POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20491, 9 March 1932, Page 5

POULTRY KEEPING

PIGEONS AND CAGE BIRDS. (By Fancier.) | NOTES. The United Pigeon Fanciers' CJub will hold another table sho# this evening. The classification is big, and there should bo an attractive display. Entries for the New Zealand Poultry Club's Young Bird Show close on Saturday. The sliow secretary is Mr G. A. Heath, 101 Mackwrod street, Wooiston. The junior flying race in connexion with the Christchurch Show wili be tiown from Parnassus, and the' race for seniors from Blenheim. Mr A. W. Pritchard, McGregor's road, has been elected secretary and treasurer of the Rhode Island Red and Orpington Club. A friend informs, me that Mr Pritchard has a rare flock of Buff Orpington, ar.d some nice Sussex. __ This evening the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club will hold a special meeting at the club rooms, 153 Hereford street, when arrangements will bp made for the dispatching of birds engaged in the present tests, and matters in connexion with the new competition will be dealt with. An Australian writer complains of the few native birds seen at shows. This puzzles him, as the classification and prize , money are invariably on a liberal basis. The shortness of exhibits is really-surprising when one thinks ot the host of gaudy plumaged and at- • tractive birds to bo found in Australia. An American authority says: ''When maize, is replaced by wheat, barley, or oats, the vitamin A content of the feed may be too lotc . l"o remedy this, 5 per cent, of alfalfa leaf meal and 1 per tent, of cod liver oil should bo added to the ration, if not already included." Experiments conducted recently at the Wyoming Experimental »tat ou m.S.A.V in connexion with crooked breastbones in growing fowls have proved that the shape ot the breastbone in young turkeys can be controlled by the age at which the ieedin;! of green Income and cod liver oil is started Birds properly fed do not develop crooked breastbone even when tliev begin to roost at r.n early agt-'. Compulsory Registration of Poultry. For some time there has been an agitation on the part of a few poultry farmers to obtain legislation for the icgistration of poultry and lor the purpose of furthering the object a deputation waited on the Minister tor Agriculture in (he matter. That gentleman seemed to favour the idea. Local clubs, cottagers and small laimers condemn the idea. They see r.o need for the scheme and will not !>•' y to bo harried by the host of inspectors that would be needed to carry it out. Christchurch. Poultry Club. The social evenings held monthly in aid of the prize lunds will be continued on Saturday night, when those present will bo entertained with items 1 i-om leading artists. Supper will be provided. As this is the last of these socials before the big show ft large gathering of members is expected. The following judges have been selected for the Juno show: Old Englisli Game and Bantams and Indian Game, Mr R. W. Brown (Puncdin); Modem Game and Bantams, Mr R. H. Johnston; all classes,/of Wyandottes, Mr Geo. Jeffreys; all classes of Minorcas, Mr W. Austin; all classes of Rhode Island Beds and open Orpingtons, Mr G. W. Tritt; all Minoreas, Mr vv AUBtin; all classes of Anconas, Mr \. Bedwell; all classes of Sussex, Mr C. P. Bradford; open Leghorns, Mr J*. "Wilson: white utility Leghorns, Mr .1. Lieeins; other utility Leghorns, Mr, r \- F. Anderson; ducks. Mr A Gaocs. Black Rosecomb Bantams, Mr O. <>• "Wilson, sen.; Pekin Bantams, Mr A. W. McNickel; any other variety bani'ims Mr It. Pearca; any other variety pouitrv. Mr J. Sykes: fancy pigeons, Messrs G. H. Bradford, C. P. Bradford, Mr C. W. Tritt; all c asses of Anconas, Mr V. Bedwell; all classes of Sussex. Mr C. P. Bradford; white utility Leghorns, Mr J. Ll gf in ®> all classes of utility Leghorns, Mr Robert Wilson and C. Gallop; racing homers, Mr A. C. Gerard (okl birds); Mr A. Stevenson (Duncdiu, Young birds); ,Mr L. r^~f 1 ' re (coloured classes); and Mr F. Kingsiord, junior classes. Norwich canaries. Mr R. W. Thompson; Yorkshires, Mr Arthur Gapes 5 cage birds, * 1 • Bcardfiley; adult cats, Mr G. Radford; kittens, Mrs Tallot; needlework, Mrs F/R. BusticookerN' Mrs. Green; Angora rabbits, Mr P. T. tin; any other variety, Mr A. Wright. Japanese and Chinese Poultry. The two nations that are disturbing the East, Japan and China, are old in poultry culture. How old is not known, but. it must have taken a long time to produce some of the breads. Take the -Japanese Silkie, a most charming breed, whose quaintness and distinctiveness, combined with its merit as a layer and as a sitter, have oarned it much popularity. The Silkie is a wonderful creation, and a monument to the skill of the fancier. It is a small fowl and often it has wrongly won in bantam classes, but it is not classed i as a bantam. The weights are: Cocks 31b, hens 21b.. The Silkie was known ! at an early date to Western fanciers , and naturalists. Another distinctive Japanese breed is the Yokohama,- which has appeared under other names. They remind • the writer of the Old English Game, biit with much more length in tail, which is four to six feet in the West, but said to have been produced up to 23 feet in Japan. ■ Japanese Bantams are another example of the skill of the old fanciers. They form a most attractive and distinct group, and, unlike many breeds of bantams, the colours and type arc not found in the large breeds of poultry. The Cochin or Pekin Bantam is from China, and so is the much older Nankin Bantam, and probably also the Booted Bantam, another very old variety. While we have the Pokin Bantam, the large Coehin fowl will, be with us in miniature. The names of the Pekin duck and the Cantonese duck would suggest they were natives of China, but they are also found in Japan. The Cochin fowl was highly prized for its economic merits when imported nearly ninety years ago, and for long was a great favourite. But of all the Eastern varieties that which holds its own with the best, both as a layer and as a table fowl, is the Langshan (Sscred Hills). This bird was importer from China to Britain at least as far back as 1872, and six years later was introduced to a Christchurch show i by Mr Alfred Saunders. At the Christchurch show of 18S6 there were 77 entries in four classes of Langshans. One-Eyed Cold. Several fanciers have birds suffering from this form of roup, and two correspondents have asked and been advised about it. A Queensland . correspondent of "Poultry" has the following on the subject:—l have cured hundreds of cases with the following recipe: To one ounce of kerosene oil add 12"* drops of eucalyptus, shake to mix. Paint inside the eyelid and all

round the eye inside, and in the slit in the roof of the mouth with a feather. I don't care how bad the case may be, it will effect a cure in four days. I have also cured eye roup with one teaspoonful of washing soda dissolved in one-half eup of boiling water, applied, when lukewarm, in same manner as kerosene and eucalyptus.