POULTRY NOTES

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 661, 14 January 1933, Page 26 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

(By

“CROW BLACK.")

Kotes. A special meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club will be held on Tuesday evening. The principal business will be consideration of the future of the club’s Papanui egg-laying competition. The Canterbury Bantam Club will meet in the Christchurch Poultry Club’s rooms on Monday evening. ' Important business, including the progress of the Produce Stakes show and other matters affecting the bantam fancy, will be dealt with. A special meeting of the Finance Committee of the Christchurch Poultry Club will be held on Wednesday evening at seven o’clock. This meeting has been arranged to avoid clashing with the meeting of the Schedule Committee at eight o’clock. At this week’s meeting of the Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club, Mr R. Pearce was elected president, vice Mr A. E. Hounsell, who has resigned owing to ill-health. Mr Pearce is well known to the fancy, having been secretary of the club for a good number of years. The treasurer of the Christchurch Poultry Club recently reported on the results of the special committee’s efforts to increase the club funds. Several competitions had been arranged, also a social and dance, sales of sittings of eggs and an egg drive, the whole resulting in a gain of about £3O to the funds. The members of the fancy will regret to learn that Mr H. G. Cranfield. who has been connected with the Minorca fancy for over forty years, has found it necessary to give up his hobby owing to failing health. Mr Cranfield has been an inmate of the Rannerdale Home for some time. All fanciers will join in wishing*Mr Cranfield a speedy return to health. The Schedule Committee of the Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club will meet on Wednesday evening to revise the schedule in preparation for the annual exhibition. The vice-presidents of the club, with the following members, will form the committee:—Open poultry, Messrs G. E. Jeffreys and Rua Johnstone; utility, Mr J. D. Gobbe; ducks, Mr F. Ashworth; bantams, Mr C. H. Bull; fancy pigeons, Mr G. Bradford; homers, Mr F. Kingsford; canaries, Mr G. Duggan; cats, Mrs A. J. Smith; rabbits, Mr H. A. Dawber. Mr W. Puddle has donated a number of White Leghorn cockerels to the Christchurch Poultry Club to be sold to assist the club funds. The Christchurch Canary and Cage Bird Club will not meet until the first Wednesday of next month. The Christchurch Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Club met on Monday evening, Mr R. Pearce presiding in the absence of the president, Mr A. E. Hounsell. Mr Hounsell’s resignation, owing to illhealth, was accepted with regret. The South Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association forwarded a circular, which had been sent to all affiliated clubs, pointing out the association’s opposition to the Poultry Registration Bill and instructing its members to interview members of Parliament with regard to this matter. It was decided to support the association in this matter. Mr H. G. Cranfield intimated that, owing to continued ill-health, he was forced to give up the fancy and wished to dispose of his stud of Black Minorcas to anyone wishing to make a start in the fancy. It was decided to make Mr Cranfleld’s wishes known to fanciers, and the secretary was instructed to convey the club’s sympathy and wish him a speedy recovery. Mr A. J. Bolden, Timaru, wrote inquiring for Hamburgs and stated he would exchange some of his stock with local fanciers. Mr R. Pearce was elected president and Mr G. E. Jeffreys was appointed the club’s representative on the council. The Ashburton Fanciers’ Club’s annual meeting was held on Wednesday, Mr W. Robinson presiding. The balancesheet showed the club to have -had a successful year. Starting with a debit of £2B 7s 6d at the commencement of the year, the club had finished lip with a credit balance of £6 19s 6d. The annual report stated that the annual show had been a great success, there being an increase of 113 entries on the previous year. It was decided to pro-

test to the Government against the Poultry Registration Bill. The question of appointing a new secretary was left in the hands of the committee, with a recommendation that a fancier be appointed to the position. Mr Robinson was re-elected chairman of committees. The election of officers resulted:—Patron, Sir W. Nosworthy; president, Mr G. Bundy; treasurer, Mr D. Smith; auditor, Mr W. H. Woods; committee, Messrs B. Bushell, E. C. Baker, A. J. Nicoll, «J. H. Nicoll, W. Hockings, B. Kelly, D. Ede, T. Rattray, J. Grice, J. R. Reeves, S H. Webb, W. K. Waters, H. E. Shierlaw, E. Daniel, O. Digby, K. Glenie, R. H. Loy, R. Hopwood, G. Suttie, A. Thomson and D. J. Grindlay. Messrs Loy, A. Nicoll, T. Rattray and W. K. Waters were appointed to draw up new rules. The schedule for the Christchurch Poultry Club’s Breeders’ Challenge Stakes show is to hand and may be had on application from the secretaries of all the specialist clubs and the poultry clubs. There are several alterations in the classes, particularly in the pigeon section. Provision has been made for the paying out of third prize money in classes where there are sixteen or more entries. Hints for Breeders. The size of the run alone is not the determining factor as to how many fowls should be kept. The capacity of the house counts most. Many failures in poultry-keeping are directly traceable to mistakes in buying and rearing. When you shift the pullets shift their feed trough or hopper, as this will make them feel more at home. The addition of two ounces of solt soap in sufficient water to dissolve it, added to every gallon of whitewash, is said to prevent the whitewash from rubbing off. _ Keep this in mind: one showing of your birds and the placing 'of an advertisement for one month will never sell your stock or bring you fame as a breeder. One or two shows a year may be all right, but you must keep your name, address, breed, what you have to sell, and the price before the buying public continually. You say it costs too much. Well, if you have never tried it you don’t know whether it does or not. If your advertising is on the basis of the first plan you certainly are right about the cost. If you follow the second course the result is inevitable. No poultry farm can succeed without generous advertising. Some poultry fanciers place a large display advertisement for one or two issues, and never follow it up. Their name is lost to the public, and they wonder why business does not come in. The breeder whose business justifies display advertising is making a serious mistake it he does not use it.—Wyandotte Club. In selecting pullets for the laying pen it is wise to keep this point m mind: Naturally, health and vigour are things to give first consideration. Other things are a long and deep body and well-developed head points. The birds that mature the earliest and are in good condition of flesh are usually the best layers. It must be remembered that a flock that lays uniformly is more profitable- than a flock that contains a few exceptional birds that are doing all the laying. Uniformity in a flock of pullets is important if a uniform egg production is to be expected during the winter. If chicks have been well hatched and well grown, there is little reason why the maturing birds should not be uniform. Pigeon Race. The Somerfleld Racing Pigeon Club flew a race last Saturday, the birds being liberated by the stationmaster at 8 a.m. Results: L. and W. Ockwell’s Red Sunset 1. J. Mowbray’s Outstep 2, F. Gray’s Timid 3.