Amongst the Poultry

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17527, 2 May 1925, Page 25

Amongst the Poultry

NEWS AND NOTES BY “ GAMECOCK.”

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Davis.—Cats have taken many of my chickens and pigeons and caused me to use strong words, i regret I am not up in the foods of the playful kitten, but would advise you to keep it from meat and put a little sugar in the milk. You would also get stronger kittens if you only bred them in the spring. Buff Orpington.—Will call and inspect your birds, and may be able to , advise. NOTES. The heavy storm experienced last week played up with things at the Papanui competition, water getting into several of the pens. The caretaker has done his best to make things comfortable for the birds which were in the affected pens. Some of the birds will be checked, which is unfortunate both from a competitions and a club point. The secretary of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club, Mr H. W. Beck, is confined to his bed, having undergone a slight operation. He hopes to be about again soon. Some of the birds have started well at Papanui. Mr H. Williams’s White Leghorn has laid twenty eggs in twenty-one days. The secretary is continuously receiving letters from competitors to the effect that they are of the opinion that they have won prizes in the egg-laying competition. Probably it is due to not having read the rules and regulations properly that they are under the impression. The rule says that any single bird under 260 eggs or any team under 1350 is not eligible for prize money. The Christchurch Poultry Club will meet on Monday night. Prepare for the shows and the breeding season. Better early than late. The Canary Club will mee: on Wednesday night. During the week Mr J. Liggins dispatched cockerels to breeders in Auckland, Napier and Southland. Messrs J. Tindall and C. W. Bell l Rangiora) have been appointed to judge the coming Temulca show. My friend had too many birds to keep. “ Put a small advt. in the ' Star,’ ” said I. He did, and his joy at the result is great. Others should take the tip. My remarks on ducks have caused some breeders to look for the real Runner. I notice an Australian paper finds some of my “ Star ” articles, including one on ducks, are good enough to reproduce. The “ Montreal Star ” illustrates a Barred Plymouth Rock hen and calls it the champion of Canada because it laid 316 eggs in twelve months. I should say it was a world Rock champion, as the score is the best I know of for the breed. The next show of the Old English Game Fowl Club will be held in Nelson. Mr F. R. Best, the well-known Christchurch fancier, has been elected to judge the big sort and Mr E. B. Martin, of Nelson, the bantams. A fancier informs me that he intends importing some Dragoons. This is a most popular pigeon in England. At one show over 1000 entries weie staged. We had all colours of the breed in Christchurch years ago, the chief breeders being the late Captain Mather, the Hobbs Bros., Mr E. F. Stead and Mr John Capstick, of Kaiapoi. There are few Dragoons in Christchurch nowadays. At the Sydney " Royal ” Show there were 2340 birds in the poultry section, a record for Sydney. The pigeons dropped from 1213 last year to 701 this | year. Mr Archie Guthrie, of Wellingto, scored in Turbits, third in blue cocks, first in blue hens and first in young birds, any colour. Speaking of a young black clean-legged Self Tumbler that was shown in Sydney, Mi W. B. M’Kenzie said it was the best of its kind he ever saw. Mons. Renier Gurnay, whose name will be familiar to New Zealand homerites, easily exceeds anything ever previously achieved in the pigeon world. The last six seasons, with an average team of 25 pigeons, his wins exceeded £35.000. In 1924, for example, in the three longest races, he flew 25 pigeons, winning 23 prizes, and his prize money in the three races was considerably over £4OOO in solid hard cash. Mr H. Williams, of 14, Soinerfield Street, Spreydon, has obtained from a North Island breeder a trio of black Bresse fowls, the first to be seen in Christchurch. Mr Williams intends importing fresh blood from France as he thinks La Bresse will become popular in the Dominion with both the commercial men and also the backyarders. La Bresse. though new to New Zealand, can be traced back 500 vears in France, where they are held in high esteem for their table properties, laying and hardiness. Besides the black variety there are the white and the grey colours. In appearance La Bresse are of the Mediterannean type, with a lean towards a utility Minorca, except that the beak, legs and feet should be dark blue and the lobes may be sanded but white is preferred. La Bresse belong to the non-sitting class, and the hens lay large white eggs and flocks have been known to average 240 eggs in the year. Though the standard weights are 61b for males and 51b for hens, La Bresse are much sought after for the table owing to their fine flesh. The Fancy in Auckland.” Under this head a Christchurch visitor to Auckland sent me a few notes, one of which credited Mr A. Wood with breeding in the leading duck team in the Atickland test. My contributor oppears to have made a mistake, as Mr T. Dowthwaite writes as follows:—“They were hatched out of eggs supplied by Mr R. J. Roberts, of Onehunga, from ducks he got from me.” Again Mr Duwthwaite says:—“The drake that headed Mr Roberts’s ducks was a sport from Mr Woods’s fawn and white that he imported from England.” As Mr Dowthwaite states the drake was out of stock imported by Mr Woods, the fancier who wrote the Auckland notes was incorrect insofar that he did not mention the part played by Mr Roberts and Mr Dowthwaite. Probably the writer of the notes was tinder the common impression that “ the male bird is more than half of the team.” ” Gamecock ” is pleased to note that such a famous Auckland breeder as Mr Dowthwaite reads the Christchurch “Star.” THE BANTAM CLASS, A meeting was held on Monday, and there was a splendid attendance. Three new members were elected. After the meeting a table show was held for any variety other than Rosecombs and Pekins. Mr Stephens gained first pfix© with Modern Game; both in cocks and hens, and Mr H. J. Pearce secured the Second prize in both sexes with Japanese. The club wishes to thank Mr F. Dacre for his valuable services in connection with the table shows held by the club.

