POULTRY NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 519, 30 July 1932, Page 19 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. “ Reds.’’-—A slipped wing- is mostly found in heavy breed varieties of fowls. This is a danger to which they are particularly liable during inaturing. In the worst form the flight feathers appear twisted and hanging down, and in this form it is believed to be hereditary and incurable. When the feathers are not twisted and the wing is only slightly open, it usually may be cured if taken in time. The feathers in this state should bo carefully tucked in each night, and when the feathers are sufficiently grown they should be carefully bound tip with each feather in proper position for five or six nights. (By “CROW BLACK.”) Notes. I The death has occurred of Mr J. ,T. Breeze, a well known poultry fancier of Hokitika. The late Mr Breeze was a well known judge of all varieties of poultry and pigeons. He was engaged to judge the pigeon and canary .-lasses at the Hokitika show. The sympathy of the fancy is extended to his relatives in their bereavement. The Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club will meet on Monday evening. The Hokitika Poultry Club's annual show will conclude this evening. A large entry was received from Christchurch fanciers, especially in the banH<m section, and competition all classes was keen. The Canterbury Pigeon Flying Club will hold its annual social and distribution of prizes in the Christchurch Poultry Club's rooms next Saturdav everting. At its nffeeting on Monday evening, the Canterbury Bantam Club decided to hold a Produce Stakes show for members for the 1033 season. The next monthly meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club will be held on Tuesday evening. The Christchurch Canary and Cage Bird Club will meet in the Christchurch Poultry Club’s rooms on Wednesday evening. At the Canterbury Bantam Club’s meeting on Monday evening a motion of sympathy was passed with Mr A. H. Guthrie, whose mother died recently. Since the recent Christchurch Poultry Club show several prominent poultry fanciers have taken up Modern Game Bantams, Piles being the most favoured. The entries for next season’s shows should show a big increase, which will be very pleasing to the Bantam Club, as the benching of Modern Game Bantams has, in the past, been confined to a few fanciers, mostly outside Ch ristchurch. To further the interests of the Canterbury Bantam fanciers, Mr W. Cummings, president of the Bantam Club, has presented a valuable silver cup for competition at the club's first Produce Stacks show. At the annual meeting of the North Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association, the following officers were : elected:—President, Mr J. T. Brice; vicepresidents, Messrs J. Thornton and J. Patterson: honorary advisers, Messrs F. C. Brown and L. Coc-ker; secretarv, Mr P. T. Robinson: treasurer. Mr T. j Bruce; auditor, Mr F. C. Allerby. The importation of eggs into Britain last year was 41200 million, of which (544 million were from British countries, and 2556 million from foreign countries. The importation (in millions) included the following:—From Denmark, SOT; Netherlands, 442; Poland, 433; Belgium, 280; China, 208: France, 80; Kgvpt, 54; F.S.A., 23: Soviet Union, 10: Irish Free State. 54 7; Australia, 68: Canada 2. Mr W. J. Jordan, M.P., at the opening of the Onehunga Poultry Show. The Canterbury Bantam Club met on Monday evening. Mr W. Cummings presiding. 7t was decided to hold a Produce Stakes show for 1933, and the secretary stated that he had ordered sealed leg bands for disposal to members. The classes decided on were:—Modern Game. Old English Game, Clean Legged Ornamental Bantams and Feather Legged Ornamental Bantams, the classes to be for cockerels and pullets. The South Island Poultry Association wrote with reference to the proposed Bill for the compulsory registration of poultrykeepers. Tt was decided to reaffirm Hie club's previous protest. The next meeting will be held at the end of August. Hints for Breeders. That some cases of “ dead in the shell ” will occur is inevitable, because such chicks are the weaklings prior to hatching. Tf. however, this trouble assumes undue proportions, it is important to look in the right direction for the cause, discarding some of the fallacies that are held to account for it. All sorts of theories, such as hardness of the shell, drying out of the moisture, atmospheric changes in the incubator, too much or too little ventilation, and the poisonous eIY\ et of too muc h carbon dioxide, have been propounded to account for it, but

