POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19957, 18 June 1930, Page 6

POULTRY KEEPING

NOTES. (By Fancier.) The Aahburton Show will bo hold on Thursday and Friday next. At the Qtautau Show the White Wyandotte Championship was won by Mr S. J. Sharman, aid the Black Leghorn by Mr H. Mathieson. The veteran Mr Fred Dacre has been appointed judge at the Westport Club's fixture. He is the oldest of oat judges, and is Tvell in all the feathfrred sections. Mr F. W. Chambers, secretary of the Uttft&d pigeon Fanciers' Club, is trying to. secure a big entry for the Wellington Show, winch takes place on July 17th, JBtb and 19th. Mr J. D. Gobbe, who has already judged at the Utility Club's Show ana the Christchurch Club's Show, his also been selected to judge poultry at tab Waimate, Oamaru, Lytteltoh, Gore, And Greymoiith Shows. The veteran North , Canterbury fancier, Mr Tom Kennedy, has been selected to judge the poultry ahd Mr Fred Kingsford the Homing pigeons at the Graiilty Show. , The South Island Association's Victoy Shield was won by Mr A. E. uillan, ojf J)unedin, with a team of racing pigeons. THifc Shield this year waii competed for at the Waiau Show, The oil try at tho Jubilee Show of the bunqdin Fanciers ' Club wis abotit 1300. The best sections weire canaries SS7 arid rkping pigeons 840. Mi;. F. Chafebers Won in young Self TUtoblejrs, Dr A. C. McKillop in pied rating pigeons and ij». 500 miiers, and Mr George It, Watson scored four firsts Ih canarloi. It is not too late tb secure breeding stock, but it is well to get them as soon as possible. First of ail it gives the birds time to get settled, wid that is often a big gain. Then breeding stock will cost more and be mdte difficult to secure in a few weeks than now. The North Canterbury Club has issued an attractive classification for Hs shoW on July 4th and sth. Besides the usual classes o#er6d for the feathered stock there are classed for art, fancy needlework, photography, eookery, grain, roots, garden and orchard products, so theire should be a big entry this, year at Battglofa. Entries close on Saturday, and the sefiretftiy is Mr A. E. Hawkins, Rafigiora. Thepprince Canadian Banch. At the Wbrld's Poultry Congress at the Crystal Palace, London, next month, there will be ° n view n large scale model v of the ranch owned by the Prince of Wales in Canada. The model is 100 feet in length and' 40 feet wide, and will reproduce every distinctive feature of the E.P. *uncb. Beal-water will flow through the fields, outhouses and buildings will be faithfully reproduced, and the very tree outside'the m*iin door will have its characteristic lean. The ranch is one of the Prince 'a favourite retreat;, and where he keeps a large assGttment of poultry.

