POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3179, 1 September 1917, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

(By Chanticleer.).

A POULTRY DEBATE LIGHT.BREEDS V, HEAVY BREEDS. There was a very largo attendance at tho .New Zealand Utility Poultry Club meeting-held at CJiristchurcli to hear tho a» ■-°' llsht vors " s lleav y breeds. Jl r . Atkinson led off. ou, behalf of tho light breeds. - Ho claimed that the singlecomb White leghorn was tho chief representative o£ the light breeds, and said that, there was no fowl on.carta, to equal it. Ho aihmied that though the advocates of the heavy breeds claimed a great advantage- in. favour of table poultry, this was a branch' of tho industry that with feed at the present prices could not be made to pay. Ho quoted the figures from tho N.Z.U.P.C, and also from the Hawkesbury tests to show that Leghorns had always led tho way in egg production, and could put up a better average than tho heavy breeds. The light breeds wore not so long in maturing, and coming on to lay, and the heavy breeds took quite: six ,weeks longer before coming .into- lay. The Chinese Langshans, which .had. won a test in Australia, were so light as to be classed with tho light breeds, but since;having the standard of weight raised they, had done nothing in the way of achievement for the heavy breed section. Mr. Atkinson put up a very good defence, but lie wandered from the purpose of tho debate in confining all his remarks to tho Wfiite leghorns, which are only ono variety of the light breeds. Mr. G. Willis opened in favour of tho Jieavy breeds. Ho made a strong argument in their favour, affirming that they, were tho birds especially suited for the farmer. The bulk of poultry nid eggs were produced by the farmers, who hud tried tho light breeds but had to give thorn up owing to their -unsuitability for faMh. conditions. The heavy breeds had tho broody instinct, which enabled forni--1 ers to reproduce stock. This was a fact that cannot be' over-estimated as tl.p farmer produces niore than two-thirds ,of the> poultry for.tho table, and was i largely responsible for the egg producI tion during the summer season. Without the broody hens tens of thousands of chickens would never bo raised. He put in a-plea for the economic Ci)istruction of a plant suitable for tho heavy breeds, as they were' more easily confined, and suited themselves to docile conditions. In tho Hawkesbury test tho light breeds had put up an average of 155' eggs, each with an average of 2J.Jounces to tho dozen, and a profit over feed of Bs. Ud. Tho heavy breeds had put up an average of 150 eggs, weighing 25 ozs. to tho dozen, and showing a profit over- feed of Ss. 2.W. This proved that though the. light breeds laid more eggs, the heavy breeds laid them at a time ot tho year when values were higher, and consequently reached a. better _ proht. With such an argument as this in ti.eir favour, the heavy breeds were uiidoubtedlv the birds to support. Even ior Tho farmer's uso alone, the poultry inUustry would be impossible without, the heavy breeds. . . .... Mr. lfazackcrky championed the light breed section. He put up an excellent speech, giving both practical arKl'iiersonal experiences of tho results attained by him in keeping both light and heavy breeds Ho'pointed out that the light. lOT«U usually won\at tho -competitions in *cw Zoo-land. He had always found that „bo>. would come on to lay at six months, ana that tb* heavy breeds'took-much longc . Tho space occupied by tho .light biei Is. was far less'than tho heavy tho sniuo number could not be kepi oi tho latter as of tho former. . In the grading of eggs he claimed that l.huo was quite one-third more eggs ™ dc ™ in tho heavy breeds than in,.the Igl l. Ho stated that tho broody instinct in some of the heavy brew s was so Biro •„ that iii a flock ot 500 birds kept diuni, tho summer it would take ono practicalij all his timo carrying, away I*™ 1 " 1*-,, Mr Marsden, in rcicrrmg to tho l gut breeds, stated when ono called them layers, all had been said that could be bad in their favour, nnd granted that tluy huvo won tests, they wore not cgg-pio-ducors at a timo of year when prices were a high value, ire instanced sendiw> test, where tho heavy breeds had put up somo remarkable performances. Tho light breeds were moro suscoptiblo to cold winds, anil conditions ol weather. On tho question of eggs, .hewis «*"> ]° produce a strain that aid 27 ounces-to the dozen. Ho affirmed that tho heavy breeds woro hardier, and moro adaptab o to a confined condition, tho.malo bnu», also would bo found in a better .condition and realised much bettor prices n the market. The "broody" instinct could bo cultivated to suit the breeders itquirements. If tho broody was taken quickly, and placed iu its proper place, the iiroodiness would only last two o three days. Poultry-keepers realised 'Uk , value of a "broody" they. l,id to buy olio. There whs the advantage ol tho heavy breeds that ono could a ways tstart hatching earlier, inasmuch as tho breeder laid late in tho season. There was no <loubt they woro more docile and eapiei to handle than tho light breeds. Iho heavy brce<ls were becoming moro popular every year, as proved by the laei that a section is now- being devoted to them in Australia. His experience- WHS •' that tho-heavy breeds had the best cm ; of ■ the stick, and that tho keeping ot light breeds waß>'Misfortune. Mr.' Stevenson closed tho argument lor tho'light-breed section. Ho stated that tho claim \thaf the light breeds, would not lay early in tho eeason was false, inasmuch'as it was'proved that the winter teste had ofton beon won by tho light breeds. In the first month of the coni- : petition' tho heavy'breeds had laid onljfour eggs each, whilo tho light breedshad laid more than double the number. Thev had proved that tho heavy breeds co'ufd not lay heavy-weight eggs, as tno standard iii tho compotihon was 11 tor tho heavy breeds as against A wv. tue li-ht. 'ike claim had been made for the heavy breeds «s tablo birds, but with tho cost of feed, this was nothing to theiradvantage. • Mr. Stevenson introduced somo humorous matter, and made nw effort a very .popular address. 'Mr. M'Hft-rg closed tho debate.for tho heavy breeds. Ho stated that tho heavy breeds woro the'dual-purpose birds, and would always stand out. on their own. The record in Australia, lor ■ thoJieary breed was 1479, an average of 218 eggs per bird, with eggs S6li»). to tho dozen, was good enough that tho hcftM" breeds could hold their own) in egg productirin. Ho considered that they cwl. less to feed, and'were hardier, quietei, and yot activo when on froo Tango, it confined they would always give ex client results. Tho cockerels would icaliso bet or Prices than tho light breeds in a test of 600 birds held in America the first ten leading pens wero tho heavy breeds.' Erom his own experience ho ad beon able to obtain .75 per cent, ot e"gs from birds in tho winter. Ho gave S figures that kept up his contention tTial tho heavy breeds could, always more than favourably compare with the, 1 M t. Mr Willis sumuwd up.on behalt ot the heavy breeds, and Mr, Atkinson gave his defence on behalf of tho-light breeds Tho judges were Messrs. C J. Cusson nnd .T. Staples, who awarded the points as foliovf: 143 for the'light and lfo lor tho heavy breeds. Tlio debate was piodnetive of much interest, and proved educative to all- who were present.