for tlm most part they are proved to be or all of these may be contributing factors in-so-much as they would have a weakening effect on tire embryo, they are not in themselves the supreme cause. | The cause of “ dead-in-the-shell ” could almost be expressed in the one word—- “ weakness. The chicks aiu dead in the shell because they are too weak to get out. This might occur as a result of low hatchability or from faulty management of the incubator—such, for instance, as allowing too high or too low. or an erratic temperature over the whole period of incubation. Late hatches are the result of low temperatures or stale eggs. The eggs of a pulltet which laid heavily during the autumn, are not likelv to be less fertile on that account in winter and spring, but if she had been supplied with a too-stimulating feed during autumn, there is eVery likelihood that the hatchability of her •eggs would suffer. If you want a broody to take to chickens without sitting, always give her the chicks in the evening. and, what is piore important, give her them on the nest where slue has gone broody. It is asking too much to put her in a coop and then give her the chicks in a Wrong feeding and housing, failure to keep up the wafer supply and to provide shade, will spoil the most promising chicks ever hatched. It is only through a process of comparison, selection and elimination that progress in breeding is made. The breeder who is capable of building for the future must have an eye for the vitality of the chick. He must be capable of noticing as small a thing as a drooping eyelid, coarse or even flat heads. If you have not vitality in your stock, them will be many such weaknesses as roach back, twisted wings, wry tails, shallow breasts, long betels and long, weak legs. Strong bone, breadth of back, full breast, bright eye and firm step, can only be secured by breeding from vigorous stock

carrying none of these constitutional defects. A broody hen carries a lower heat than a hen in health. A normal hen’s temperature is 107 to I OS degrees Fall., whilst a broody carries 104 to 105, hence broodiness is not a fever. Recent German experiments show that feeding very narrow ratios of animal and vegetable protein (1 to 2.7) gave 63.6 and 79.8 per cent hatching results, while 1 to 11.8 ratio gave 23.1 per cent chicks, and the normal feed 67.4 per There is still time for breeders »o mate up their hens for hatching purposes. Every care should be taken to select the best. Never breed from birds that have any deformities or birds that have he'en sick. A liberal supply of green feed is always beneficial at this time of the year, as it tends to increase the density of the albumen of the egg, and the heavier or more dense the albumen of the egg the. greater strength it will have for nourishing the chick in the embryo Every season there are always a number of poultry-keepers who are using an incubator for the first time, and have trouble with the regulations. The best advice is to follow thte maker’s instructions implicitly. Tf using a second-hand machine it should have a thorough overhaul and clean out before heating up. Few people stop to study out the connection between certain conditions and the. results that such conditions may bring about, but it is time well spent in doing this, for then you can profit by experience year after year. There are many poultry-keepers who, after looking over their flocks, know little more about their actual conditions than before, but these people art? not practical poultrymen just poultrykeepers. The poultry business is a science. Practical poultrymen study their flocks and all tlie surrounding conditions, and, when they have become thoroughly familiar with them, they will know how

to control the various factors that ensure success. If changing one condition does not produce the desired effect, make other changes until the right combination is obtained as indicated by practical common sense. According to Mr W. H. M’Lellan, poultry promoter in the Saskatchewan Department of Agriculture, the hen of to-day is estimated at from 20 to 30 per cent more efficient than it was in 1900, and poultry raising is recognised by thousands in Saskatchewan as an essential branch of any well-organised system of diversified farming. There is no evidence whatever that oil imparted to the eggs by the hen while sitting has any effect on hatchability of the egg. or that it imparts greater vigour to the developing embryo. Wo have no proof that it has any chemical action on the shell of the egg. Freshly-laid unincubated eggs have a thin film of oil on them. Eggs which have been in an incubator have practi eally the same amount. Eggs under a broody hen. coining in direct contact with the feathers, have about six times the amount of oil as is found on a newly-laid egg. This may tend to check evaporation to some extent—” Eggs.” Make it a practice to set eggs that average twenty-four ounces to the dozen and set no eggs that fall below twenty-three ounces. In addition, it is important to know that the cockerels used at the head of the flock were hatched from large eggs. It is best to use cockerels that are from hens that laid eggs weighing well over twentyfour ounces to the dozen, running as high as twenty-six ounces. Egg-shell colour is another important factor for which eggs can be selected at hatching time. If white eggs arc being set, do not sot. tinted eggs. If brown eggs arc being set, do not set those which are so pale in colour as to appear almost white. Avoid bringing in blood from strains that are not well known for large egg size.