THE REGISTRATION OF ! JUDGES. The institution of special utility classes in connection with so many oi‘ tho old-established poultry shows, and the holding of separate shows for the birds of breeders and keepers of utility stock, has been the almost inevitable outcome of the gradual widespread development of this side of the industry during recent years, says “The Field’’ (England). It was inevitable to the extent that the judges of the older exhibition school lacked sympathy with breeders who aimed at egg and meat production. And, on the other hand, it will be agreed that the utility breeders were very generally prone to ignore all that did not tend directly to ifurfthor the attainment of their own very definite objects. A want of balance resulted, so that when those who kept fowls primarily for their useful qualities desire^,to obtain the satisfaction, as well as the material benefits, that result from the competition of the show bench, it became apparent to the more independent observers that they—and their chosen judges—were very largely out of sympathy with the advocates of the recognised standards. Not only have utility types developed, as opposed to exhibition types, but it has lon j been a complaint that breed characteristics have been so far ignored in some instances as to have almost disappeared. In order to remedy what the more thoughtful recognised as being a Very undesirable state of affairs, the suggestion was made that a registration board for the certification of fully equipped and approved utility judges should be set up. The suggestion to form this board came from the National Utility Poultry Society, and upon their invitation the Poultry Club (who are responsible for the official breed standards) agreed to co-operate. A joint board was consequently appointed bv these two bodies, m conjunction with the Utility Duck Club and the Waterfowl Club. Tile evils indicated by “The Field” hare been conspicuous in Nsw Zealand, but are not so bad now as they were. At the last Christchurch Show a great improvement was noted in the utility classes. Only recently an American writer said that photos of tested layers suggested that they might nave been winners at Madison Square. A great American breeder pnoe said that if show birds do not a T, V l! how iB ft some fanciers can sell thousands of eggs and day-old clucks ? J EXPORT OF EGGS. In a review of the world's food supplies, Mr Lmeharn, president of the fiationai Federation of Merchants, has the following which has some bearing on our export trade: —lmporters of eggs have had fi very unsatisfactory year s trading. Imports are approxila e y eqoal to pre-war imports, whereas imports of dairy and hog products are all higher. The promotion Of eggs til this country has considerab.y increased since the war, and in the spring and summer months this country is almost, if not entirely, selfsupporting. During the year ‘ prices of eggs were relatively low and at the Close very reasonable. This was, no doubt, due largely to the fact that most of our pre-war sources of supply are again open to us, and some others T . addition, notably South Africa Australia, and New Zealand. Russian eggs have appeared on the market again, but only m small supply. IVe are looking for largo increases from these sources m a few years. Meanf, r ® re ?, ra '™T supplies of eggs fiom almost all parts p f the world. FEEDING FOR EGGS. Tho fact that so many iieus are laying small eggs shows tho breeding is wrong. ’fho feeding may also be at fault but 1 don't want my readers to think there is a special diet that will produce large eggs. The diet, if of the right kind and in plenty at the right time, will assist and give tho fowl a chance, but the bases is the breeding. The feeding to get hens that will lay standard eggs, starts with the first feed from the chick. The diet must be equal to building up a vigorous and healthful hen, and in doing S o it must not contain matter that will bring the young hen into laying early and before it is well matured. At this stage the egg-producing diet may be givfin without hurt, and if the pullet is well bred one may expect good-sized eggs. To understand the feeding for eggs one must know what the egg is composed of. Here is the composition, with the figures showing the percentages : „ Yolk. White. Protien , J 6.0 12.0 Fats . . 30.0 2.0 Minerals . 1.0 1.2 Water . . 53.0 84.8 Nutritive ratio . 1.42 0.037 These figures are taken from a New Zealand Government pamphlet. Thev show that in eggs there is no husk or carbohydrates, but the heat and energy are well supplied bv the fats in the, yolk which is a. well-balanced food and one can understand how the chick lives on the yolk. The white is extremely rich in protien and almost the same as the flesh of fowls and other flesh but none of our grains and meals come near the composition of e<y* white Therefore we must consider white and yolk together, and the combination still gives us the narrow ratio of 1:2.19. Among poultry foods generally in us© the nearest to this ratio are:— Milk . . .1:2.0 Fresh cut bon© . . 1 ; 2.9 Beans and peas . . 1 :2.1 Malt sprouts . . 1:2.02 Lean iieef . . .1 :2.9 Lucerne . . . 1 :3.0 Bran - - - 1:3.5 These foods, though in harmony with the composition of the egg, would be considered too forcing and would cause intestine disorder, but there it is. the material for the eggs must be supplied. The wider ration might supply if one could get the hen to eat enough and that would mean a wastage. New h6W are we to include the foods which are hot so near the egg as those mentioned, such as pollard and oats? Thev would need n little more ment or milk or cut bone. Wheat would j need even more, and potatoes, white j bread and maize and rice more ment i or milk still. Here it should be noted i that nitrogenous foods, such as pens ] and bran, will not prove «o nod a* ’

