POULTRY NOTES

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 193, 15 August 1931, Page 28

POULTRY NOTES

(By

“CROW BLACK ”.)

The Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club will hold a meeting in i< s rooms, Lichfield Street, on xVLonday evening. On Tuesday evening the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club will hold its next educational evening, when a lecture will be given by Mr H. Williams on " Incubation and Rearing This is an important matter for those interested in poultry culture, and the club invites anyone interested to attend. The lecture will be held in the club rooms, Hereford Street. The annual meeting of the Christchurch Premier Pigeon Club will be held in the club room, Stanley Street, on Tuesday evening. The New Zealand Finch Club will hold a series of shows in the Stanley Street Hall on Thursday evenings. The classes will be for goldfinches (linnets-green finches) and dark mules. At the recent meeting of the Lvttelton Fanciers’ Club it was decided to hold the annual social function on the same lines as last year. The social will be held on August. 29. Mr A. 37. Smith, the well-known fancy pigeon breeder and exhibitor, is spending a holiday in Christchurch. The Christchurch Premier Pigeon Club continued its table shows for Flying Homers on Tuesday evening in the Stanley Street Hall. The classes were tor 500-mile cocks and hens. A good entry was received in both classes and competition was keen. Mr A. W. Jones judged the cocks and Mr O. Manson the hens. The following were the awards: Cocks—O. Manson 3, B. Pefrlev 2 T. Rolton 3, S. Mallard 4. Hens—E. GosRolto’n 4 W ' Jones 2 ’ S - Mall ard 3, L. The secretary of the Christchurch 3. l emier Pigeon Club reports a good demand for metal and celluloid marking i ings. A new line of locking rings, which are numbered and meant for unrung old birds, is meeting with approvrl, and a further order for this class of ring has been despatched. The ls “eaf an d li&ht and once locked on the bird s leg there is no chance of are*used 11 off unless a file or nippers The annual meeting of the United Pigeon Fanciers’ Club will be held in the Christchurch Poultry Club’s rooms on Wednesday, September 9. Mr Harry Cranfield has despatched a number of Black Minorcas to North Island fanciers. A new Pigeon-Flying Club has been started in Spreydon. A large membership has been secured and an enthusiastic committee has everything in working order. Good support has been received from outside fanciers and the club promises to develop into a strong one. A shield has been donated by Mr G. Morrisy for competition among the members, also a cup by Mr J. Gray. Mr L. Wiltshire, the Flying Homer enthusiast, who has had a successful season in the shows, has put up a record in winning nine cups during the season. He won six at the Christchurch Poultry Club’s show, including one each for the best old cock, old hen, young cock and young hen. and three at the Lyttelton Fanciers’ Club’s show. Mr Wiltshire is a keen breeder and exhibitor and takes great care with his birds. He also takes an interest in fancy pigeons, being president of the United Pigeon Fanciers’ Club. The formation of the New Zealand Finch -Club has filled a long-felt want and the interest taken in this new body justifies its existence. The holding of table shows has stimulated interest amongst many old fanciers who have had considerable experience in the Old Country. These enthusiasts are giving their time and experience to the club by acting as judges at the shows. Mr A. W. Pritchard is advertising in these columns and places before poultrymen the breeds to which he has devoted his breeding experience. He has brought the Buff Orpington back to the standard of many years ago. By the importation of stock and eggs from Canada and Australia he has been successful in establishing a strain that has done well on the show bench and in the egg-laying competition. His team of Buffs in the present competition is giving first-class returns. This breeder also specialises in Light Sussex. White Leghorns and Pekin and Khaki Campbell ducks. Poultrymen will be pleased to learn that Mr Harry Williams, who has been in hospital with a fractured leg, is home again and doing well. Fanciers wish that he will make a speedy recovLeading poultrymen report good business for setting eggs and day-old chicks. Several of them have fulfilled fairly large orders for both eggs and chicks. There seems to be a keen demand for all varieties, both heavy and light breeds. This season a good many breeders will depend chiefly on the broody hen for incubation and this has made a good [demand for heavy breed hens and pul-

