THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1569, 12 October 1912, Page 3

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY

(By Chantecler.)

The World's Poultry Congress, As the outcome of the conference held in Londou last August, it is probable a world's poultry congress will be held in 19H. This is a big move in poultry matters, and shows how tho poultry industry in every country is something to count on. About 27 countries were represented at tho conference, and it is expected that a world's congress will be represented by every country possessing poultry. Before committing themselves to final arrangements, the executive purpose inviting each country .to seud delegates, and on the strength of the replies the congress will be held. Judging from reports, the London Conference was productive of much good, and was the means of bringing poultry instructors and investigators into touch with, one another. Tho following information will be of value to readers as giving the regulations by which the new association is to Lβ formed:— International. Association of Poultry Instructors and Investigators. At the meetings of the provisional committee, held in London, July 18 to 24, an association under the above name was formally established, and is now an accomplished fact. During tho week im-portant-reports were submitted from many countries, recording the present state of poultry baching and research, /which it is- intended to issue in permanent form. The constitution adopted, which will bo published at an early date, states the objects' to be interchange of know; ledge and experience among those engaged throughout the world in poultry teaching, demonstration, and investigation, and to promote extension of knowledge by encouragement of scientific research, practical experimentation, the collection, of statistics, study of tie problems of marketing, and in other ways. Candidates for membership must be engaged as teachers or instructors, as experimenters or investigators, as Government officials employed in poultry work, or as making ,a noteworthy contribution to advance the poultry industry. The ordinary fee for membership is .£1 per annum. Also, provision has been made for the eleotion of patrons, inclusive of persons, Government departments, associations, or clubs contributing to the funds of the association. Objects of the Association, Among the other decisions arrived at are :— (1) That "a Fellowship be instituted, with. the ! designation F.1.P.A., to Vβ conferred only on such persons as shall have rendered service of tne highest distinction to the advancement of the poultry industry. Only live of such fellowships shall be conferred, by vote of the entire association, every three years. (2) That a Central Bureau shall be established for the time being in London, which shall be the clearing-house for information to members and others concerned 'in promoting the poultry industry. (3) That records of experiments and investigations be collected and distributed among tho members, and material exchanged for future work. (4) That, there shall U established at the Central. Bureau a. historical , section, and one for illustrations and lantern slides which can be loaned to members.

(5) That members shall collect and supply annually statistics as to the progress of poultry teaching and research in all countries, and that efforts be made to improve the statistics of poultry production and adopt a universal form. (6) That as soon as financially possiblo a journal bo published regularly, in which will be given summaries of bulletins, reports, ' and special, articles' dealing' with poultry problems, and such other, information as may bo thought desirable. (7) That' efforts be put forth to raiso the standard of poultry teaching throughout tho world.

It was further resolved that, subject to the receipt of acceptable invitations, a world's poultry congress be held in 1914, representative of all sections of the poultry industry; and it is hoped that such invitations will be forthcoming at an early date. The Chick Trade. In my opinion this business should bo susceptible of much expansion, if properly undertaken and vigorously advertised. To the breeders I would say, "place yourself in the position of the ordinary suburban householder." What -does he do when ho wants plants for his garden ? Does ho put up a house and raiso them from seed?.No, he doesn't; he buys the plants by tho dozen, half hundreds, or hundreds, at the time he wants them. He has neither the space, the appliances, nor the inclination to raise from seed; but ho-tois the money, and so the nurserymen lay themselves out to cater for the suburban backyarder. The.same things applies to fowls. The suburban man wants Eome, but ho isn't keen on raising them from eggs. To do this he needs a coop, has to feed and water the hen every day, watch out for lice and broken eggs, and, after all his 'trouble perhaps the hen goes back on bira, and he gets nothing for his moneyand bother. To buy chicks is much easier and much more satisfactory to him. Ho pays his money and gets them ready-made and strong, and fit, and all he has to do is to feed and house them properly.

