THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1025, 14 January 1911, Page 10

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

(By Chantecler.)

EQQ-LAYING COMPETITION. IBy Telfirrapli.—Special Correspondent.! Christchurcli, January 13. , There was a slight declino this week owing to the approaching moult. - .Tlio highest individual totals are :— Bradford, 34; Sail. 33; Mills, 33; Knight,. 33; Baleh, 2(3. The highest aggregates to date are':' ■Knight, 1160; Sail, 1153; Balch, 1137; Smith, 1137, The contest, among the leading pens is keen. The highest individual totals in the duck class are Knight, 36; Strong, 28; Seddon, 24. To date the aggregates are:—Knight, 976, 896; Hammond, S9SStrong, 859. ; Aggregates: —Hens, 52,348; ducks, Totals .for the week: —Hens, 1329; ducks, 198. ■ Markatlng Eggs. Many of our poultrymen and farmers reouive instruction in the matter of marketing eggs.' • The public suffer great losses each year through bad eggs, and they complain to the grocer, wliilri he, in turn, blames the producer. Bad eggs are the result of thoughtlessness; Few peoplo in'tho 1 warm summer weather, .eggs will begin to lose their flavour in twenty-four hours. When the days are hot, incubation commences, and once that happens the fresh flavour departs, and dpr composition begins. A few words of' advice will help those who are careless :—

1. Males should be separated from females. Fertile eggs go bad quickly, owin" to the presence of the germ. It would bo a good law to compel poultrymen to separate-the sexes, except through the breeding season. 2. Eggs should be gathered daily. Where there are largo numbers, it should be done twice daily? Hens continuously in 'tho nest keep .the'eggs warm. This robs them of their flavour, and, if fertile, induces" incubation.. 3. Eggs' should •'■bo cleansed, from all substance adhering. to the shell. ■ If care is. ; used to keep'the nests clean, it willfhelp matters, but, even then, droppings find their way iiito the nests, and oil wet days feet-marks cause the eggs to become dirty;/ This should be removed as soon as gathered. The .shell being porous, the egg absorbs, tlio moisturo, which is not pleasant, when we consider tho food is for human consumption.

i. Eggs should be stored in a ' cool place. A cellar is a great holp. If left in an ordinary slied, they promptly lose weight, and the: moisture evaporates, leaving the air cell 'big. . This results in impure gases, aud the flavour is lost. 5. Prompt' • marketing. In some countries it is a law to market eggs when three "days old jh summer and a week in winter. . It is.a wise law, and should he placed in operation in New Zealand. ' The industry would benefit by the improved demand for the more relisved article. ;' 1 ; Table Poultry. ' L.R., Pahiatua, writes':—Dear Sir, —- In looking'. over The Dominion, and seeing your pijultry notes, one would think ;heja' ; good.demand for fat ; reared - buff Orpingtons for : sev(Tral seasons, and cannot get up here for them. I have'lT number of cockerels. If you could tell md any ,way to get . rid of them for more, or, I should say,'at a payablo price," you would ■be doing a kindness. [It is rather surprising to find that L.H. has 'to sell prime buff Orpington chickens at 4s a_pair when'in open auction markets table birds are reaching as high, as Bs. a pair. We should advise sending the birds to the Wellington market, or communicating with one of'the poulterers, and selling the birds at so much-per pound. Table chickens are worth (wholesale) 9d. to lOd. per pound, dressed. : -L!R, is-at a'disadvantagebeing; so far from a competitive market;) The cockerels should be marketed .-.at five to six njonths old.-J '.

Flavoured Eggs. Science, when combined with poultryraising, is a marvellous thing, as the following items • from • abroad 'go to prove. The following comes from America, though it is almost superfluous.- to. stato that:—"By feeding his hens on a mixture composed largely of fino coal dust,- Frank J. -Dedrick, a farmer,- of Oxford, has produced a breed of fowls that lay coal-black eggs. What is the white' of an ordinary egg.i Mr. Dedrick says, has entirely disappeared, but each egg contains enough coal oil' to' half fill his barn lanterris. Mr. Dedrick has two regular hens shut up in the coal -bin. Ho is feeding them on a diet of phosphorus, and says he is confident he can_produce electric light bulbs.". Then, • again, a Continental breeder-has utilisedlus . fowls as feathered barometers! Breeders of canaries, he states, add' a' little, cayenne pepper to their food to'givo. the birds a good orange'tint. vA 1 farmer of Courey-aux-Loges made an experiment with some white fowls which' ■ho had. In three. months the whitefeathers took a pais rose tint/ Next he noticed that the rose tint attracted the humidity of tho atmosphere.-When rain was at hand the feathers -became quito wet, and acquired a scarlet tint lho Pans-contemporary from which I cull this valuable information goes on to say that the laying properties of :the scarlet-feathered birds are quito- equal to those of their humble grey sisters.■'» Palaoo Show. Visitors at the Crystal Palace, saw .ono-of- the. largest and most successful .poultry Shows ever held, the entries -foi this popular fixture reaching the enormous total of 12,000. Where such a large number of valuable birds is concerned' tho commissariat must.necessariiy bo in the hands of capable and experienced caterers,-and tho manner in which Messrs. Spratt's Patent, Ltd.," •thei wolJ-knowii dog, poultry, and cage bird food manufacturers, to whom thb department was again entrusted, carried out their duties excelled all their preyious efforts. magnitude of their task is bettor -realised when one takes into consideration the fact that it was necessary to erect no. fewer than four miles of pens, .and that during the thrco days of tlio show eight, tons 'of food had to be prepared for the birds. Altogether forty tons of material were used by Messrs*. Spratt's in this undertaking. Needless to say, this •.enterprising firm had a very imposing and attractive stand, on \yhich as displayed .ft full range of their numerous speciali- ' ties, among -the most prominent being "Layiuor," "the food that makes hens lay atld keeps them at it."

