THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 6, 16 June 1913, Page 664

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

F. C. Brown.

July Work. July may fairly be considered the most important month in the poultry calendar. Profitable production implies profitable stock, and the securing of this rests, in the • main, on the foundation blood and the manner in which this is mated and handled. July is therefore the crucial'month, the time when the judgment of the poultryman is put to the most severe test. If he acts with the desired judgment arising from the many lessons taught in the course of keen practical experience he will study industriously his breeding operations, and be guided by the sound underlying principles upon which the successful breeding of all classes of stock rest. The ABC of this is that like begets like, and that no stock can be too good to place in a breedingpen. Many poultrymen consider that the incubating and brooding stages are the main considerations, but these are only necessary links in the chain. . The quality of the parents is the first consideration. In last month’s issue some advice was given in • regard to mating, and Belch’s valuable line-breeding chart was reprinted. Too much importance cannot be attached to this. To succeed -in poultry-keeping everything must be ordered on the most exact principles. In the first place, the breeder must know exactly what he is doing, and this implies a correct knowledge - of the history of the birds he intends to mate. Happily, in these days it is at times possible to obtain information of the pedigree of performance, some idea of the hereditary productive capacity of fowls. Having this both on the male and female side, a poultryman knows just what he is doing in forming a breedingpen, and if his information as to the pedigrees of performance is correct he cannot go wrong if he has at the same time attached due importance to constitution, the possession of which is imperative to secure heavy laying-stock with the power to produce to their full capacity. A common mistake made, even by those who realize the importance of breeding only from the desired stock, is that they attempt too much; and therefore mate up birds which should never be'bred from. Careful mating means a smaller percentage of cull birds. It is, however, an unfortunate • thing that culling of the young stock is either not sufficiently drastic or is neglected altogether: The careful

poultryman who is keenly intent on raising the productive character of his flock, and thereby making poultry-keeping . the payable business it should be, will appreciate the necessity of more care in mating up the breeding-pens, especially in seeing, that only the most desirable birds are used. ’ .

Day-old Chicks. A correspondent is anxious to know if there is any danger in purchasing day-old chicks, especially from a man who says he has orders already booked for several thousands. I can only reply in the affirmative. The day-old-chick method of rapidly establishing a flock is an excellent one, provided, however, that there is some guarantee that the chicks purchased come from approved and selected laying-stock. If a man is .turning out day-old chicks by the thousand it is obvious that he must have an enormous number of breeding-stock from which to select the necessary number of breeding-pens, or he must be breeding from all his stock irrespective of quality. This' is where the possible danger comes in, as, while the day-old chick from good breeding-birds is all right, the chick from cull stock is all wrong. It is the difficulty of making sure of obtaining the former where the drawback to this method of stocking up comes in. Some breeders supplying day-old chicks have very even flocks, and. are capable, of making up a large number of good breeding-pens, and are thereby able to send out chicks which should develop into payable stock; but, on the other hand, there are no doubt flocks in which only a comparatively small percentage of the birds are fit for breeding from, and if the owners of these are tempted to supply large numbers- of day-old chicks they will find it a very difficult matter giving satisfaction to their customers. After all, it is the same in all branches of stock-dealing. It is not every one who is naturally a successful breeder, and if good stock is to be secured the successful and reliable breeder must be looked to.

Bad Luck! . Bad luck has a lot to answer for; it is the .’cause of so many failures in poultry-keeping. A hatch fails—because the board that was put in front of the nest to make the hen feed was not taken down again. Bad luck! The hen neglected the eggs —because she was tormented by vermin. Bad luck ! Chickens were lost—-drowned in a deep water-tray. Bad luck ! . Chicks drowned againby water getting under the coop. Bad luck! The hatch failed in the incubatorthe lamp was not filled at the right time. . Bad luck ! . Another hatch failed—the wick was. not renewed. Bad luck ! A poor hatchthe. eggs when .taken out to cool were forgotten. Bad luck! A

second poor hatchsomething had been thrown on the regulator. Bad luck ! Infertile eggs— the breeding-pen had been neglected. Bad luck ! A spoilt hatch—thermometer broken, and a spare one not on hand. Bad luck ! Chickens died from bowel trouble- —-the lamp went down in the brooder. Bad luck 1 More chicks died —food ran out, and had to feed something else. Bad luck ! Still more died shut them out of the brooder, and forgot to let them in again. Bad luck ! The best of the lot went — the rats. Bad luck ! No eggs forgot to feed ■ the fowls. Bad luck ! Still no eggsfowls roosting in trees. Bad luck! Again no eggs-raining for days, and no dry scratching-place. Bad luck! Pullets moulting- —hatched too early. Bad luck 1 . Some hatched, at the right time also moulting —-had to change their food and quarters. Bad luck ! Disease breaks out —had too much stock, and overcrowded the houses. Bad luck ! Lost money —thought anybody could run poultry. Bad luck ! And so it goes from year to year. It is the bad luck that is the cause of all the failures.

