POULTRY KEEPING

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 69, Issue 6, 15 December 1944, Page 599

POULTRY KEEPING

New Zealand Poultry Flock Improvement Plan

HRHE New Zealand Poultry Flock Improvement Plan has for its main objects: — (1) The maintaining and improvement of the health and constitutional vigour of the poultry stock of New Zealand; (2) The maintaining of a reasonable standard of breed type, quality, and size in the poultry of the Dominion; and (3) The maintaining and improvement of the average egg-produc-tion of the flocks, thereby improving the economic standard of poultry-farming. The plan is conceived as a “longterm” policy, and those interested in it must not anticipate that it will immediately eliminate throughout the Dominion either the presence or the sale of poultry lacking in quality and health. The raising of the standard of our poultry and the reduction of undesirable stock must, of necessity, be a comparatively slow process. Circumstances , will not permit making this a compulsory scheme. On the other hand, many poultry-farmers with the good of the industry at heart are convinced that no time should be lost in giving the industry an opportunity of assisting in the maintenance of health and quality in the poultry stock of the Dominion. At the start those responsible for administering the plan will aim to concentrate on:— 1. Health and constitution, with close attention also 2. Quality and reasonable type. 3. Improvement in average production. (This will receive greater attention after the war, when labour conditions improve.) Membership Membership is on a voluntary basis, and does not entail a fee. Those becoming accredited under the plan will, however, be under definite obligations as set out hereunder, and unless these obligations are honoured in both the letter and the spirit, then the whole object of becoming an accredited member breaks down and the objects of the plan are defeated from the start. The success of the plan and its ultimate benefit to the poultry industry depend to a large extent upon close co-operation between the accredited poultry-farmers and those responsible for administering the plan.

Membership is open (a) Any poultry-farmer owning not less than fifty (50) breeding , females for each breed accredited, whether fowls or ducks, which satisfy the body responsible for the administration of the plan. (b) Any person owning a hatchery where all eggs hatched are drawn solely from accredited breeders. (c) Any person conducting custom hatching in addition to owning poultry may have the latter accredited, providing the hatching eggs from his accredited breeding stock are hatched in a separate incubator, or in a hatching compartment containing no eggs accepted for custom hatching, unless such eggs are also from an accredited flock. It is obvious from (c) that no accredited breeder or hatchery-man may undertake custom hatching without prior permission from the administering body. This does not imply that permission will be difficult to obtain, providing the necessary safeguards mentioned above can be put into force. Disappointment has been expressed by breeders who do not keep as many as fifty breeding birds that they are not eligible for accreditation under the plan. It is hoped that when facilities for ' administration improve the minimum number of breeding stock required for accreditation purposes will be reduced. Type's of Accreditation When first placed before poultryfarmers, by means of the poultry Press and broadcasting, it was proposed that there should be two types, or forms, of accreditation. It was never intended that these two types should be looked upon as first- and second-class, or, more correctly, grade I and grade 11, thereby unintentionally casting an interpretation of inferiority on the standard of grade 11. Both types were intended to give an equal standard of accreditation in respect, of quality of the stock concerned, but differed in other respects in regard to the obligations placed upon those accredited under the two types. Further reflection, however, has resulted in a decision to start with only one type of accreditation, namely, “New Zealand Approved Breeding Flock.”

