POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 16, 13 October 1917, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

(By Ceantioleer.)

New Zealand's Loss. It is difficult to estimate the annual los occasioned by tbc careless marketing o eggs. At thu present time fully three quarters of the eggs produced come Iron the farms. It would mean the sOTing o thousands of pounds, aud the need fo importations would bo reduced by one half if the eggs now lost could be saved The chief causes of loss are: (1) The pre senco of the male bird among our fani flocks. All layers except those require! for breeding should be kept abaolutcl! without male birds. Tho eggs arc inadi fertile, and In our hot weather begin ti incubate and deteriorate rapidly, iigei left in the neat for one or two days de compose, with tho result that thoHsandi of eggs aro daily discarded as unfit fo; human use. These eggs are not placed 01 tho market witlr any intention to de ceivo tho public—thoy are marketed' ii this way through more indifference nm thoughtlessness. Were tho male birdi marketed, their feed would be saved, ant hcttcr-quality cgi?s would be provided foi the market. In Missouri a saving of tw< million dollars has been .effected annualls by tho wholesale "swatting" of the roos ter. (2) Another cause of loss is the ab sence of oyster 6hell grit IwEore the hens Without this the hens lay soft-shcllci eggs, and develop the habit of egg-eating with the result that thousands of egg: are devoured on the farms by tho birds Few farmers have any conception of tin loss they sustain from this evil. (3) Care less handling of eggs in transit to mar ket causes heavy losses. Bad packing careless methods of storing and carryiu; all add to the heavy loss. (4) Lack o! culling. Pew farmers cull their flocks On many farms, hens are to be fount i'our or five years old. Their period o! ■ usefulness is past, and they occupy ta< apace and eat the feed younger bird: should have. If the egg-producing straii of the birds our farmers now have coult be brought up to an oxtra twenty-five egg: per bird annually our production wotili increase nearly one-half more than it ii Surely such reforms aB these are neces sary for the development of the noultrj industry. Marketing of Eggs. Though farmers' eggs aro 'being freelj offered at ouc shilling a dozen, largo buy ers prefer to purchase stamped ana grart ed eggs at Is. 3d. Quality tells in eggs and while a salesman finds it difficult ti placo badly-marketed eggs thcro is m trouble in selling good quality. ,As ai instance of tho dimensions to whii.iL tin egg trade develops, tho Canterbury Eg! Circle this week took one order tor egg from one client for £1150. Tho circle de cided to give bakers access to the who! of their summer supply for Is. 3d. i dozen, and practically the whole outpu has been taken. Tho circle does not con sider it is fair to cool, store, pulp, oi preserve egg 3 for speculative purposes and at the present time neither its mem bera nor its agent, lias a single egg ii cool store, or in pulped form, tho whol output being placed at the disposal o bakers. It is unfair to ask that the ini portation of eggs be stopped, and then ti speculate on the goods' and' hold then from those who need them. If we an to have a free-and-easy system of mat keting, then let producors keep quiet abou importation or else supply eggs to thos who use the imported eggs. Cool storing preserving, and easing the' summer mar ket is all right when we have a sufllcieu production lor bakers' needs, but it 1 surely inconsistent to ask' for importei eggs to cease, and then gamble with th locnl eggs. Bakers will 00 doubt protes against this procedure, aud when rcprt fientations are being mado producers wil have to account for such conduct.' EGG-LAYING X.Z. UTILITY POULTRY CLUB'S THIRTEENTH COMPETITION. The thirteenth egg-laying compctitio. organised by tho New Zealand Utilit; Poultry Club commenced] at Papanui o April 8. Tho figures for the twenty-BUt! week, ended Ootobcr 9, aro as follow:— LIGHT BREEDS. Brown Leghorns. Daily W'k'yT'H layins. total. d&U Vcriall Bros 6544644-35 555 Whilo Leghorns. ,K. F. Ross .'