There are some people, however, who start on a sound financial footing, understand something of poultry-keeping, consistently endeavour to improve their methods, and conduct the business in a careful and methodical manner. Somehow they never have bad luck. Certainly they occasionally, like, human beings in general, make mistakes, but these seldom are of any moment. -They succeed in the things that really matter, and thereby make poultry-keeping the profitable work it is to those who thoroughly understand it, and treat- it as a serious proposition to be mastered and conducted on the same strict business principles as any other commercial undertaking.

The Overfeeding Myth.

It is surprising the number of people who continue to believe that the heavy layer can be overfed. We never hear any warning being given the dairy-farmer not to overfeed bis heavy milkers. True, with both the egg type of bird and the deep-milking cow the feeding of highly concentrated food can be overdone, but food of the right description can never be fed in excess in either case. In the old days, when birds were only capable of laying half the eggs now regarded as essential to profitable production, it was possible to make the birds .overfat, and consequently unhealthy. It is very different with the type now favoured-—-birds bred according to a pedigree of yielding-capacity, and shelling out a two-ounce product of the most highly concentrated material known in the animal kingdom day after day for probably over 200 days out of the 365. Obviously such birds must have the necessary material from which to manufacture their phenomenal product

and at the same time maintain the bodily vigour necessary to enable them to do so, . especially in cold weather, when any stinting in the food-supply is fatal to production. In the hundreds of visits I pay to -poultry plants during the year I invariably find that it is only where the food is supplied with an unsparing hand that the eggyield is satisfactory, whereas where any attempt is made to calculate the allowance for each bird the results in egg-yield are generally disappointing. Only the other day I visited a man who had 320 fowls, and who was not only feeding them on the special ounce a bird at the evening meal sometimes advocated, but was not as careful as he might have been as to the time when he fed them. His egg-yield was actually less for the month than that of the fifteen birds of a neighbour who believed in giving his fowls all they could eat.- Of course, it is not everybody who follows the latter principle who gets the eggs he should. He may scatter the food broadcast, but if he fails to keep the birds provided with. fresh water and grit his returns will still be disappointing. Again, he may not have the right class of birds. The man who stints his fowls cannot have that true regard for animals which a man must possess to make a success of handling any class of live-stock. Hand-in-hand with spare feeding is generally found a neglect of those many details strict attention to which is essential in managing poultry to advantage. The houses are unclean, and vermin is abundant-the blood-sucking insects making a greater drain on the animal system than the heaviest laying—the . yards are foul, and water, grit, and green stuff are seldom in constant supply. He who stints his fowls would be better employed at some other occupation. How TO TELL THE LAYER. .A correspondent is anxious to know if there is any means of telling by the outward form of a bird whether it is a layer or hot. There certainly is, but it is only the man with a keen eye for form and who is a student of type who can readily distinguish between laying and non-laying birds. I cannot do ' better to emphasize the difference between the two types than instance the striking difference in form between the. beef-forming cow and the dairy type. The former is of a blocky build, while the deep milker has all her development concentrated at the business end. Thus, while she should be fine in front she has a great barrel and exceptional width and depth in the milk-producing regions. So with the heavy layer. She naturally must possess exceptionally generous development in the latter half of her anatomy, where the egg machinery is located, tapering to that fineness in her fore end which is always indicative of a highly developed nervous temperament, the natural ■ characteristic of the

heavy producing animal. The non-layer, like the beef . type .of cattle, is square and blocky with a rather sluggish temperament. A man with any eye at all for form should be able readily to distinguish the two types. It is impossible to estimate from the appearance of a bird the extent of her laying-capacity, but it is easy enough to tell whether or not she is of the laying type. One character which must go hand-in-hand with the laying type is the possession of the desired constitution. This qualification is indicated by bright feathering, a bold bright eye, legs well apart (as they should be in the laying type in'general), and the possession of a very active disposition. Of course, there ' are individual birds which conform to all the desirable points looked , for in a. heavy . layer and yet . fail to prove satisfactory layers. This is due to some weakness in construction or , an abnormal development not observable to the. eye. ' I once . picked out' a bird which. I considered was a capital type of . a layer, but found on handling her that she had a : large tumour in the abdomen.. The eye for form is "a., natural' gift, but it can to a very large extent be developed by' close .study and observation. "" ' ■-y - ■ v ■ .'■ ■ • New Zealand Eggs in London.... , . .. ■ ' • A correspondent, in expressing appreciation of the results of the Department’s experimental shipment of eggs to London,. is - anxious to know if the eggs were specially- selected, or - were they , but a fair sample of - : the eggs ordinarily ’ sold on New Zealand markets,' as, 'he -writes, the.' London Dairy- made this remark -oh the shipment: “ They were found ■to ■be in splendid . condition, and- could fairly rank as newlaid. They compared favourably with anything on -'.the market, and hardly one was broken.” The eggs were ' certainly an exceptionally good line. I personally - selected and; packed , them. They represented three days” yield of the flock ,of the Heretaunga . Poultry Plant, Wellington ; ' and as the flock of 1,500 birds is entirely of . the White Leghorn breed, singularly uniform in type, while the birds at the time of year (December) were of an adult age, the egg’s were a very straight line, fully 90 per cent, being first grade. These were selected for shipment. As the. birds have roomy scratching-quarters, clean nests, and good grass runs the eggs were, particularly clean. Again, the fowls being well fed and supplied with an abundance of green material (watercress), the eggs were as good internally as their outward appearance suggested. The eggs were infertile, which is imperative in catering to a distant market. They were packed in Canadian cases, holding thirty dozen each. These cases are made of very thin wood, with openings between the slats, but having stout ends. They are divided in the centre by strong. boarding. The eggs were packed, in manila cardboard fillers—strawboard, is unsuitable, as with moisture it imparts a