The Jtfgjimer. Before getting bird# of any kind the beginner should make sure be or she has plenty of aoeom-odation in tbe nature of houses and runs for poultry, |oft» and rnn> for pigeons, and cages or avianea for cage-birds. Accommodation is costly, bqt if one can afford ft extra bottling is helpful. The be.ginner is apt to secure a lot of birds witch are not mueb use to anyone, and often more than required, even when the quality is right. Instead of; depending on, himself the beginner: should seek the assistance of a reliable old band. With poultry a start may be made by getting stock birds or eggs for Bitting, or, with some breeds, day-old chicks, o* ill three methods may be adopted. With pigeons and cage-birds two or three pairs of the kind will W enough for a start. There are many varieties to choose from amongst domestic birds, in keeping theft one should remember the birds are depending on their owner for neat, drink, and for comfortable end clean quarters. peaow Bm<Ueg--4 fellOW'fancler tells me he }*■" terested in my remaps about the origin of poultry and pigeons, and the antiquity ot poultry and pigeon keeping, and be wki m if there ate any record# oit hOW the many colours were obtained, X don't know of any, a»d all tbe colour* seem to have been existence before the memory of It is known that certain varieties obtained the colour andTftarktogs ftom others, also that fanfare can produce aertam colours by crossing two colours. Byowa Leghorns crossed by White Leghorns wl» produce piles. Several breeders 19 ; Cferistchurch, ineluding myself and several Kaiapoi breeders, also P r °duced # number of piles the same way. White fowls ctossed wi|h black or' brown reds often result is a blue or a cuckoo coloured bird called barred in Plymouth BocH. Blue breeds blue Jaeed from th* same cross, bgt to get the blue or bine laeed 0* bine barred to its present perfeetio? bM taken some years, as all markings would. There is a good deal of variation in the wild jungle fowl,; some being dark and others lighter in the red. Frem the lighter ones would come the Duckwing probably, and the original .piles and buffs from the reds and whites. The black reds will be sure to produce whites and blacks. In pigeons, the cross between whites and black* does not produce a euekoo or barred birda as is fowls; indeed* I never saw a pigeon coloured like a Seots Grey or barred rock, The cross does not bold good with pigeons. Blues or silver paired to red Whitesides, Gay red mottles, or red splashes will produce bine and black and silver and Dun Chequers and an . occasional yellow self 0' mottle. The latter will need perfecting, but I never saw better chequers than .from thatcroas. Once J tried to get blue and , blaek chequers by crossing blue with black, that being the colours needed, but without result, ft was only by chance I discovered tbfl right way, namely, blue or silver with a red and white bird. Blue and yellow often give many colours, and there are many ether ways whieh would provide Mepdelian enthusiasts with something to think about.

ConditiooiM tto Btonders ! The f*np with its big range ia tbe : place for breaking stock. There thoy get greens and grit in abundance, These have to be supplied where a flock is confined or semi-confined, and it is impossible to supply all that a fowl can get on a good range. Equally important is the exercise a fowl can manage to put in on a range. Without plenty of exercise, a bird is not in the best condition to produce the best of stocks Give the breeders all the #pport«*itie» possible to obtain exercise, S een food and minerals. If this is on?, the mortality in chickens will be less than where the birds are Mft in feather, and light, and soft in body, gome feed the breeders just on the ordinary mens, but I am a believer in lees mash and more hard food when the breeders are being prepared. Even quantities of partridge peas and wheat are a good mixture. Man* prefer <?*»-» tat recently science has dfoeovered thai

ost> and oatmeal are an anti-vitamin. The same authority says that oatmeal and allied foods lire the eauso of so many deaths In chickens, and so much bono diseaie in Scotland, though this is news to me. The wheat-partridge Etta mixture Is a food conditioner, and ibbled beans make a good change. A little mash will also be a change, and five per cent, bono meal will improve it. Meat and other very stimulating Mods are not need in conditioning the breeders; just plenty of hard feed, Of coarse, bnlk is desirable, and at this season sprouted grain is first rate. *Tho anti-vitamin authority indicated is almost sure sproated oats do not Contain the anti-vitamin, but other sprouted grains are also first rate feeds. The main thing is hard feed find lots of exercise. Bo not allow the birds to get lean or fat: jost a nice weight, according to the breed, and hard in flesh and feather. ,

Ooccidiwte Remedy. A Callfornian University Bulletin gives the following ration for coccidioeia and other internal troubles caused by minute parasiteslolb wheat bran, 2Qlb ground barley, 301b jellow mawe meal, 401b dry slum milk, or 4011? dry buttermilk, or 301b milk sugftr.

With this mixture, feed grain equal to about one-third of the amount of mash consumed. This method ensures the consumption of a high percentage of milk, and its successful application for a number of years has made it the standard cojrtidiosis cure. The mash must be fed as soon as the disease is discovered and a supply shonld be kept constantly before the chicks. There should be enough room *t the hoppers to allow all chieks to eat without crowding. Continue feeding the milk mash as long as there is any evidence of the diseased After tbe outbreak is definitely over, the amonnt of dry skim milk should be gradually reduced to about 10 to SO per cent, of the mixture, since the 40 per cent, content is too high' to b« continued for a long 'sme. _ .