Mr S. H. Webb, a prominent Minorca breeder, of Ashburton, supplied show stock to fanciers on the Coast early in the season. At the shows where they were shown by their new owners, these bl ™V s were well placed in the tickets. the fact that the fancy is not losing .any of its enthusiasm is shown by the inquiries for particulars of the Agrieultuial and Pastoral Association shows, which include poultry and bantam classes in their schedules. Poultrymen look upon these shows as a means of placing before the farming community the type of poultry available for table and egg-laying purposes. When the next show season comes round, the bantam sections will be found to contain a number of old and new fanciers among the exhibitors. The popularity of these miniature fowls is increasing every year and the entries at the leading fixtures make the bantam exhibits one of the attractions of the show. At Christchurch this season, the entry reached 350, and in the 1932 fixturo it is anticipated that 400 of these miniature varieties will be on exhibition. Included in the advertisements in these columns is one from Mr M. C. Craig, whose success in Utility White Leghorns, both in the show pen and egg-laying competitions, is well known. This breeder reports good business and has erected additions to his plant for the increase of his operations. The new buildings are up-to-date in all conveniences and provide ample room for the increase of breeding operations. The social evenings conducted by the Christchurch Poultry Club will be continued in its rooms. Lichfield Street, on Saturday evening. August 22.

The educational evenings conducted by the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club have done much to improve the standard of breeding and rearing utility stock in Christchurch. These meetings are open to anyone interested in poultry and the executive is pleased to see any number of visitors present. The club endeavours to secure the services of experienced breeders to give lectures on all phases of the industry, and the interest taken by the public is proved by the large attendances at* eacli meeting. The next meeting is one of importance as it comes at a time when information of value to breedir g is most sought after. The lecture is on “ Incubation and Rearing.”

Mr J. R. Griffin, who has an advertisement in these notes, has done well in the poultry world since relinquishing the caretakership of the Papanui EggLaying Competition. has established a plant at Governor’s Bay, where he has had splendid results with Light Sussex, both in the competitions at Papanui and at Croydon. Australia. Mr Griffin has now taken up Barnevelders and is pleased with them as show birds and especially as egg-producers. A feature of these birds is the beautiful dark colour of their eggs.

The annual fixture of the Wellington Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club will be held on August 27, 28 and 29. The championships offered by the North Island Poultry Association are as follows: Rosecomb Bantams, Finches, Yellow Yorkshire Canaries. Utility Khaki Campbell Ducks, and Utility Duck, any other variety. A number of Christchurch fanciers intend to support this show, including Mr Fred Ashworth, who will send a team of his renowned Khaki Campbells to compete for the championship. Pinal Show. The final show of flying homer pigeons, conducted by the Canterbury Pigeon Flying Club, concluded on Saturday. The principal attraction was the championship for the previous show win. ner. Fourteen winners were benched, and made a good display. Competition was keen, and Mr George Anderson made the following awards:—H. Rule 3. W. Unwin 2. K. Kingsford 3, H. May 4. A most likely flyer class was also held for cocks and hens, the resul+t* being as follows:—Cocks, Dr A. C. M’Killop 1 and 2, J. Stone 3, F. Kingsford 4; hens, E. French 1, H. Rule 2, Brown 3, Dr A. C. M’Killop 4. Pertilisation of pggs. The results of tests to determine the fertilisation of hens’ eggs—(l) What time it was necessary to allow between the removal of one cock from the breeding pen and his replacement by another, so as to make certain of the second cock’s fertility; also (2) when is the first fertile egg laid after pairing?— were given at the World’s Poultry Congress by Professor G. S. Chlebaroff, Sofia, Bulgaria. The tests were carried out during four spring and summer months. Tn the first test five White Leghorn hens and four cocks, five Minorcas and two cocks, and twenty-six hens of two varieties of a local breed with two cocks, were employed; in the second test there were eighteen, twenty-two and thirty-six hens used, with vigorous, fairly vigorous and stolid (phlegmatic) cocks respectively. Tn the first test, the cock was left with the hens for several days, until he had paired off with all the hens more than once. In the second the cock was left' with the hens some time, and each hen removed after the last pairing. In the third test, the hens were immediately removed after the first pairing. A microscope was used as well as a test lamp to make positively sure of the non-existence of fertility. Results Obtained.—First test: The last fertile egg was laid on the tenth day of the earliest case, and on the nineteenth day of the latest' case, or by 64.7 per cent of the hens by the end of the second week, and 35.3 per cent between the fifteenth and nineteenth day. In the second test' the last fertile egg was only laid by one hen on the fifth day, and by the remainder between the ninth and fourteenth days. Results from the third test showed: (1) An egg laid the day after pairing is always fertile; (2) the first fertile egg is laid as early as the second day after pairing, provided lays. The number of eggs fertilised by yone pairing is in proportion to the male bird's vigour. Hens mated with stolid (phlegmatic) cocks often laid exclusively infertile eggs, eggs from hens with a Leghorn cock of this type were 40 per cent infertile, and with a Minora cock 75 per cent infertile. The number of eggs fertilised at one pairing also depends on how the hens are laying. Not more than eight eggs were found to be fertilised as the result of one pairing. Hints for Breeders. With the advent of warm weather all care must be taken to allow extra ventilation to keep a comfortable temperature in the brooder house on warm days and at the same time to be in readiness for sudden changes that are always experienced at this time of the year. A common trouble causing con- j siderable losses is that of leg weakness. ; The chicken walks with difficulty and periodically becomes suddenly affected, appears to suffer great pain and is temporarily prostrated. There is not much loss of appetite, but a complete stoppage of growth. Investigations show the cause of the trouble to be confining the chicks in brooders with an excessive temperature, and failing to permit the entrance of sufficient fresh air. Blocking the outlet of the brooders or keeping the chicks confined in a room with inadequate ventilation are common causes of the complaint. It has been repeatedly noticed that when the is improved, consistent with keeping the necessary temperatures, the trouble rapidly disappears. Cocks should be kept away from the layers, with the exception of a few hens which might be left with each bird, as fertility of the eggs during the summer months is often responsible for inferior quality. Tjie cause of porous shells on eggs, the porosity showing like clear spots through the shells, is the glands which supply the lime for shell formation not working properly. This may be due to some lack of proper condition of the hen or of the oviduct itself. If the hen is fat internally, this may hasten the passage of the egg through the oviduct, not giving time for the shell to be completed; the hen might, on the other hand, need, say. cod-liver oil. to help her powers of lime absorption, or need the cathartic action of linseed meal in the feed, which is beneficial to the oviduct. Every food material, whether it is grain, seeds, meat or bone, contains moisture. The amount of water or moisture in any material is one of the factors in determining its keeping qualities. When the moisture has been acoounted for the balance is dry matter. This again can lie divided into inorganic matter, or ash, the balance being organic. which is divided into that portion containing nitrogen and the portion without nitrogen. The words “ crude nrotein.” when used in the analysis of any stock food, indicate that it is the percentage of nitrogen multiplied by 6.25 The non-nitrogenous portion can be divided up into fat or oil and carbo-