A Distinguished Visitor. Mr. AV. E. Topham, tho well-known Wyandotte breeder, of Highficld, Bur-ley-iii-\Vhnrfda!e, set sail. from Southampton recently, for a long pleasure trip. He will first proceed to . Cape Toivn. via the Mediterranean and t-ho East :Coast of Africa, thenco to New Zeahnd and Australia, a Continent to which lio is no stranger. He will afterwards tour through China and Japan, and will return Home, which he expects to reach in time for Otlcy Sho\V next May, by way of Canada.' Poultry as a Business. Poultry-farming is a rural occupation of the most fascinating typo, and yields superiority to' farming alone; But first it is neccssary. to consider, carefully in "what significance one uses the" terin

u-m! ?i"' J S: ?° 0110 unacquainted with tho word in its truo sense, a vis-'-' ion of broad acres, countless poultry pens, and a large, egg roll i s at once conjured up. In reality, poultry-farm-,ing presents rather a different spectacle. / • production .is a minor point ia what is-a rapidly increasing industry. ■Uiat so.many people migrate from the towns to take up aviculture as a pleasurablo cessation from tko arduous struggle tor existence in' our • present-day. civilisation would seem, to bear; testimony .on tlio.'one hand.to tho fascination tins- pursuit exercises over its disciples, and on tb© other to the pecunr jary. advantages to bo derived thererrom. But there is yet another side to poultry-keeping,: Far from' being- an easy pursuit, from which large profits £ an . easily bo reaped, it' is a serious business, calling for genuine bard work, and one iri which tho "profits are gen* orally small ;and." often : non-existent. i. • Furthermore, c the .intending poultry-• farmcr.must/be. possessed of capabilities "■ of the highest order if he would 'be . successful in t'he arena of .poultry-cut-' turo. In.-him should bo implanted a'■ genuine love of, his pursuit and a "do-" termination to work, .for there are many misfortunes' to be' overcome' and-many pitfalls to be avoided, before he caa hope. to. grasp.the. palm of success. Enthusiastic novices,, misled-by the allur- ' mg prospects held out .by nig, aro apt to rush blindly "into ao undertaking, the magnitude and un- r certainty of- which, they can have no conception, and possessing tKe'most elementary ideas of anything appertainins; to poultry. Such aro marked out for, 1 failure.'. - They see only, those by. whom! success has been. attained, arid' forgjet-; the. many. who . have failed. . •>. iThe- Exhibition Side—Without" doixbt'. the breeding of exhibition poultry jg.; the most remunerative branch of pout,-try-farming, and there are many who.. have ..succeeded ,in making money! by~> it._ But here, again, success is only 'ob-.' tained' : ai..tho cost of .'considerable laV, bour and a life-long study. "The .first' few. years in a breeder's career' 'are" seldom marked with success.,. It js. only. by. dogged and continual perseverance' • that he- can, hope to successfully copa, with;[the' host' of. difficulties and'[disap-v----pointinehts with which he is be assailed.''l/Jffb must devote liis-wholef'-lifep to the;st'udy of puro breeds and thd intrioncies of their breeding for the shows - pen; nor''is proficiency a matter. ofla'V few years. Novices taking up, exhibi-:'- ! tion'poultry-breeding would do. well to Uiidergo'a. thorough course of training- .' • to 'fit them for their career. 1 ' v - Tho Utility iSide. —Of utility .poultryfarming, thero are three branches—egg production, the raising of tablo pbultry... ?nd selling sittings of eggs and.day.-oid chicks! -To embark upon 'the business.' of egg_ production without mature deliberation and forethought-, and devoid of, practical experience, to court disaster, and even situated in exceptional circumstances the profits deprived from an', undertaking; of .-this sorb are. none'too large. However wlien';two. 5 (jr more branches are'run'together, Ithe -i successful poultry farmer can often'es-""