This will prevent undue confusion in the minds of purchasers of 'stock until such time as the Poultry Flock ' Ipnprovement Plan is fully understood and appreciated. For similar reasons it will be simpler for poultry-farmers until the plan is well established. Lastly, it will throw less strain on the administering body, in particular on officers of the Department, during the early stages and while endeavouring to obtain smooth running. Conditions of Accreditation All applicants for accreditation under the plan whose flocks are subsequently accepted as New Zealand approved breeding flocks will be expected to conform to the following conditions: 1. Have all male and female birds intended for breeding purposes bloodtested for pullorum disease. (Only birds which do not react to this test may be subsequently used for breeding, while all birds which react must be sold off the farm within a reasonable and limited period of time after the test. These “reactors” should he sold for eating purposes only. No breeding flock will be accredited until, when tested, the number of reactors is found to be under 6 per cent, of the total number of birds tested of any given breed for which accreditation is sought.) (For further details of blood-testing see notes on the subject at the end of this article.) 2. A portion of the pullets may be included for breeding purposes, but not in excess of 25 per cent, of the total number of the approved female breeding stock. (Thus, if a person has a total of 100 female birds for breeding purposes, 25 of these could be pullets, if so desired.) 3. All breeding males and females must scale not less than the following minimum weights: 1 Hens. Pullets, Males. Heavy breeds 6Jlb. 61b. 81b. Light breeds .. 51b. 411 b. 61b. Birds of either sex not scaling these weights would not be eligible for accreditation, and would be barred from being used as breeders in any approved flock. 4. Any egg used for incubation purposes on the farm, or offered for sale as a hatching egg, must be of not less than 2oz. in weight, and be of desirable type for hatching purposes. 5. All breeding birds, both male and female, are to be passed for breed type, health, and constitution by the inspecting or accrediting body before the flock as a whole can be accepted as a New Zealand approved breeding flock. (This is a condition which is open to greater - misunderstanding than any other,

and consequently requires some explanation. The main object of the inspecting or accrediting body, described hereafter, will be (a) Exclude any bird which on outward appearance shows signs of ill health; (b) Exclude any bird which on outward appearance shows any of the generally-accepted signs of lack of constitution; and (ch Exclude any bird lacking in average type for any given breed, or showing some fault particularly undesirable in a breeding bird, i.e., sidesprigs on the comb, salmon breast in White Leghorns, or feathered legs in a clean leg breed, etc. ’ It will not be the duty of the inspecting body to judge up to show standards, or to express an opinion upon the type of bird kept, unless the standard of bird is considered too low for accreditation purposes. The main object of that body will be to ensure that all birds are up to weight, are healthy, and are of good constitution.) 6. An accredited breeder desiring to . purchase hatching eggs, day-old chicks, or stock for purposes of resale shall do so from another accredited breeder only. Sanitation No flock will be accredited under the plan where the sanitary conditions on the farm are poor and are, in consequence, considered to be conducive to the spread of disease. This will apply not only to the conditions under which the breeding stock is maintained, but also to the incubator and brooding accommodation, since dayold chicks and growing stock may be sold off the farm or from the hatchery. No hard-and-fast conditions can be laid down in regard to sanitation, but a reasonable interpretation of “satisfactory sanitation conditions” will be taken. ’

Inspecting Body For accreditation purposes after an application has been made the body to inspect the farm and stock will consist of two persons a representative of the poultry industry and the other an officer of the Department of Agriculture (poultry instructor). After the plan has been established for a year the poultry industry representative will be nominated by the accredited breeders themselves. In practice, accredited breeders will nominate a panel of two or more persons for their district, in order that one may be available when required for inspection purposes. Departmental officers . selected for this work will not necessarily be those from the province or district in which they are normally stationed, i.e., a Dunedin poultry instructor might be asked to inspect Canterbury farms and flocks, etc. Casual inspections without warning, but at reasonable times, will be made by officers of the Department of Agriculture, for the purpose of checking over breeding flocks for health and condition, to check up on the size of hatching eggs being set or sold, and generally to inspect young rearing stock, particularly where the latter is offered for sale. Inspection is highly necessary and desirable for the successful operation of the plan, but need not be either irksome or officious in nature if the accredited breeder is prepared to cooperate and to meet his obligations under the plan in a straightforward manner. Publicity The widest possible publicity will be given to the names of those poul-try-farmers becoming accredited under the plan. A list of accredited breeders will be published and will be available for distribution on * request to the Poultry Board, Provincial Council, Agricultural College, or the Department of Agriculture. Lists