hydrates. The word “ carbohydrates ” is often meaningless when used to give the percentage of undetermined matter. The word, however, is an indication of the material when divided into that portion consisting of crude fibre, which includes the woody parts, and the balance which can be best expressed as nitrogen free extract. This would include all starches. Rearing chickens year after year in the same brooder houses on the same ground causes considerable losses every year, and if it is possible the ground should be changed every year, to ensure rearing stock that is strong and vigorous. If this cannot be done, all runs should be dug over and covered with ground limestone, well worked in, and a crop of some kind grown, such as alsilce clover, English grasses, oats or rape. These will help to freshen the ground and provide green feed for the young chickens. One of the chief reasons for changing the rearing ground of chickens is to avoid the parasites that are lying dormant in sour ground, which causes the chickens to suffer from internal troubles, such as worms, etc. Peather-eating. Feather-eating, toe-pecking and cannibalism among chicks are caused by the craving to make up some deficiency in the feeding. Once a vice is acquired it develops into a habit that is difficult to control. Lack of grit, common salt, and also the feeding of rations too concentrated or with a nutritive value that is too high are the primary causes. The keeping of chicks under very intensive conditions increases the danger of their developing these depraved habits, and hence the greater necessity for giving everything that they require. An excess of concentrated food must be avoided, and every care taken to ensure that salt is given in the correct quaittitv, one ounce (dissolved in the liquid with which the mash is mixed) to every 51b of mash. Where dry-feed-ing is. practised, only half the quantity of salt should be allowed, owing to the danger of salt poisoning when placed in the feed in a dry state. While the want of common salt is the main cause of toe-pecking, feather-eating commences more as the result of a desire for roughage—the consequence of feeding rations that are too rich. Affected chickens will consume any other rubbish and fibrous substances available to them, which cause crop troubles as well. The constant, nicking of the feather stubs occasionally draws blood and may result in the death of the victim, if it is not isolated, in a very short time.