tract, a living. . .But, apart from-mone-tary; consideration, there is hiucE. to''be •. said for poultry-farming"as 'a.'.'p'ursuit,''; if ndt as'a serious business/ It prov'\ vides occupation amidst congenial .sur- ■ ljoundings. It is health-giving ■in that it promotes exorcise in the fresh-air',.... But to hjm who possesses tho ; real life . <jf(Jfatuii(>r ; .ihe %fcil»tion.of arsatural. pursuit.'amidst iiatural .■environments < will outweigh any of-the former advan-" ... tages. ; _ln -utility-poultry-keeping, -'as' in .exhibition .breeding,'.'there arc -many ' - ' whovfail,' and thero are many sources'C to which their failure can be traced. To.; cite one—undue. precipitation into a, calling of which they possess' no. 'prac- ' tical' knowledge. They imagine that' ; - poultry-keeping is as easy as it looks, that if fed and provided with houses .to . go into, the liens will do the rest'. But' £ this is a fatal fallacy, to fall into.. Keeping breeds unsuitable for the purpose for which'they-rare intended and . .being .i '.badly, situated, are. both causes of fail-"" iivhile. bad.:management and feed-; ling are Sure to bring, disaster- sooner-; - or later.' For egg..production on';' i poultry'farm, two or three " different ' breeds should be kept; ■ ' The Scarcity of. Eggs.-7-Although of"'.', late scientific research has' done much V to increase the winter output of eggs; •:. aud at the same time to better'.the eon-J dition' of poultry, one is • constantly coming apross instanoes 'of hens hatched : j at the .right time,, and in .the. enjoyment of perfect feeding and manage- f ment, failing to lay .when required, but ' 'iir.most cases when hens fail to lay their failure can be-attributed to sonie.- ; \ mistake in feeding or management.' All the. elements necessary for the'forma-i. tion of eggs arei extracted, from.." the- \' food, therefore the diet should be regu- ;;- lated With tho elements in the. right, proportion.. r An'egg'contains a - smallpercentage of albumen and aboiit'l2 : pe'r-' • •cent, of fat; the rest is practically made - up of water, carbo-hydrates being in so small a quantity as to, bo almost un- : noticeable. It should therefore be the aim in feeding'for egg production to. ■ supply foods richest, in albuminoids; and possessing.a percentage of fats,'but"' with carbo-hydrates.as low.as: possible. ;Oats is the best.grain, and wheat comes...! .'iiext, while if balanced by some -food-/; stuff-rich in proteids : barley is very use-: •; fal.' If the poultry-keeper feeds'-'his.. '; : birds. on suitablo foods," pays attention.'to Housing, cleanliness, arid suchlike'--, items of management, and hatches .his chicken's at the right time, ho' "may ; -reasonably expect his -fowls to /make ' i adequate return in the shape of winter/ eg.es. .:

Fattening Chickens for-tho Market.— Another.branch.of a poultry-farmer's ' business is the raising and fattening of. chickens for;tho market. Here, again, ~ breed plays an important part, for sonie ; breeds put 011 flesh much more rapidly ■ than others. "A first cross is usually the.' best for table, and: tho most generally recognised cross is that- of Game-Dork-ing: The first' stages in the. life "of ■&.' chicken intended for market should ibe',-.-occupied in putting 011 'flesh and.'frajiie, v and for this purpose there is nothing.- : ' like a diet of skimmed milk and crushed • oats: barley is also useful. The,sexes . '.should be separated as soon as they can . be-distinguished/.. - - , Where fattening is a serious part of' • the businessj cramming will hnro to to. resorted to-., and while this process is .- going - oil .harlcyme.il : and! maize-meal ,':* form a good diet.. The-spring chicken. ■ ' trade can be made a very -remunerative. ■ job, but.it necessitates early hatching. .. by .artificial methods. Where possible, a private trade should be worked lip. as the profits will be m'.:ch increased thereby. -The selling of pure sittinsrs ■ ■ of eggs and day-old chicks'can'be mado a very paying adjunct to. the other .branches of a poultry-farmer's life, as there is usually an unlimited demand . early in the year. Jt has been my aim to show how poultry-farming can be made, at any ■ rate, a plea-suraitic pursuit, and under favourable conditions a means of ob-

taining a living. It has also been my' object to disillusion anvone from throwing over a calling with a fixctf income to embark lightly on poultry-farming, for at the best of times the business is precarious, and tho profits uncertain. But this I will say, that tlio life of a. poultry-farmer brings him into "direct contact with Nature, and in this pursuit, aboyo any other. ; can he studv. and learn to : appreciate Natiire in all her; works, at the same time reapina the benefits of a free life unrestricted' bv tho' narrow confines of a town life, and : unhampered by the cares of a business career.