will also be published in the “New Zealand Poultry World” and the “New Zealand Journal of Agriculture.” Ultimately, it is hoped to design a registered trade-mark which may be' used by accredited breeders on stationery,' labels, chick-boxes, etc. In addition, accredited breeders will be required to mark all hatching eggs offered for sale with a rubber stamp specially designed and supplied at cost price to each breeder. Since in the initial stages of establishing the plan it is intended to have only one form of accreditation—New Zealand Approved Breeding Flock, any accredited breeder who breeds from hens only (i.e., female birds which have completed not less than one year of egg-production and which have passed through not less than one full moult) will have this fact recorded on any published list. Furthermore, any breeder having all the birds on his farm blood-tested and where the results show less than 6 per cent, reactors for the entire flock will likewise have this fact recorded on published lists. There is a number of purchasers of hatching eggs, chicks, or stock desirous of buying from flocks where breeding from pullets is not carried out, while others are anxious to take maximum precautions against the introduction of pullorum disease to their farms. The plan will assist both of these to select the breeders offering the type of stock desired, without drawing any undesirable distinction between those breeding from pullets and those breeding from hens only. Marking Accredited Birds As soon as circumstances permit all birds accepted for accreditation will be marked by a sealed leg-band. Until such leg-bands again become available accredited birds will be tattooed under the wing. Marking is essential for checking purposes, both for the owner of the flock and for the administering body. General Administration The plan will be administered and fostered by specially-appointed representatives of the four provincial councils, in close co-operation with the Department of Agriculture. The coordinating body for the Dominion will be the New Zealand Poultry Board. Conditions of administration will be standardised throughout the Dominion, while any changes desirable in the conditions governing the plan will have to be accepted and recommended by a Dominion conference of poultry-farmers. This >is highly desirable in the interests ' of uniformity, and to prevent any tendency to chop and change the policy governing the administration of the plan. Should there be an unexpected breakdown in any provincial coun-

cil, the plan will be administered for that province by the Department of Agriculture and the Poultry Board, until such time as control is again established through, the usual channels. Application for Accreditation This must be made on the prescribed form, which may be obtained from the Provincial Council, Poultry Board, or office of the Department of Agriculture where a poultry instructor is stationed. These forms must be completed and forwarded to the Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3004, Wellington, not later than December 31 of each year, in respect to the following year’s accreditation. Notice that an accredited breeder wishes to withdraw from the plan must also reach the Department by the same date. Penalties Any accredited breeder who after careful investigation by those responsible for administering the plan is found to have deliberately committed a breach of the conditions under which the plan is operated will be liable to have his name removed from the , published list of accredited breeders, and readmission under the plan will be at the jurisdiction of the administering body. The final appeal for any such case will be through the New Zealand Poultry Board, with the Department of Agriculture as a coordinated body. Blood-testing It will be appreciated that the work connected with the blood-testing of the stock of accredited breeders will be considerable, and must therefore be carefully organised in order that all necessary testing may be completed well before the breeding season. The following point must be clearly understood, namely, that by applying

for accreditation under the plan it is understood that the applicant wishes his stock to be tested, and arrangements will automatically be put in train to do this work. The applicant will be approached by a poultry instructor, with a view to making the necessary arrangements. In other words, it will not be necessary for the applicant for accreditation to make further application to have his birds blood-tested. Applicants for accreditation are particularly requested to co-operate as closely as possible with the poultry instructor in the matter of making satisfactory arrangements for blood-testing. Poul-try-farmers will assist if they remember that the instructor is forced to work to a programme, and may be able to visit any given district only once for blood-testing work.

The second point of importance applies to the condition that an accredited flock must not give more than 5 per cent, reactors at the final test. In order to comply with this condition, it is likely that some applicants will have to test their birds twice, at a minimum interval of one month. The first test might, for instance, give 8 per cent, of reactors, and the second test would be necessary in order to get under 6 per cent, before accreditation could be granted. Here again, arrangements for the second test will be made with the poultry instructor at the time of carrying out the first test. Everything possible will be done to assist poultry-farmers in this matter, and to make blood-testing interfere as little as possible with the work of the farms concerned.