POULTRY INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2705, 26 February 1916, Page 15

POULTRY INDUSTRY

(By CiUNTECLKR.)

Tho Decline In Eggs. 'l'bo ChnsUhuriii "Sun" says:—Wlisn a few weeks ugo we exin-esscct the opmiou tnat tue loa-aij; ui> oi tne price oi egt's to Is. oil. and Is. lid. in January would cuuie a reaction, wc were cnciciscu strongly l>y surei'iii who dissented lroni our view, dt mat time wo stated the market was forced at least twuiieuee tier dozen, and exactly what we pmtictea lias come to pass, several ol tliuse whu held an opxio»ite view ueiiig among the lirst to accept the lower price. iiarkets have their limitations.. There is a breaking point beyond which the public will nut go, especially with eggs. They are rnoro or less an article uf food tliat can be done without. To discourage consumption immediately causes an accumulation uf stocks. liuviDg the week we received a telegram from Wellington: "Kggs a market completely over-stocked, price fallen threepence a dozen." Tho 'undue inllation in Welington has worked worse results than in Christchurch. One local storekeeper stated that while he was selling SO dozen a week immediately the risß took place his sales dropped to 20 dozen a week. The fall in consumption ■jf eggs during a season when the hens are laying well is the primary oause of the glut, and it will take a fortnight of reduced prices to clear present holdings. Another reason why eggs are plentiful is the unprecedented supply from the country, which is unusually large this year, owing to the congenial season. The importation of eggs has a bad effect. Several users of eggs have loaded themselves with Asiatic eggs, which cost them Bd. per dozen. Country eggs are not required, and consequently go begging. Loss of heavy shipping orders also leaves more eggs on the local market. However, the glut is temporary, and will work itself off during the next fortnight, and prices will firm up again. It will have its good effects, as it will discourage merchants from cabling for American eggs. With the loss uf 30,000 of our young men from the country, and the almost cessation of passenger traffic on the liners, it must not be expected that eggs will rise very high in price. With the falling market in wheat and pollard things will be evened up satisfactorily for the producer this year.

Egg Imports. The arrival and distribution in Christchurch of 840,000 eggs from Asiatic ports should make poultrymen and farmers in Canterbury sit up and think. It should certainly stimulate the public to discountenance the use of such eggs in the small goods offered by confectioners and bakers. It is to be hoped the matter will be looked into, and the public ac-. quainted with the facts. Jhe Moult. The moulting season is at hand. The care of the birds at this critical time means all the difference in profit and loss. The moult can be forced by cutting down tho feed to one-half and feeding freely on green foods. The birds lose condition, the feathers dry off, and the moult is hastened. If the birds are required for early breeding this practice may be followed. The birds will cease laying, complete the moult, and return to laying in June, but by then the high prices for eggs have gone. We prefer to koep the birds well t fed, so that as many eggs as possible may be - obtained while the prices are good. It is the natural way, and usually an interference with natural laws carries a pen-, alty. 'From experiments it has been proved that birds that are hastened through tins moult do not last. ,They sometimes go into a second moult,' _ as evidence of Nature's rebellion against unalterable laws. Hens that lay well into the autumn are the best layers, and it will ho found they moult quickly, and are soon back into'profit., N.Z. UTILITY POULTRY CLUB'S COMPETITIONS. Tho official Tesults of the forty-sixth week of the New Zealand Utility poultry Club's aiovonbh egg-laying competition for fowls for the week ended Tuesday, February. 2H, are as follow.--LIGHT BREEDS. Total Total for to week. date. Verrall Bros., B.L H 1;012 H. Leger, S.C.W.L 21 1,129 Waikato Egg Farm, S.C.AV.L. 17 1,162 Calder Bros., S.C.W.L &l 1,172 Herctauiiga P.C., No. 1, S.C.W.L 27 1,105 N. Solomon, S.C.W.L 21 984 J." Wordsworth, S.C.AV.L 24 976 Dominion Poultry Plant, 5.0.-