The Man Who "Knows How." It seems reasonable, this desire of the ordinary ■ suburban ■ backyarder, to buy chickens. He doesn't need an incubator to turn out his little lot, and he frequently has a bad time with the broody hen, who is a champion for doing those things she ought not to do. In a few words, the ordinary suburban man doesn't "know how" to do it. But he wants a few hens though, and ho has the money to put up for some chickens, and it seems to me that at this stago the man who does "know how" should step in and supply ■the want. I am constantly being asked about chickens, and feel sure that a strong demand exists for them on the part of the suburban householders. Some of tho breeders are laying themselves out to hatch, and supply chickens, and the business may be expected to improve as time goes on. In the Eastern States the chicken business is a big thing, and a similar experience •is reported from America and England. Picking the Layers, The almost invariable conclusion to be gathered from the various competition lists is that the winners ten up from among the small or medium-sized birds: Tho neat-headed, sharp-looking hen of medium size, fine in bone, is usually a good layer. The coarse-headed, thicklegged, big bird is rarely a good performer. This statement may be accepted as a fact, and any practical man will confirm it. The birds themselves tell • you plainly what they are and what they can do. The small, active, scratching bird has neither the temperament nor the time to become sluggish and fat. She tells you that she is no good for ment. The big, slow-moving, heavy-weight tells you that she is built to carry weight (meat). She is slow all over, and her thick legs clearly show that they are intended to carry weight, else, why are they there? Whatever .the breed, it is usually the case that the smaller hens are tho best layers, for the physical and natural reasons, just given. A Few on the Spot. It is said that a fat hon will produce more cockerels than pullots, and that if you want pullets you must keep the breeders in lean, tough condition. Whether this be true or not, it is certain that the lean, wiry parents produce the strongest chicks, so givo tho breeders a big run, or, if shut up, make them scratch. You remember what Leather Stocking in "The Pioneers" said to Effingham:—"You even ovorfeed tho dogs, lad, from puro kindness, and hounde should bo caunty to run well." Yes, and fowls should be "gaunty," too, to produce strong chickens. In clipping a bird s winga, don t cut off too much. The lungs are under tho wings and need protection. In Russia, incubators and poultry for breeding purposes are distributed amoug the peasantry. .In consequence the productioiKof poultry and eggs is tremendous. Blood' spots ■. in eggs are caused by haemorrhage in tho upper part of the oviduct, nnd are usually caused by tho feeding of too stimulating food. The cure is to drop the stunulnling food and jm« plenty of sreen fee 4.

■ Things To Remember. A breed is no better than the men at the back of it. II you are doing business in fowls, don't write j-our letters on any scrap of paper that happous to be handy. Buy some good paper, with a plain black type heading, and a picture or two of your own birds. Answer letters by next mail, send out- the birds in clean, new coops, and, abovo nil, don't send out a bad bird. There is only one, way to do busine:>s, and that is to go "dead straight." Usually it is a good plan not to raise the buy-. er"s expectations too high, so don't exaggerate. When a man gets a better bird than he has been led to expect, he feels good towards you. When ho gets a worse bird than he expected from the description, he doesn't feel good towards the seller. Get hold of this; it's worth remembering. Don't force the breeding birds to lay a big lot of eggs. There is a timo and a place for overythiug. The place for record egg-laying is at the competitions, and the time is all the time they are there. The time for raising chicks is tho time when you ehould not force the hens in egg-laying. You want strong chicks, not records in your backyard. So give the breeders as big a ruu as possible, or, if confined, plenty of scratching litter. Feed non-stimulating foods; never forget that it is strong chicks you are after in the breeding season. When a job wants doing in the poultry yard, the time to do it is "now." Any fellow can put it off, and seo to it "by-and-by." When a gate wants a hingo, stick it on at once. If you "prop it up," the bar is sure to fall down and squash some chicks. I know, because I have "been there." Push on with, hatching. Don't forget that spring is the natural breeding season ; that the life sap runs strongly, and that the chicks hatched at this time are the best.

PLEASANT TOUR.

THE HUTT HEN RANCHES. A representative of this journal made ! a tour of inspection of the leading poultry farms in the Hutt Valley on Saturday last, and found much to interest him. Starting at Heretaunga, he found Mr. Mumby.busy with his incubators. The last of the season's output, thero will be "day-old chicks" by now. Three thousand sold already, and still a demand! It is a wonderfully well laid out poultry farm in all respects, not the least noticeable feature being the bone-mill "and pumping-gear—food and water for thousands of snow-white chicks and growing and full-grown birds. From remarks casually made, it would appear that poul-try-raising is a profitable and pleasurable business, with attendant risks to the amateur who comes in fresh with a big volume of the "know all about it" stowed away in the recesses of his mind, ending in the pocket edition of practical experiences, which turns eggs into sovereigns. It is a long ride from Heretaunga to the Nai Nai, where Mr. Field's eleven hundred whito birds find amplo accommodation, spacious runs, and shelter from the prevailing winds which vent their fury on tho wood and iron supports of the wonderfully long sheds, where the layers, the sitters, and the chicks have freedom and choice of the most comfortable pens and nests. Mr. Field's is a typical colonial poultry farm of peace-and-plenty type, whilst the arcadian surroundings invite detours amid tho soft foliage, and through flax highways. The journey ends in this direction with a pleasant hour spent at Mr. Munger's, the home of the matronly Black Orpington, which lays the bronze-coloured egg and sings "a chorus of welcome" with a hundred others as you move from pen to pen examining the returns for "one day only." Mr. Hunger is establishing a market for "the jet black hen," but only recently (in forwarding a dozen chicks to New Plymouth) he had the misfortune to provide the rodents of Thorndon goods-shed with "chickens for breakfast," the whole menu being completed, much to the annoyance of consignor and consignee. In tho interim the railway authorities are settling Mr. Munger's claim to be immuned from total loss.