musty flavour to the' eggs. On each tier of eggs a -sheet of manila cardboard was placed. These were specially perforated for the London shipment, in order to allow as free a circulation of the cold air through the package as possible. The Canadian case is illustrated herewith. I have to express appreciation of the keen interest taken in the shipment by the refrigerating staff of the s.s. “ Rotorua,” by which steamer

the eggs were shipped to London. No doubt the care taken of the eggs on the oversea voyage was largely responsible for the excellent condition in which they reached the Home market. Quality versus Quantity. . While the laying competitions have rendered the industry excellent service in developing the laying-power of certain breeds of poultry, this should not be their only objective. The day is passing when the consumer will purchase eggs irrespective of quality. He will demand,

even with the guaranteed fresh egg, that it be of a certain weight. The recognition of weight in the eggs, laid by the respective pens in the, competitions becomes therefore a matter of prime importance. It is gratifying to see the publication of the weight of eggs produced by competing pens at the last test, the figures disclosing valuable com-? parative -data, clearly indicating that the number of eggs produced is not everything, and that we can obtain a yield at too great a cost. While the Utility Poultry Club is to be congratulated on the information furnished, this would be much more valuable and be appreciated more highly were it supplied month by month during the currency of the ' test. For instance, poultrymen are . naturally guided as to the source from . which to obtain their stock and settings by the progress reports of the competition results ; but if only the number of eggs laid is supplied, a reliable guide as to the breeding-quality of the stock of competing breeders is not made available. No wise poultryman will use a small egg for breeding purposes, and he runs a very good risk of securing these if he is guided merely by the number of eggs produced by certain competing pens. Many breeders are pinning their faith to an export trade as a means of unloading the summer surplus, but they will find the critical oversea markets will not pay full rates for undersized eggs, and only the best values will warrant the export business. Especially ■ is it necessary to remember quality in initiating a trade.

1 ' Things to remember. i'..' - i . ’ Give the breeders ample exercise. Strong chicks imply strong germs, and strong germs come only from vigorous breeding-stock. Do not force the breeders, but provide nourishing food with ample green stuff. • • Study nature, and especially at mating-time provide natural conditions. as far as possible. ..a; ~ ';: . i./.. Always have spare breeding-birds in case of accident, and where the breeding season is prolonged a change of male bird is desirable. . ;; - J Do not cut off the whole of the wing-feathers of hens intended for the breeding-pen. If you do, poor fertility will probably result. Long sharp spurs on the male bird are a drawback where fertility is desired. These should be pared and made blunt or cut off altogether. During ' the early breeding season it is necessary to have a dry place in the breeding-pen if a high percentage of fertile eggs is to be secured. • '

Lucerne on Sand for Poultryfeeding. Profiting from experiments being carried out by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture in reclamation of sand areas, and following the advice' published from time to time, Mr. J. Salkeld, of Burwood, Christchurch, was induced to try lucerne-growing on sand for poultry-feed-ing. The area on which he sowed the 'lucerne was pure sand, and was dressed with fowl-manure before being sown, on 12th July, 1912. Since then Mr. Salkeld has taken five cuttings off the crop —the -first at the beginning of October, the •second at the end of November last, the -third early in January, 1913, the fourth in February, and the fifth in March. The Department’s Stock. “ From the Government poultry-farm at Milton,” says the Otago Daily Times, in writing of the display of poultry in the Department’s exhibit at the Dunedin Winter Show, “ comes a splendid exhibit of poultry, comprising a’.' number of splendidly grown specimens of the utilitarian varieties. Several gentlemen . who are in a position to judge stated that the exhibit was the best of its kind they have seen, and one went so far as to state that it would equal anything to be seen .in the Southern Hemisphere.” All the birds in the exhibit were the. progeny of the ' stock imported by the Department from Australia last year.

The fact should never be forgotten that the heavy-layer cannot"be overfed. . T .....Poultry-keeping is . one ; thing and. poultry-farming another. A man who keeps a cow or two is never called a dairy-farmer, nor is a man who has a few sheep termed a sheep-farmer. l ,