AV.L 26 380 M. P. Chapman, S.C.AV.L 26 v 1,107 Mrs. J. Mills, S.C.W.L 31 1,222 A. R, Browne, S.C.W.L 30 1,088 Heretaunga P.C., No. 2, S.C.AV.L 8 996 T. M'llwraith, S.C.AV.L 31 960 C. AVarburton, S.C.W.L 24 006 A. G. Brailey, S.C.AV.L 2G 1,1(35 WaTnont Poultry 'Farm, S.C.AV.L 27 1,064 G. L. Hayne, S.C.AV.L 22 1,152 A. AV. Irvine, S.C.AV.L 28 1,036 Ash burton Poultrjj Farm,'S.C.AV.L ' 21 9M G. Catteral, S.C.AV.L. 28 996 L. T. AVright, S.C.AV.L 30 1,209 L. Macdonald, S.C.AV.L 29 'JS2 Atkinson Bros., S.C.AV.L 29 1,055 A. E. Phillips, S.C.AV.L 27 1,036 Dalmutr Poultry 'Yards, 3.C.AV.C 31 1,235 B.'P. L. Clayson, S.C.AV.L. ... 13 938 Green Bros., S.C.AV.L 30 1,162 Jack Green, S.C.AV.L 28 1,261 A. E. AVilsan, S.C.AV.L 21 1,164 AV. A. J<ixon, S.C.AV.L 25 1,012 11. S. AVooduorth, S.C.AV.L/. ... 27 1,158 R. Roxburgh, S.C.AV.L ]8 992 H. A. Lazarus, S.C.AA' L |7 974 A. W. Adams, S.C.W.L 26 J'.OSG T. F'azackerley and Sons, S.C.W.L. 24 1,015 W. Davey, S.C.AV.L 22 1,114 AV. A. Nixon, S.C.W.L. .'. 29 1,106 R. H. James, S.C.AV.L 17 1,024 R, Mills, S.C.AV.L 31 1,182 S. L. Leggett, S.C.W.L 24 934 R, Willis and Son, S.C.W.L. . 23 1.091 George Gee, S.C.AV.L IS 1,068 Green Bros., S.C.AV.L 1G 948 Rangiuru Egg Ranch, S.C.AV.L. 15 706 T. Kennedy, S.C.AV.L 27 1,028 Calder Bios., No. 1. S.C.W.L. 22 1,161 R. AV. Hrfwke, S.C.W.L 21 957 Mrs. vM'Kinnon, S.C.AV.L 20 1,016 Green Bros., E-.C.AV.L 22 1,108 Totals 1,157 51,913 HEAVY" BREEDS. Total Total for to week. dale. A. W. Adams, S.W 15 797 G I'een Bios., S.W 19 BS6 E. Oakqs, R. 1.1! 20 906 Cooper and AVainscott, R.I.R, 15 1,010 AA 7 . A. Nixon, R.I.R 6 361 A. E. Wilson, W.W 23 826 T. Kennedy, W.W 26 1,039 W. A. Nixon, 8.0 27 I.AS 4 W. L. AValker, 8.0 17 1,072 K. AVillis, 8.0 25 1,184 W. Bloomfield, 8.0 16 1,005 Totals ;.. 209 10,174 FOR DUCKS. TiTe New Zealand Utility Poultry Club's sixth egg-laying test l'or ducks. Returns for tho forty-sixth week are as follow;— Total Total for to week. dalo. J. B. Merrett, I.R 0 873 T. E. Hall, I.R ; 12 1,058 G. L. Haynss. I.R 20 1,09« AV. Davidson, I.R. \ 12 1,011 Thomas Dowthwaite, ,I.R 11 8»8 AV. Knight, I.li. 9 1,241 AV. Knight, I.R. 22 l.OOfi Wainoni Poultry Farm, I.R. .. 6 352 Totals ; 92 7,525 The letters after each entry denote tho breed, as under:—B.L., Brown Leghorn; S.C.W.L., Sngle Comb White £^horn; Island fad; W 3 .W d . o 'White' l 'Wyandotte' 8.0., Black Orpingtons 1.R,, Indian Runner.