With, approaching nightfall and a strong head-wind still blowing, the sight of Mr. Willoughby Knighfs farm had a particular charm about it. Five acres of well-planned accommodation for "keen layers," it would take some describing, and the military movements of tho "Indian Runner battalion" would likewise call for lengthy comment, but of this anon. The huge buckets of eggs come pouring into the brick store, in which the owner sits ensconced, and eyes each new bucket with the vision of a banker in his vaults. Better than Waihi—a pound a buckot! and so tempting. "A good season and a fair market," rings in theear of the newspaper man, who plans "an egg prospectus" in. spare time, and how to get the gold without killing the goose! There are others, too, but suffice it to mention Mr. Layam's, who finds profit in the spare time between shop attendance in the morning and bed-time at night for converting the milk-white egg into the milk-white hen per medium of tie incubator, which hatches out but never "broods over" its progeny, and displays no emotion whatever at the thought of mothering several hundreds of test layers at a sitting!

■ Last, but not least, Mr. Ferguson's farm at Trentham, wliich is slowly but surely coming into prominence by reason of its owner a persistent advocacy of the cooperative egg-circles' theory. And, speaking of .egg-circles, the egg is much sought after, and welcomed in every circle!

GRIT FOR BIRDS

SOME INTERESTING REMARKS. In his review of the third Tnsmanian egg-laying competition, Mr. R. J. Terry, poultry expert to the Agricultural and Stock Department, has the following interesting remarks to make on the value of grit in the poultry run:—"The nioro I study intense egg-production, the greater I am impressed with the necessity of keeping birds supplied with as much as they will consume, not' only of grinding grit, but some substance such as crushed sea-shells, which contain an abundance of lime. From previous experiments carried out I am convinced that the hardness of the grit for grinding purposes has very little effect on the digestion of the bird. The softer tho .material the greater the amount, consumed by tho birds, \hat is, when tho birds are being fed as they ordinarily ,are on the farm; but if a largo amount of oats is consumed by the birds, then I would advocate that as hard and sharp grit as possible bo used, even to a certain amount of broken glass, which 1 do not advise under ordinary methods of feeding,-as an excess of glass ia inclined to inflame the walls of the gizznrd if the birds are receiving soft food and grain.

"Many believe that if shell-grit is given there is no necessity to give other grit. This is a mistake. Others again contend that it is unnecessary to supply shellgrit, pointing to the fact that many birds on farms do not receive it, and yet they lay eggs. Well, they do; but they cannot lay a largo numbpr. While on tho subject of grit it might bo as well to mention that it is very probable thnt some classes of grit have further I>enefit to the bird than tho mere grinding process, certain mineral matter which it contains probably helping in the structure of the chicken's frame." ,

I.AYINCI COMPETITIONS.

N.Z. UTILITY POULTRY CLUB. Twonty-sixth. week of Now Zealand Utility Poultry Club's eighth laying competition for fowl?. Total Total for to week. date. Wni. Scull. Christchurclv, Black Wynndottes 33 551 W. A. Nixon. Bunvood, W. Leghorns No. 1 35 811 H. Leger, Wpreroa, W. Leghorns 33 "19 John Wordsworth, Geraldinc, AVhite Leghorns 33 653 JortiM Ashton, Hanmor, Silver AVynndottes 21 555

