POULTRY KEEPING

Waikato Independent, Volume XXVII, Issue 2814, 26 July 1927, Page 5

POULTRY KEEPING

T'" A PROFITABLE SIDE-LINE. t

HOW TO MAKE FOWLS PAY.

Poultry keeping as a profitable sideline was ably demonstrated by Mr E. C. Jarrett, Government Instructor, in the course of a lecture to the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union at the Oddfellows’ Hall on Friday afternoon last. ' -

In opening Mr Jarrett said he would not recommend poultry farming as a sole means of» gaining a living. ra!k ny people rushed into the business without considering what is required of them. Poultry farming was a trade to be learned. However, he •would never put. anyone off poultry keeping as a side-line. Poultry keeping could be made highly profitable, especially to the person who possessed the facilities for growing food. The Value of the Industry. As demonstrating the possibilities of the industry to the Dominion, Mr Jarxett stated that in Ireland, where the industry was rapidly growing, the value of eggs and poultry had increased in 10 years from £4,500,000 to £18,500,000. In Ireland one never saw more than 150 fowls in a flock and they were always kept as a side-line. At the present time the value of the industry to New Zealand was £4,500,000, while therd were 150,000 poultry keepers. Just about half the homes in the Dominion kept at least a few fowls. Only half of the *150,000 were keeping over 100 birds. a Local Association. Mr Jarrett advocated tlie formation of a local association, and pointed out that by organising cheaper freights to Auckland would be available. For instance it cost 4/9 rail and steamer •freight on a crate of 30 dozen eggs from Dargaville to Auckland, whereas the freight on six crates would be only 8/. In collecting, and arranging railage, etc., a local association would be of value, and affiliated to the N.Z. Poultry men’s Association* would help create interest in poultry keeping in the district. ; • ; : • The; export of eggs, continued Mr Jarrett, was going to greatly assist the industry. It had already - been the means of keeping the price from falling below 1/3 per dozen in the summertime. The speaker urgcd“all poultry keepers to support the N.Z. Association. Feed. In briefly touching on the feeding bf poultry tlie lecturer said that where it was possible to grow the food, the best combination was maize and skimmilk, and green feed. Where maize was difficult to grow, oats, tares and other ■crops could be substituted. In feeding maize, if it was home grown, it was better to cut the cobs into pieces rather than strip off the grain from the cobs. 'T&ie value of cutting the cobs was that the pieces being’pickcd up by the fowls. "They gained exercise by running and chasing about after the portions of the ■corn cobs. At Monganui, North Auckland, said Mr Jarrett, a woman received £220, raised SO cockerels and 00 pullets in one season from a flock of 200 birds. Her husband grew all the ifood on the farm. “I wish there were a few more men present to hear that,” :@ai'd tlie lecturer amid laughter. The Fowls to Keep. The first known fowls were discovered'in'the jungle of tropical Asia, said Air Jarrett. From there they were taken into .Eastern Asia and the Mediterranean. There were originally pight "breeds —five in Asia and eight in the Mediterranean. To-day there arc 130 ‘ .different varieties, the product of the •«'hobbyist or fancier.” In England :and America many people kept fowls just for show purposes, and it did not •matter to them if they did not layj sufficient eggs to make a cake; they were after gold medals. It was different in Afew Zealand, where the great majority •of. fowls were kept for producing eggs. By careful breeding and general attention, much was possible as regards increasing production. He knew of five ducks that had averaged 332 eggs for *305 days. It would take some beating, but every day in the industry better all round results were being obtained. In Cambridge 20 years ago an egglaying competition was held, in which six birds averaged 223 eggs each for .365 days. A few years later this record was beaten in Australia when six Jffrds laid 256 eggs. It was then said •that it was almost impossible ‘to beat such a record, and when a pen of six Black Orpingtons, the property of Mr Cbritie, of Geelong, Australia, laid 339 fthey said they were freak birds. They were not freaks ,but the tangible result of years of careful breeding and selection.

The lecturer said he was often asked which was the best breed. It was not po much a matter of breed as of strain. ■The strains are built up and in any breed it was just a matter of throwing out the culls. By careful culling and by only breeding from young birds, the average production had been increased by 100 per fowl during the last 25 years.

Breading for Production. Bv the aid of photographic views

the lecturer demonstrated the characteristics of the different types of fowls. The greatest depth of the eggprodueing hen was set much further back than that of tho game, type. The egg producer was the fowl with the greatest breadth of abdomen and running off in wedge shape to the head. Constitution was the greatest consideration in fowls being bred for egg producing. Fowls with good constitutions could be picked out by their even beaks,-not overlapping, short in the shank and with flat leg bones. Round legs were always a sure sign of poor constitution. Another important feature in the/egg producer is that the legs should be set wide apart to bcttei bear the weight of body. January, February and March were the best periods to pick out the cull birds, said the lee turer. The birds that had then started moulting w r ore the ones f to cull out, as their constitutions had not been good enough to keep producing eggs for the whole Iff months. Good layers will be found in January with their old feathers on, bright red combs and pale-col-oured legs. The abdomen of a good layer would always bo found soft. If the best 100 birds in the Dominion were brought along he would guarantee that at the end of the laying year one-third-would have to be culled. It was the person who was prepared to cull that Would make poultry pay. It was no good .for production to keep a fowl seven or eight years old, because she came to the door to feed out of the hand when her name was called.

Hatching. The speaker said he considered that the best time to hatch out the lighter breeds was about September 20, ami for the heavy breeds about tho end of August. Tho pullets would then be laying at about April I, allowing them to be six months old. Mr Jarrett explained that fowls were just as profitable to keep at two-year-old as in the first year but after that they should bo culled out. Many people kept old hens for breeding purposes, but they were too dear to feed and his experiences showed that young hens would do the work just as well. The symptoms of constitution applied to black fowls equally with the White Leghorn and White Rocks. In ducks good points were long, thin necks, and birds that did not lose their old feathers on the wings and tail. He advocated what Runners to the brown type. Question Time. In reply to Mrs Feisst regarding the advisability of using poultry spices, Mr Jarrett said they were not necessary. They might assist where fowls were not getting sufficient protein, but meat meal or albumen meal would give the same results, and be less injurious to the birds.

Replying to another question as to whether the open or intensive system was the best, Mr Jarrett said he favoured the semi-intensive system. In asking fowls to lay all the year round thov were- asking for something that was unnatural. The question touched .on a subject in itself, but if the open run was allowed in the summer months and the intensive system used in the winter period, with an arrangement of the houses to get the maximum of sunshine in the latter months, good results would be obtained.

In reply to another lady Mr Jarrett said acorns were tho cause of green yolks in . duck eggs. Ducks were very fond of acorns. Asked whether it was necessary to give young chicks the yolk of hardboiled eggs, Mr Jarrett said this was not at all necessary. He would start them off with oatmeal, then rolled outs, and a good brand of chick food. The outmeal could be moistened a little with milk, but should not be given too wet. Answering further questions Mr Jarrett said that, hard ' lumps sometimes found under the pads of the feet were nothing more than corns, and by the application of iodino the corns would come out. For' scaly legs after washing crude carbolic, linseed oil and soft soap made a good ointment for application. It was important that the legs should be washed first.

Vote of Thanks,

On the motion of the president, Mrs R. H. Feisst, the lecturer was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, which was carried by acclamation.