..,. 4626646-34 ' '563 George Gee ■'3565345-31 643 Calder Broai. No. 1 4536655-34 685 W. Stephenson 352325J-23 565 A. 11. Phillips 4566614-35 598 .1. MTnuos 355665-35 470 L. T. Wright 4645655-35 Cl 5 H. V. Bower 1.6556365-36- 558 Green Bros 6633566-35' 588 • To' Anau Utility Stud ... 6665545-37' 600 Atkinson Bros .4355343-27 525 Hokowhitu Poultry C 0.... 4445535-30 '67 S. Diok :.. 5655644-J5 563 Da-lmuir Poultry Yards... 6645555-36 515 J. M. Alley 5455446-33 '542 J. Robinson 5556666-39 ' 535 Ttajigiuru Egff Ranch 4435545-30 453 Omeo Poultry Farm 6436655-35 547 Hcrotaunga P.O. tNo. 1)... 6546546-34 ?33 Master Jack Green 5345445-30. . 493 Smart Bros 6653546—37 621 W. Dave-y 6444646-34 580 T. E. Conway 3144335-23 590 Mrs. J. Mills 5535445-31 497 ■' T. W. Wilson 3542334-24 . 479 R. Mills 4654654-34 418 A. V. Adams 5506555-36 579 Reliable Poultry Farm... 3554335-28 620 . A. G. Brailoy 4456635-33 477 John Stevens 5-V.W.5-30 ?*0 FazackeTlev and Son MSJS44—» 524 » K, W. Hawkc 6545564-34, 465 .1. Nancttrrow. sen 6MWS—.V 567 Cakter Bros., No. 2 W5W56-34 649 T. Kennedy 5355655-35 315 FeretouiCT. P.O. (No. 2)... 552.W6-34' 543 V. A. Curriu 2543456-2? 544 JT Ball .....'■ - 4MMS-J4 636 W. Tf. W»fit '.. 5555554-34 722 A. V.. Wilson MS=MS-JS 561. H. Williams 6652446-33 613 5 Totals 1373 23,310 HEAVY BREEDS. Silver Wyandottes. Daily W'k'y TI I. lavine. total. dst< Green Bros 3454554-30. 460 - A. W. Adams 5565555-36 505 W. W. Hewinson .'. -3655634-32 555 Mrs. F. Howell '3342422-20 546 •P. Kennedy 5365534-31 510 T. Dowlhwaito 4545342-27 462 White Wyandottes. (1. E. Bcnjcs 3333443-23 504 Black Orpingtons. '' Mrs. Claridgo 5455434-30 '316 T. K. Conway, No. 1 '5655564—36 463 A. S. Ooopcr 4435645—31 463 '■ J. Nancarrow, sen 5534434—28 661 T. E. Conway, No. 2 3343443-24 543 Victor Geo 5564653-34 568 B. E. Marsden 6564556-37 475 Y. Staines 5645545-34 716 Hokowhitu Toultry C 0.... 5255443-28 484 Miss J. James 1224233-17 U White Rocks. H. J. Goppcrth. 5354545-31 426 Khodo Island Reds. - A. iS. Cooper ... 3564555—33 378 E. F. Oalics 3132343-19 411 , Totals 581 9922 , Four hundred and seventy-fivo eggE ver< gathered from 105 spare birds. DUCK CONTEST. Indian Runners. Daily W'k'y T'l U ), laying, total, date W. Knight 4554555-33 711 Hcretaunga- Poultry Co. 5555555-35 630 Mrs. Geo 5545555-34. 781 W. T. Green 6566555-40 991 11. W. Bower 6556465-37 ioi > Totals 179 4244 j. Fifty-eight eggs were gathered from tin nino spare ducks. n SINGLE BIRD COMPETITION. Light Breeds. White Leghorns. Daily W'k'y T'l U , laying, total, date ' Green Bros 1111111- 7 160 3- W. Davcy 1110111-6 89 Victor Geo 1110111-6 114 J. Nancarrow 1111101-6 140 Atkinson Bros 0111111-6 142 R. Mills 1101111-6 68 - H. WiUiams JlllOllr- 6 140 It, H. Taylor 1111011-6 143 To Anau Utility Stud ... 1111111- 7 99 Mrs. Mills 1111111-7 144 It. Tf.- James mill-7 84 A. E. Wilson 10UC11- 5 62 Green Bros 1101111— 6 M R. W. Hawke 1111101- 0 u Minorcas. Miss- J. James .; lU'Oll—6 '67 Miss J. James .' 0110010- 3 50 Totals 96 1707 Heavy Breeds. Black Orpingtons. T. E. Conway 1011111 —6 '31 Silver Wyandottes. T. Wilson 1110111-6 145 Green Bros OCOOUOO-0 55 E. J. Ross 1010111-5 89 Rhode Island Reds. J. Nancarrow, sen 1111111 — 7 48 Totals 24 466 Mr. H. ledger notifies that he has sold hie well-known Village Egg Farm at Weraroa, and is removing to Otaki on November 17. Mr. Ledger states that he is making a big reduction in prices for stock up to tho niiddlo of November, and the wices are sijt out in an adverisement in fc* issjio, ,