POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2970, 6 January 1917, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

(Br Chantkolkr.) Is Wheat Indispensable? Tho present high prico of wheat is again giving poultrymoii some concern, and as tho culling- season is uppruucliing it may be seasonablo to point out that although wheat is generally considered to bo an indispensable item of tho ration, of piultry, this theory is now in a fair way to be disjiroved. Tho higher price and tlio scarcity of wheat need not occasion the same concern to poultrymen as it did in tho season of ISU,] when tile industry was given n severe set-back, from which it has not yot recovered. It is hoped that tho position, will now bo faced with as much equanimity as possible, and a substitute looked for to wholly or partly tako the place of wheat and pollard. Feeding experiments were recently conducted by tho Department of Agriculture at its Milton Poultry Station, with the object of ascertaining what results could be obtained from fowls fed on a .dietary from which wheat ■, was eliminated, lucerne ehaff or meal' and oats being substituted. The results of these tests, which have been published in the "Journal of Agriculture," have demonstrated in. a striking manner that a good egg yield can bo secured from the heavy layer without the inclusion of wheat in iis ration. Prom a ration consisting of pollard, bran, maize, meatmen], oats, and lucerne chaff, a pen of six brown leghorn pullets produced 1119 egsfs for the year, or an average of 241 eggs per bird. For tho same period, and from the same ration six white leghorn pullets laid U33 eggs, au average of 23S eaoh. These birds are being continued in a'further, year's experiment, ivith a slightly different ration. In the case of tho brown leghorn hen, both wheat and pollard being eliminated, the dietary now of lucerne meal, bran, maize, meatmea], and oats.- For the first six months ended an October 26 last this pen produced an average *of over 100 eggs eaoh, which must be considered a good result for birds in their second year. Ono of the outstanding features in connection with these tests' is that it h«a been proved conclusively, that lucerne is a most valuable constituent of a fowl's dietary. This highly nitrogenous and valuable plant can be grown in tho majority .of districts in' the Dominion, provided a good preparation of the soil is made for the crop. . There is probably no other' green plant that the poultryman can grow to the s'ame advantage.' It is the opinion of the Chief Poultry Instructor that as a green food there is nothing to equal it, while lucerno hay chaffed and steamed overnight, or ground into meal, and mixed in the morning mash, will prove most effective.for egg-production, and bo de•cidedly economical. At the Department's Milton Poultry Station the. area, of ground given to the growing i>f lucerno has been largely increased. Sufficient will be produced to provide green food for the greater part of the year. In addition a large quantity will be made into hay, chaffed, and ground into meal. The object of the Department is to, as far as possible, use lucerne in conjunction ivith the above-mentioned ingredients as a substitute for wheat and pollard; the lattor of which must necessarily become more costly as the prico of wheat advances. The