POULTRY NOTES

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18009, 20 November 1926, Page 22

POULTRY NOTES

BY

“BARRED ROCK.”

POULTRY NOTES. The Canterbury Bantam Club will meet on Monday night in the Poultry Chib rooms. The council of the South Island Poultry Association will hold a meeting in Rangiora to-night. -Ml cat fanciers and any others interested in the formation of a Cat Club arc invited to attend a meeting to be held in the Christchurch Poultry Club rooms on Saturday, November 27, at 8 p.m. The Christchurch Poultry Club met on Monday night, Mr G. E. Jeffreys presiding over a large attendance of members. Before commencing the business of the evening, a motion of siTnpathy was passed to Mr and MrsJ. Cummings in the loss of their son. The motion was passed in silence, all present standing. Correspondence was received from Mr E. J. Ross, stating that he would be unable to act as judge for the debate on Tuesday night: from Messrs \Y. B. M’Kenzie (Wellington), T. W. Green (Christchurch). IT. Hearfield and W. Brown, accepting the positions of sub-patrons to the club, and enclosing donations to the funds; from the New Zealand Duck Club, offering six blue ribbons for competition at the jubilee show. The club was thanked for its splendid offer. Mr A. 11. Guthrie, of Wellington, wrote giving particulars of the new regulations for the importation of pigeons from abroad. A repK’’ was received from Mr 11. Fortune. of England, offering trios of puilet breeding Ilamburgs from £8 to £l2. It was decided to leave the matter over until fuller information was received about the Black Rose-comb Bantams. The price of sittings of eggs from the imported pen of Brown Leghorns was fixed at £1 Is. The club has already received about a dozen orders for sittings. Mr A. W. M’Nicholl was elected the club's delegate to attend the Poultry Association’s annual meeting, to be held in Dunedin next week. Mr A. W. M’Nicholl, the well-known Ancona breeder, has some splendid young stock hatched out this season. This breeder has taken up two new branches of the fancy, namelv, English White Leghorns and Utility White Leghorns. Mr M’Nicholl will be a valuable addition to this part of the fancy. Fanciers will be pleased to know that Mrs A. W. MacGillivray is able to be about again after her serious accident. The New Zealand Rhode Island Red Club met last Saturday night, Mr C. H. Bull, president, being in the chair. The agenda paper for the South Island Poultry Association’s annual meeting was discussed. Mrs E. Davidson was elected the club’s delegate to attend the meeting. It was decided to hold two table shows during the year, and the president donated two silver spoons for competition at these shows. EDUCATIONAL DEBATE. SHOWS OR EGGLAYING COMPETITIONS. On Tuesday, November 16, a very enjoyable evening was spent by the members of the Christchurch Poultry Cltib and the N.Z.U.P. Club in the form of a debate on the educational value to the general public: Shows or Egg-laying Competitions. The speakers for the Utility Poultry Club were Messrs R. W. Hawke (leader), H. W. Beck and G. IT. Bradford, and for the Christchurch Poultry Club, Messrs Jeffreys (leader), J. M’Lean and J. D. Gobbe. Mr T. E. Armstrong, M.P., acted as judge. Mr Jeffreys opened the debate in favour of shows. lie stated that it w r as the fancier who first started the competitions, and up to the present time the competitions were still dependent on the shows for their purebred stock. So far as the fancy people were concerned the non-layers were of no use. One must get the birds in the pink of condition and produce them early on the market. In the dark ages the showfur fancy poultry was small, but today large developments have taken , place. All entries have enlarged and all beauties of the feathered world have been produced, not the White Leghorns alone. The fancy man keeps his birds for a hobby. The show is an

