Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19858, 4 June 1927, Page 21 (Supplement)

Poultry Notes

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK IN POULTRY. QUALITIES THAT COUNT RELIABLE INDICATIONS OF GOOD LAYERS. . (By J. N. Leigh in the Daily Mail, London). Success in the hatching and rearing of chickens depends primarily on the fitness of the parent stock, and ever - ) possible care should be taken in theii selection. Such an important mattei as the selection of hens for the breeding pen should not be left, as it is ton often, until the close of the laying nelson, and then done in a hurry just before they arc required for mating up. Selecting for this purpose should be carried on continuously throughout ths year, and needs to be based on an accurate knowledge of the general health and physical condition of the birds, ts well as their laying powers. Exclude all Unsound Birds. No hen, however good her pedigree or her own laying record, should be included in the breeding pen if at any time she has shown any signs of constitutional or physical weakness. Guides to Laying Qualities. The only reliable guide to the laying qualities of birds is to keep a record of the eggs laid by each individual hen by means of the single pen or the trap nest. The single pen is the better method, as in addition to supplying the laying record of the hen it affords special facilities for . studying her individual character, but it is, unfortunately, tar too costly, and pedigree breeders, almost without exception, rely on tho trap nest. In the absence of any such records the breeder is forced to rely, in selecting his breeding stock, on certain ex tcrnal signs or characters which are regarded as more or less reliable indications of the good layer. Of those general indications, the following aro among the most reliable; productiveness during the winter months, lateness in moulting, tameness, a good and regular appetite, and, in the case of yellowfleshed birds, a gradual loss as the laying season progresses of pigmentation in the shanks, beak, and other parts of the body. Further Ch ar a«ct eristics Other signs indicative of egg-laying capacity are an alert carriage, with a general appearance of sprightliness and vivacity, and the feathering should be close and compact. Points to Look For. The following points should also be looked for in each hen selected for the breeding pen. The head rather small, finely drawn and well set on a sonic[what thin neck of medium length; tho beak short and thick at the base, the face clean and free from wrinkles; the , eye bright, rather prominent and with a large pupil; the comb fine in texture, • neither too small nor “beefy,” and to'gethor with the wattles it should feci like silk to the touch. The back should be long and broad especially across the saddle; tho breast full and the body deep and wedge-shaped when viewed from side, top, ami rear, with considerable width behind, sot on legs rather short, fine in bone, and wide apart. Fleshy, but Not Fat.

While there should be no signs of fat, the body should be warm and fleshy. Cold shanks and feet indicate poor constitution. Tho pelvic bones should be pliable, straight, and thin, with no lumpiness at the ends. The distance between these bones and the end of the breastbone should be us ' great as possible to provide the necessary “rominess” without which a bird cannot possess fully developed organs. The Size of the Fowl Important. As regards size, it is essential the bird should be well up to the standard fixed for the breed, as there is a general tendency to lose size as the result of I breeding for increased egg production. ' SUCCESS OF ENGLISH POULTRY I * A very favourable impression of English pedigree laying stock has been created in South Africa by the performance of two pens of birds entered in the South African International Lay- . ing Test, which is promoted by tho . Port Elizabeth Agricultural Society, i Theso two pens (four birds in each' were entered by Mr. Tom Barron, of | Catforth, Preston. At the end of the sixth month the White Wyandottes were first over all breeds in tho Test, with a score of 436 first-grade eggs, while the White Leghorns were fourth in tho light breed section. These birds have recently boon sold by tender, tho White Wyandottes realising £3O and the White Leghorns 12 guineas. CAUSE OF SOFT EGGS Salts of limo give tho shell its hardness, and cause the particles to adhere together. Soft eggs are those that have no shell, or which have too thin a shell, I and aro deficient in salts and lime. Hence the necessity for introducing lime into the food of the fowls. It in surprising where a hen finds all the carbonate of lime necessary, for if she lays 100 ordinary-sized eggs in the year, i she will have produced about 220 z. of pure carbonate of lime. Soft eggs reresult from over-fattening food, too little exercise, the ovum passing down the oviduct too rapidly for the secretions to be properly made, or, on the other hand, they may bo caused ny absolute want of lime, without which the shell cannot be properly made.