Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 12, 15 January 1936, Page 5

Poultry Notes

I POULTR Y KEEPING FOB PROFIT. CHICKEN SEXING During the lart season considerable publicity ha.? been given to the s«xin; of chickens, but a good deal of mi* conception exists (-oncvriiing the sub ject. For the benefit of poultry keepers generally the loiluwi ig ex I rads from a. paper prepared by Air I’.. Hadlinglou, poultry expert k<. th< New Zouiu Wales Go+ernmeut, si'oiilpro'e uf interest. For many yearn tne mailer of profit ably disposing of the surplus cou-aorel; from specialised poultry I arms, par ticulai’y in the case ct light, breeds has been a problem to numerous poul try iarmetr, and some method has Ion; been locked for to distinguish the s»>x of the citi'kei at the lime of ba'eli Numerous devices for dotormiuin; the sex of the egg have, from time t< time, been put forward, but none ha: apparenliy been based upon s/ ieuitfi* or practical lad, and to the Japauosi livs the credit of de\eloping the i.eclt ntque of dist iiminati ig the «-e.\ 01 chickens at the time of hatching. Although the mellvd was developer soirtt‘ 11) years ago by Alessrs. K. Maaui •J. Hashimoto, and J. Ono, it has nd been extensively practise'] until I h< Lirt few years, no doubt owing to Indi of skilled opcratoia, since wiien Ln system has been introduced first in'< Canada and the United Stales, then t< Australia, and Great Britain. It, is therefore, only reasonable •• ii.-r-umc that chi-.k sexing * ill soon b> adopted in many other countries. Tnt extent Io which it may spread, hu+v exet.. will be go'ened largely bj economic 1 actors, uecaujp, in counlribt where there is a payable market i-'u table birds poultry farmers will inostlj rear the covkeiuls to augment then income. Anol her anp»*'t is that; in > number of countries the price of meai is much higher than here, and then is not th*} same difference between Hit cost of meat and table poultry, thin poultry is ’.lot regarded so mucn as <. luxury as is the case in thin country. That i here has not been a payable market here for a large percentage ol the cockeiels is dire mainly io the fad that proper facilities are nut «>atl able on many farms for rearing tilt birds to a suitable age ami conuiliun but contributing factors are our hap hazard methods of selli’Jg ami dichibilling table poultry. Not until ■wc adopt some suitable system of grading and r lassi licit tiu-ii of table poultry, and have t hx* killing and dressing done under supervision, as in the cure meat, will there be any improvement, because under present conditions the demand for dressed poultry is definitely affected bv the uncertainty that; exists ar to quality of the birds ottered for sale. Howe\er, io deal with the merits c-i demerits of cluck sexing, th*: fiis.t question that arises is "h-ether ihp commercial poultry farmer has much io gam by its adoption. To derive the maximum benefit from bin k t-exing, poultry farmers must be content to rear less chickens than formerly when handling both vexes in the usual proportions. This point cannot be too .strongly emphasised, because on the average poultry farm, the rearing equipment u> usually taxed to the limit of its capacity, and poor development of the chickens frequently results. Thus if an attempt is made to rear a given number of pullets, where previously the same number of chickens of mixed sexes were handled, there will be no improvement in thv rearing, and thus one real advantage of chick sexing will not be gained. Aforeover, where pulletr only are reared, any heavy mortality will represent a more serious loss to the farmer. It also nas to be borne in mind that materially Io increase the number of layers means additional capital outlav in providing extra accommodation. Does Sexing Cause Injury*? A question which ir frequently asked in co inextion with the practice of sexing chickens is whether any injury is

dune I:: ihe 1 hickeiis. but there appears Io be sufficient evidence to sho" thai there need be no fears in this regird provided that tin* work is dore iy skilled opcralurc. In order to- safeguard poultry farmers against, unskilled workers tho department has decided to undertake the examination of students and lire issue of certificates to those qualifying. It will thiir be a matter for poultry farmers lo satisfy themselves that those offering their services hold an official certificate. Effect on Table Poultry Maiket. One of the nio-t, important aspecis of chick sexing is it«s possible effect on the market for table poultry, Ji is almost certain that as the practice extends there, will be large numbers of cockerel chickens destroyed at hatching tunc, especially towards the end of the season, and th'6 should result in the market being relieved of a good deal of due badly reared cockerels, which are unsatisfactory for the trade, and only help to bring down the price of better birds. The effect should to be improve prices, and this in turn would no doubt induce more people to specialise in the rearing of birds for market which should be a good thing for the industry as it must lead to more systematic methods of producing table birds.

Arguments Against Sexing, I A 1 guninni s Im' I a• i’ ;• n- ed ■ iHguinst sexing 01 ' :iri"Us groundt*; f‘>r | ■ instance. )t is as-er cl Itmt in the' ! lig 1 '! breeds the "f the chi> kpns | can mostly be dm m ii'iii'H at three 10 j four weeks, when they cuuld be disposed uf. and up to which age the rust lof rearing would l*e h’-s than the charge made tor sexing, <»r the difference between the cosi of pullet< and I mixed sexes. While this may be so. ■it iis considered that most poultry I tanners would prefer tn eliminate rite i cockerels as soon as hatched, rather I than have the trouble nf rearing them, Iwiih the risk of crowding the ncom- ‘ rnodation even fnr a few weeks. Conclusions. j h is to bo expected that chick sexing ’.\ill be extensively adopted by those, poultry who have always contended that the rearing of cockerels to a marketable age does not pay, and though still advocating the i rearing of cockerels under suitable j conditions, those who do not agree on this point will now have the opporI tunity of eliminating this phase of • poultry farming. 1 If it har the effect of removing from j the market the majority of the poorly j reared poussins and late hatched chickens, it must bp of considerabli value to the industry.

All things ronsidpred. chick sexing I should prnvr a benefit ’0 the industry lif not abused. It will, perhape. not I measure up to all claims mad» s , and like nil nWw inno'-ations, will ulti--1 matelv find its own Ip* p 1 in the in* | du‘•try. I In the meantim<» poultry farmers should ponsidcr its adoption in the | light nf their nwt individual circuffii stances, and not as tltiugh it were a , new fashion. Those who may consider taking np I rim art as a means nf livelihood should bear in mind that it is only i persons having the necessary aptitude. I time, and facilities fnr practising who I will achieve the speed and accuracy ' necersarv tn bp of commercial value.