educational value for the children, and also teaches them to love and feeling for dumb animals, and enables them to become better citizens. The show man is able to devote his time and attention to his hobby. People must be educated to feed and care for their poultry in a proper manner. Mr Jeffreys also emphasised that chickens hatched lrom incubators were not so good for the show pens as those reared by the hen. He stated that it was an education to the public to be able to view the fine feathered birds produced at the various shows, and after careful breeding for a number of years they can now put in the. show tine types of 40 to 50 varieties, proving that the competitors are still interested. Mr R. W. Hawke, leader of the utility section spoke next. He said that it gave him great pleasure to try to prove that, the egg-laying tests were demonstrative and educational. lie pointed out the work the Utility Poultry ( lub had done for its members during the last 20 or 22 years. The competition is well patronised, as shown by the people who visit the grounds. The shows are certainly well patronised, but they are only open to the public three days a 3*ear, whereas the egg-laying contest is open all the time, thereby affording the public the opportunity to visit daily. The birds are well kept and their egg-laying is recorded in tabulated form. Since the beginning of the competition hundreds have made their living through egg producing. With vast experience thcfood has now been prepared to a fine standard, thus enlarging the egg production. Mr Hawke also said that although the show bird is a very nice animal, which bird is it that brings the high prices to-day? The utility bird is more l>eneficial to the country on a whole, because through the egg production and exporting of birds, it links us with other countries of the Empire. The daily papers are always scanned for the egg-laying test results so that the public may see which are the best birds to purchase and so get good returns for the money spent. Good housing is very essential for | the birds. They must be kept in the open with plenty of sera' riling. The competition birds aae always weighed before being entered in the tests, but there is no weight in the show ring. People have the greatest confidence in the competitions. Shows are certainly all right in their place but they must give way to higher educational and commercial values. Mr J. M’Lean was second speaker for the shows. lie stated that they were a very fine advertisement for the poultrvman. Although there were only about three days a year that shows were held, still there were about 40 different shows represented throughout the countrj-. At these people witnessed many varied and beautiful birds. He concluded by saying that as years went on no doubt the variety would still be increased. Mr IT. W. Beck, second speaker for the competition, said that before birds could enter the egg-laying contest they must be judged by a Government judge. If birds were rejected at the shows the competitors at times were at a loss to know the reason wh3*, but the U.P. Club has issued schedules which are a guide to the amateur. The Government men judge the birds three times a year and they must be of the highest standard. The eggs arc also judged and passed for colour, shape and texture. The egg record is an eye opener for the general public. Years ago, if it had been stated that we could produce 300 eggs from a hen a year, people would have regarded the statement as absurd, but at the present day records of 363 eggs a year have been maintained. The housing of years ago has been improved upon and* to-day at the competition grounds birds may be seen running in open pens which provide fresh air and sunshine. The contest has improved the egg size and now over 75 per cent of the birds lay eggs of 2ozs or over. There is always consistent judging of the birds and eggs at the competitions by the Government men, year after year, therefore there is very little : chance of misrepresenting any of the birds. On this system the competition has been largely developed. Mr J. D. Gobbe was the last speaker for the shows. He stated that the show’s were a great education for the poultry man interested. It is proved by the large entries are recorded by the fancy breeders every year, also that the show men had taught the egg men the secrets of line breeding. The show man imported birds to distribute from the show to the breeding pens, and it is he who is keeping up the entries in the competitions. As time goes on we will gain in the education and experience of the show birds as members and others did before us. The last speaker was Mr G. 11. Bradford, who spoke in favour of egg-lay-ing competitions. lie advanced facts and figures to bear out the case that egg-laying competitions were more educative than shows, and he read a paper on tw’o birds that had been en tered at the show and judged and afterwards entered for the egg-laying competition. The following is the comparison of their show points and eggs laid for the twelve months:—Two White Leghorn pullets shown at the June show. 1925—the first prize pullet was entered at Papanui. Her points as a show specimen were 89 for show and 34 points for eggs. The second prize pullet at the same show in the same class, and under the same judge, was entered at Papanui. and got S 7 points as a show specimen and 34 points for eggs. The following are details of the first prize pullet:—She laid 160 eggs in fifty-one weeks weighing 3780zs Idm. or an average of 2oz 5

4-sdms per egg. At an average of Is 9d per dozen she earned £1 3s 4-d. The following are details of the second prize pullet:—She laid 252 eggs in fif-ty-one weeks weighing 5470zs 6dms, or an average of 2oz 2 5-6dms per egg. At an average of Is 9d per dozen she earned £1 16s 9d, or 13s 5d more than the pullet that beat in the show. He then went on to demonstrate that the egg-laying competition had educated the public of New Zealand, also in America. England and the whole world with records that had been put up at Papanui. The show men boasted that they imported birds from Eng-

land to educate and keep up the standard of purebred poults. Mr

Bradford said that having to import birds from England was only demoni strating their ignorance in poultry, and showed that their education was ' neglected. Instead of the utility man having to import they were exporting birds to England, America and South Africa, which went to prove they had educated the world. This speaker put up a very strong fight for his side, ; which went a long way to win the debate. •

At the conclusion of the debate Mr Armstrong, the judge, in summing up, gave his decision in favour of the speakers for the utility section. lie said that the addresses were of a very

high standard. He thought that both the egg-laying; competition and the * show were beneficial and of educational value ta the general public.