lucerne hay is first chaffed in' an ordinary chaff-cutter, and is then ground into meal by means of a No. 3 Wilson power mill. Lucerne meal ie now op the market at Wellington,' and it is to be hoped that before long it will be available to poultry-keepers throughout the Dominion. .3CC-UAYINC COMPETITION. ' The offloial results of the thirty-eijlvta wook of the New Zealand Utility. Poultry Club's twelfth egg-layinß competition for fowls for tho week ended Tuesday, January 2, aro as follow:— LIGHT BREEDS. Total Total for to ' week. date. ■Verral Bros., B.L. ...:..': 23 966 Brackenfield Farm, B.L. M 8-15 W. Davey, W.h 32 1.032 J. B. Merrett, W.L.' 19 1,003. It.. G. Shearman, Vf.h. 24 985 Heretaunga Poultry Co., WUi. ... 32 911 H. Ball, .W.'li.' ...; ■•.- I'M 1,035 IT. A. Currln, WJi :.... 33 1,028 Dalmuir Poultry Yards, W.L. .., 27 985 Mrs. 11. Graham, W.L 28 893 J. Wordsworth, W.L 28 898 11. K. ttoss, W.li 32 1,047It. H. James, VtMj. 26 810 O. J. Norton, W.L. ' 24 ' 976 •Alfred Eaton, W.I, 29 978 M. H. Walker, W.L 24 910 Green Bros. (No, 2), W.L '29 1,038 H. Lcger, W.L 29 976 J. Naucarrow, W.L 29 1,108 Caldcr Bros., W.L 29 3,095 K. Pounsford, W.L. ...'. ■.... 28 1,006 A. W. Adams, W.L 24 1.C60 A. E. Phillips', W.L 19 935 T. Kennedy, W.U 29 891 V. J. Hill, W.L. ..: 25 1.010 ■ B. P. h. Clayson. W.L -32 992 T. B. Conway, W.L. .-...: 34 956 Herctaunga P. 00. (No. 1). W.L. 31 1,029 Kangiuru Egg Ranch, W.L 22 1,071 «. Dick, W.L 31 1,029 «. Gee, W.L 21 922 H. 0. l'ates, W.L 13 893 K. P. Amyes, W.L : 20 969 A.. 13. Wilson, W.L ~ 20 957 Mrs. J. Mills, W.L 27 1,166 A. G. Brailey, W.L 30 821 Green Bros. (No. 1), W.L 25 958 Atkinson Bros., W.L 22 1,021 A. A. Hoare, W.L. ..' 23 842 L. T. Wright. Wi. ■ .'.... 23 1,004 To Anau Utility Stud, W.L. ...... 32 1,039 T. M'Uwraith, W.L 23 951 It. A. Lazarus, W.L :.. 18 952 H. W. Bower, W.L. 29 . 950 H. 5. Woodnorth, W.L ; 34 903 Hokowhitu Poultry Co., W.L. ... 30 868 Oalder Bros., W.L. 34 1,084 J. B. Merrett (No. 1), W.L '. 29 ■~ 1,026 J. Green, W.L. 31 1,106 Totals 1,313 48,041 HEAV? BItBED TEST. Total Total for to week. date. T. Kennedy, W.W 25 678 Green Bros., W..W 28 814 W. Knight, W.P.K 24 884 A. S. Cooper, 1t.1.K 20 870 Mies E. Willis, 8.0 14 899 C. J. Norton, 8.0 25 947 T. E. Conway, 8.0 27 1,033 J. Nancarrow, 8.0 20 945 Miss J. James, 8.0 li ~ 899 V. Dowthwaite, S.W 25 . 905 A. W. Adams, S.W 21 795 • Totals • '..i 246 9,669 SINGLE PEN TEST. Total Total for to week. date. A. S. Cooper, 1t.1.R 1 163 A. S. Cooper. 8..1.8 o 192 P,. JI. James,. W.L 3 205 T. L. Wright, W.L 5 149 Raugiuru Egg Banch, W.L 3 M 4 Green Bros., W.L 7 194 Cakler Bros.. W.L ; 6 205 W.' Davey, W.I 4 197 J. B. Merrett, W.L -. 3 124 A. E. Wilson, W.L — 41 Mrs. J. Mills. W.L 6 211 Atkinson BnJs., W.L. 5 176 B. P. L. Clayson, W.L. .....; 6 180 J. Wordsworth, W.L 1 6 139 Totals 60 ■ 2,320 FOU DUCKS. . Tho New Zealand Utility. Poultry Club's seventh eey-layim; test for ducks. Kcturns for tho thirty-eighth week are as follow:— Total Total for to week, "into W. Knight, Lit 26 980 .Herctaunga Poultry Co., LB 21 1,104 H. W. Bower, LB J2_ U24 Totals • 59 3,308 The- letters after each entry denote tho breed, as under :-BJj.. Leghorn; WL, White Leghorn; S.W.. Silver Wyrtiitlo'tto; R.1.P... Bhode Island Tied; W.W., White Wva.ndottc; 8.0.. Black Ornington; W.P.B-, White Plymouth Rock; 1.E., Indian Eunner.