge the -‘'-gs. when the average points for th? four judging* will be arrived at. A correspondent writes pointing cut tho number of poultrv mashes on th*' market and suggest"* that the Nr v Zealand Utility Poultry Club snotiM test the value of these commercial foods if it has several vacant pens after closing of entries. The writer considers that tlxe club might purchase (or loan! eighteen pullets, and that n committee should bo elected to chose say, four teams of equal strength. Records of eggs laid to f.e kept and tho condition of the birds to be noted during the test, especially at the close. The commercial foods to be bought in tho open market. Bv carrying out this research work tho writer claims that the club would b? conferring a great benefit on many poultry men.

SEASONABLE HINTS. If you are a beginning remember that under almost nil conditions it is better to buy Standard bred fowls, «*ven if kept only for eggs, and, in buying, stick to a single breed. A uniform flock also does better and is easier cared for. It does not matter graatly what breed or variety you have, if you get a good producing tftrain, but it matters considerably whather you stick to that strain long oaough to know how to handle it. Bonemeal, when properly prepared, is a very important adjunct to tho ration for growing stock. Bone makes bone, and a supply of this class of feed will ensure healthy vigorous growth. Give your growing pullets as much range as your place will allow, but always avoid wind-swept plains, for it is essential that they should have shelter and the more shelter tho bettor they will enjoy it, with tho prospect of developing much bettor stock. You want to get them as near to natnni conditions as you can. At the same time they do not want to be put on { free range and have to continually hunt j for their food. They should be given 1 hulled oats, and two or threo times i h wook they should be fed ns muen mash as they will readily clean up. They should never be allowed to get ?;o hungry that they are ravenous for their food. Keep them contented and restful and at the same time do not overfeed. Your ducklings want water in front of them at daylight. If they are not able to procure it first thing they overdo it later, and the result is to produce staggers. Indian Runners are very subject to this, more particularly if the arun is shining. How strange it is that people are eo indifferent to the suffering of a fowl from scaly legs, when one knows how simple is the cure. A few appli cations of sulphur, lard and kerosene (of course mixed together) will eradicate this all too prevalent pest. Do not hold surplus cockerels long. While they are growing rapidly It will pay you to keep them jf you can feed fairly cheaply—such as mashes with potatoes, pollard and skim milk. It should bo remembered that as they reach adult size tho rate < f growth slows down, and when this time comes they should go to market, no matter what the season may be, or the market price. From now on prices are likely to drop anyway, anl it is a losing game to feed slow-growing birds. It is the poorest kind of policy to wait until a poultry-house is needed before starting to build. Laying houses built during the next month will be dryer than those built at Easter, and then you are suro to have them when you need thorn, instead of throwing the pullets out of condition and stopping their laying, as it dono in many instances every year because houses aro not available for the pullets. Every day after February 1 H a day too late to begin building, rn your own best interests. The beginner needs to be warne i especially about seeing that the new house is in a cfY*v location. Avoid any place where tho water stands nftov n rain. If you have to use a low place then ATI it in first with earth, ashes, or similar material, and then build the house. Provide drainage so that water will never lie about tho fowlhouse. Dirt floors should be cleaned out at least three or four times a year, nnd resurfaced with clean earth. Take ®°iled material, going clear *o _he bottom of tho holoy made by the fowls wallowing. Then level the floor or<T - a . tT *rr\p it thoroughly lx*fore r esurfacing. T hi H win ho] £ rCflu< , e fh« tendency „i Ulo fl)wls to di<? drej , notes, in the new materia!, which they . win do promptly it the old floor ia not

levelled before new material is put in. ' Where the fowls arc old enough, and ] not too old, whore they ar<» comfort- j ably housed and supplied with a rea I sonahly well-balanced ration, the correct explanation for “ why do my hens j not lay?” almost invariably is “not ; enough feed.” It is doubtful if there i ia such u thing as an overfed pullet where the ration is wisely selected. There is danger of their being improperly fed where the ration is not well balanced, and in that case production may he greatly delayed, ar.d the birds thrown out of condition. But if conditions generally aro what they should I be and the ration is known to bo a good one. try more of it before you lookfurther afield for an explanation for poor production. EGG-LAYING COMPETITIONS. PAPANUI. There war. good production in all sections of tlie New Zealand Utility Poultry Club's egg-laying competitions. In the light breed championship H. W. Beck’* White Leghorn laid the possible, as also did A. ,T. Wood’s Black Orpington in the heavy brood championship. Many of the three-bird teams are well up in the aggregate scores, but after next week, when the egg-weight conditions come into force, there will be a number of competitors ineligible for the three-bird valuable prizes The following are the leading pens in tho several contests (subject to their aver- ! aging 2or. eggs from July until the end of December):— LIGHT BREED SINGLE HEN CHAMPION SHIP.