Jlartin Bros., Auckland, W. Leghorns 30 713 VeiTiill l?ro*., Kwnnnnnoa, Drown Leghorns 30 725 W. A. Nixon, Jiunvood, Brown Leghorns No. 2 30 Gl" Ilorctiimigu P. Co., Silvorslream, Hiwn Leghorns So. 1 33 730 H. S. Woodnorth, Winton, Brown Leghorns 35 027 W. A. Xixon, Bunvood, Brown - I-oghonis No. 3 30 719 J!. 11. Smith, Auckland, Drown Leghorns 33 511 Haiiiiiuru Egg Ranch, Otuki, Brown Leghorns 34 579 1?. Vi'. Hawke, Papanui, Brown Leghorns 35 021 li. Willis and Son, New Brighton, Brown Leghorns 31 GOG A. E. Wilson, Shirley, Whito Wyandottes ". :.... 27 330 D. Stewart, Nonnanby, White Leghorns :'. 35 GOS llastqi- G. Wilson, 'Shirley, Whito Leghorns 31 571 Romain Hunger, Lower Hutt, White Leghorns 3G 643 Mrs.' R. W. Hawke, Papanui, White Leghorns 34 G93 A. Stevenson, Karori, White Leghorns 30 513 H. R. Wniniuan, Runanga, Whit« Leghorns 35 713 A. R. Browne, Petane Beach, • White Leghorns 37 692 Prankish Bros., Wanganui, W. Leghorns 35 722 W. Knight, Lower Hutt, Silver Wyandottes 35 722 J. H. Shaw and R. James, Click, White Leghorns ... 32 617 W. G. Goodwin, Thames, W. Leghorns 25 535 W. A. Nixon, Bunvood, Silver Wyandottes 32 G96 A. E. Wilson, Shirley, Silver Wyandottes /:. 30 595 Misses Bradley, Papanui, W. Leghorns 33 671 T. Kennedy, Rangiora, White Wyandottes 29 377 C. 11. Peck, Avondalo. White Leghorns 31 472 J. W. Green, St. Albans, AVhite Leghorns 38 800 N. Solomon, Westport, Black Orpingtons 34 569 A. W. Irvine, Epsom, White Leghorns No. 1 34 733 C. 11. Peck, Avondale, Black Orpingtons 20 549 G. H. Bradford, Cust, Silver Wyandottes 37 516 A. W. Irvine, Epsom, White Leghorns No. 2 32 632 Heretaunga P. Co., Silverstream, W. Leghorns No. 2 34 710 Middlepavk P. Farm, Riccarton, W. Leghorns 33 C 56 T. Strong, Doyleston, White Leghorns 35 575 P. Keller, Rolleston, AVhite Leghorns 2G 555 Percy Holt, Papakura, White Leghorns 33 669 W. Knight, Lower Hutt, W. Leghorns 40 Gl3 G. Anderson, St. Albans, Silver Wynndottes 28 . 639 J. W. Bradley and Son, Papanui, White Leghorns 3* 526 Mrs. J. Mills, Dunedin, White Leghorns 30 612 W. O. Sail, Cust, White Leghorns 25 560 Crawford and Pudsey, Lower Hutt, W. Leghorns 35 699 R. A. Laznrus, Lower Hutt, .Whito Leghorns 30 718 W. O. Sail, Cust, Silver Wyandottes 33 546 Misses Radford and Harker, Ohau, W. Leghorns 31 556 A. W. Adams, Sheffield, Silver Wyandottes 33 651 A. E. Kent, Shirley, W 7 hito Leghorns : ... 37 736 J. Corrie, Beckenham, Whito Leghorns i 30 609 E. H. Borcbart, Eltham, W. Leghorns 34 533 W. A. Nixon, Burwood, W. Leghorns, No. 4 33 737 T. IC. Collins, Lower Hutt, Black Orpingtons 26 467 Dominion P. Plant, Coromandel, W. Leghorns '.. 32 667 T. Kennedy, Raugiora, Silver Wyandottes 37 617 ' FOR DUCKS. fN'eiv Zealand Utility Poultry Club's third competition for ducks—twenty-sixth week.! Total Total for to Week. Date. Thos. Dowthwaite, Avondalo, Indian Runners 36 757 W. Knight, Lowor Hutt, I. Runners 36 578 S. H. Scott, Onehunga, Buff Orpingtons 37 594 T. R. Hall, Wercroa, Indian Runners ;■••• 36 818 P. Keller, Rolleston, Indian Runners 39 722 D. M. Peck, Avondale, Indian Runners 35 581 S. 11. Scott, Onehunga, Indian Runners 37 3SI Heretaunga P. Co., Silverstream, I. Runners 42 778 Miss A. J. Donald, Dunsandel, Indian Runners 41 521 P. Keller, Rolleston, Indian Runners • 41 576 A WINNER 01? COMPETITIONS. • Tho Egg-laying competitions for 1910-11 and 1911-12 were both won by pens reared on 'A. and P." Chick Raiser. The first essential for profitable poultry keeping. Obtainable from all Storekeepers.—Aavt.