NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18043, 31 December 1926, Page 22

NOTES.

Mr H. A. Dasher's number 3 duck in his second team laid eight eggs for the week. Mr J. Rattigan, of Dunedin, was a visitor to Christchurch during the week end visited the Papanui Egg-laying * Competition. Mr Rattigan’s birds are doing well in the contests, and he is quite pleased with the results. Mr Rattigan says he has some promising stock for the next year’s competition. The next meeting of the Christchurch Poultry Club will be held on Monday, January 10. Mr A. E. Webb, one of our oldest breeders and exhibitors of Anconas, *. has bred some very fine birds this sea- *■- son, which should make a good show- *■’ ing at the June Show. Mr Webb has 22 also some nice Ruff Pekin bantams. A meeting of the United Pigeon Fan--1 tiers’ Club will be held in the Christ--22 church Poultry Club rooms oil Januiwm ary 12. - Master Aldous. a junior member of *** the-'Canterbury Bantam Club, who was very successful with his exhibits last season, has bred some very good buff and cinnamon Pekin bantams this 22 year. They are of good type and col- ** our and promise to be very hard to * 5 beat later on. „ The next meeting of the South Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association will be held, in the Christchurch Poultry Club rooms on Saturday, Janu--2i ary S. NOTES FOR THE NOVICE. If hens are supplied with sound, fresh food their eggs will keep longer than if the food is stale and rank. * In fact, for eggs and the keeping of the fowls in good health, sound, fresh l food must be supplied. It has been proved by the most experienced poultry men that crushed t oyster shell puts the best shell oil the , eggs. t One ounce of carbolic acid added to a kerosene tin of limewash will materially improve its antiseptic value. Chickens conic on better and do better generally if only those of the same breed and variety are run together. That is to say that Leghorns should be run together and not be put with the chickens of any other breed. It is the same for all breeds. The shell of the eggs laid by Asiatic „ breeds is thicker than those of whiteshelled eggs, and brown, not white in colour. Do you know why? It is nature’s provision against the quicker evaporation that occurs in hot, dry climates. You see, the fowls that lay brown-shelled eggs originated in Asia— Langshans, games, Malays, etc. During the hot weather hens should be removed from the yard directly- they exhibit signs of broodiness. If not, they will start germination in the egg, which will become addled. Also, on hot days, it is wise to remove the eggs from the nests two or three times a day. Otherwise some of them may start to germinate and go bad. Of course, tht best and most certain way - to prevent trouble of that sort is to have no male birds associated with the hens except in the breeding season, which should be over by October 31. A successful breeder in New South ‘Vales goes round every morning, takes *" off the hen, and sprays the eggs with warm water. It is said that his hatching percentage is unusually high. It is not unusual for the first two or three eggs from a pullet to be bloodstained. The trouble usually- rights itself. If it does not, the stimulating food should be stopped and 2 per cent. « of linseed meal added to the mash. ’ Chickens require a certain amount of flesh-forming material in their food. Up to three months it may 1 easily be supplied by mixing milk in * the mash. After that time they- may ■* have meat meal at the rate of half a ’ pound per 100 birds dissolved in warm water and added to the mash every . other day. When they are five or six •=* months old the meat meal may be in- * creased to 11b. per 100 birds. You may- have heard or read that - milk is a food in itself. Well, that is 2 because it contains the elements that 2 support life. Its analy-sis consists of—water, 57.0 per cent.; fat, 4.0 per cent.; - proteins, 3.3 per cent.; carbohy-drates * (milk sugar), 5.0 per cent.; and minm eral matter, 0.7 per cent. ** Size of the hen has nothing to do with the size of the egg. That is a k* matter of strain and pedigree, brought « about by skilled, selective breeding. ot The only way- in which large eggs can be produced • and maintained in size is to use for hatching only full-sized 2oz. eggs, laid by hens with a big egg history, and fertilised by a male bird of similar ancestry. Crushed charcoal is an excellent thing for fowls. It purifies the blood and absorbs the noxious gases generated in the digestive organs. It must be kept dry, otherwise it will lose most of its valuable properties. Fresh, green cut lucerne is very good for poultry-. A limited water supply means a restricted production of eggs. It is true that the dries!t4ooking food contains "•usome water. But - water is required in "■much greater quantity than any food """ can supply-. It’s this way: An egg is two-thirds water, and in addition water - is required in the body cells and in the "• digestive tract to make the working those parts possible. So you see •<m how it is that hens want a lot of water •- tp drink. And don’t forget that it must be. clean, pure water. If the water is stale, or dirty, or warm, a

hen will not drink enough to supply her needs. And that’s why, in such f circumstances, fewer eggs are laid. It’s a simple case of cause and effect. The face of the good lay-er is lean and hollow in appearance. A thick, fleshy face is no good for eggs. In fact, coarseness anywhere denotes the poor layer. Green barley is good for fowls. The French long ago learned that a black colouration stands for excellence of flesh.