the milk and meat in an egg diet. Dried blood, meat and fish meal will easily make up any deficiency in protien, but fowls are more partial to fresh cut bone, or meat, or soups from the same, and the eggs are of better flavour when the fresh stuff is used. The salts and other minerals in the foods are best supplied when a variety of food is given. Even then the grit i and charcoal must be on hand. Take j away the grit box and down goes the ; egg yield. EGG-LAYING. s PAPANT7I Following: are the results of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club’s egiT-laring competition at Papanui for the third week, ended April 25:—• SINGLE HEN STANDARD TEST.

Weekly Grand Total. Total. Light Breeds— J. Digging 5 10 10 16 G. W. Black . f. 11 3 16 Green Bros. 5 10 6 16 5 9 0 15 G. H. Bradford Heavy Breeds — .5 10 3 15 ('. Bennett, 4 7 4 T. Bond, B.O. . 5 9 S 13 THEBE-BIRD TEST. W eekly Grand Total. Total. oz dr Heavy Breeds— C. Bennett, Y< . W. 6 lO 6 17 C. Bennett, \\ .IV . 5 9 6 16 Hopkins and Swell sen, B.O 5 8 11 Rogers and 15 Thomson. B.O H. Williams, B.O. 0 10 9 15 THREE-BIRD AGGREGATE (Heavy). Rogers and Thomson, B.O. . 38 H. Williams, B.O. . 38 C. Bennett, W .W. . 84 THREE-BIRD TEST. Weekly Grand Total. Total. oz dr Light Breeds— H Williams . 20 H. A. Daw her . 6 11 0 C. H. Izard G 9 11 T,. G. Knowles . G 10 13 17 T>. Solomon 5 8 12 16 j M. G. Craig 6 11 4 36 1 II. A Dawber . 6 10 7 A . Patterson G. II. Bradford 5 19 6 1J. Harris . 6 10 11 16 j 'PUREE-BIRD AG REGATE (la gilt’. ! Total. oz dr H. A Dawber G. Betfceridg© ■ tf 11. Williams . 43 J. Biggins V. Ellis Rogers and Tiiomso . 40 FLOCK TEAMS. Weekly Grand Total. Total. Light Breeds ar E. Seiiue . 26 49 13 84 W. E. Ward . .J. Liggins 24 47 5 77 I M. C. Craig W. E. Ward . Heavy Breeds— 22 09 0 W j Rogers and Thomsen, B.O. 25 45 5 77 • 11. W. Beck, B.O. . 18 34 15 62 ! DUCKS. ! Weekly Grand ' Total. Total. oz dr n. P. Slater 6 13 6 H. A. Dawber . 2 4 1 13 THREE-BIRD AGGREGATE. ! H. P. Slater . J. O. Qreenslado . . » : FLOCK TRAMS. Weeklv G~and Total. Total. | oz dr II. A. Daw her i S 36 14 52 as H. W. Beck . 15 33 10 WOOLSTOST TANNERIES. The following are the results of the j