HEAVY BREED SINGLE HEN COMPETITION. Each competitor to enter three birds.

RTNGIiE PEN* DUCK COMPETITION. Each competitor to enter three ducks.

J. C. Musgravo .6 15 3 104 T. Dowthwaite 6 17 4 183 Mr T. Dowthwaite’s White Indian Run ner laid seven e.res for the week, weighing 17oz Cdr; total 228 eggs.

SOUTHLAND. The following are the returns for tin Southland Utility Poultry Club's seventl annual test for the thirty-fifth week, end ing December 14: —

WOOLSTON TANNERIES. Reaults for thirty-seventh week, ending December Id:— G. Russell 208, H. Greenland 184, W. Tait ! 182, and J. Farrar 180.

White Leghorn s. Weekly Weight Grand Total, c >z. dr. Total. W. P. Hern . . (5 18 7 207 Mrs W. Hewitt . 5 10 13 398 1*- VV. Shac.kloek . G 12 4 197 <!. H. Bradford . 5 0 13 194 S. L. Beer . . r> 10 15 192 W. J. Richards 6 12 14 189 Mra C«orinski . G 11 9 186 K. C. West . . 11 7 183 S. G. Louder . r, 11 14 182 C. N. Tbomatn . a 9 13 181 W. E. Ward . . 5 10 2 179 J. C. Muk grave . 5 Woolston 10 13 179 Tanneries 5 10 6 ISO llEAVv BREED SINGLE Hi SHIP. :n champion Black Orpingtons. «T. P. Drewett . fi 13 15 240 It. A. Wadliam G 11 9 215 Hopen and Chrtotie J 2 .3 173 A. J. Wood . 7 14 15 158 J. P. Drewett . 4 8 3 151 LIGHT BREED SINGLE PETITION. 1LEN COMEach competitor to enter • three birda. White Leghorj C. A. Inder, No. 3 6 Hon C. II. Izard. 8 5 207 No. 2 4 S 5 203 W. P. Ifern, No. 3 5 10 5 202 W. 11. West, No. 1 t; T. W. lletteridgo. 12 7 201 No. 3 G Mrs W. Hewitt. 12 12 200 No. 2 G R. W. Hawke. 11 0 139 No. 1 5 H. E. Martin. 9 14 193 No. 2 5 9 14 196 W. H. West. No. 2 7 13 11 195 K. Fuchs. No. 1. . K 11 1 139 E. Fuchs, No. 3 . 5 W. H. Skidmore, 10 4 169 No. 3 6 E. W. Coombea, 11 9 190 No. 8 G 18 5 190 J. Ligglna, No. 1. 6 Woolston Tanneries, 12 11 190 No. 2 6 10 12 187 Green Bros., No. 2 7 12 10 168

Black Orpingtons. P. Olorenhhaw, No. 16 11 11 210 J. Gunn, No. 1 . G 12 IS 185 J. P. Drewett. No. 15 11 7 178 W. R. Sprosen, No. 3 6 12 18 161 J. P. Drewett .4 0 2 172 Rhode Island Rede. J. W. Mathieson .7 13 12 161 Silver Wyandottee. T. Dowthwaito, No. 16 11 9 146 F. H. Lovell, No. 2 0 0 0 145

B. W. Hawke. No. 16 14 0 245 A. C. Clements. Xo. 3 7 3 9 13 .238 A. C. Clement.3, Xo. 2 6 17 6 224 R. W. Hawke. / No. 3 6 14 9 216 SINGLE DUCK CHAMP! ONSHIP.

LIGHT BREED FLOCK TEAMS. Each competitor to enter six purebrepullets. White Leghorns. W. E. Ward . .S3 C5 10 1076 M. C. Craig . .29 56 10 1073 E. Orchard . .80 63 0 1031 H. Whittle . . 29 58 11 1043 11. Harris . . 25 43 13 991 T. H. Gardiner .82 69 2 974

Week's Weight Gran' Total. ox. dr. Total Alex. Proven .7 14 2 213 Andrew Love .6 11 14 212 Tracey King: . .7 13 10 210 Mrs M’Quilka-n . 7 14 3 207 Charles Thomson . 0 10 8 201 William Thomson 4 7 8 200 Mrs F. Gortnskl .7 14 15 200 S. A. Faircloth .0 13 4 107 1*1. Neilson . . fi 12 1 197 Master Cu&hen .7 14 0 197 John Thomson .7 14 0 193 Mrs F. Gorlnskl .6 13 5 192 S. L. Beer . .5 30 11 192 John Scott . R 30 0 190 Mrs A. E. Morris . 5 10 11 190 C. T. Berry .0 12 5 190 J. Rattigan . .6 13 2 390 DUCITS. Alex Peat .5 11 11 194 J. C. Wilson . .2 5 12 188 Alex Peat . 1 3 1 149