POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 264, 27 July 1918, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

(By "Chanticleer.") The Egg Shortage. 'i'ho very cold and wot weather experienced lately bus hud a serious elleci 011 the egg mai'keL. Supplies lmve fiillen iiuitc liliy per cent., ivilU the result that prices hate risen accordingly. Kexs are very soarce in the south, and ill UhriEtehureli are retailing at 2s. Sd. a dozen, i'or a district, which produces! such larpe ciuantjties of eggs this looks serloiiß. A pleasing i'eatnrc about the egg-production oi Mow Zealand is that sufticient eggs wero produced last summer to fee the bakers through without importation, although recently about tevouty barrels of Asiatic eggs ha.vo been imported. Australia lias set us a good osamplo of dealing with the Asiatic egg, as it is absolutely prohibited from ths country. , During Mr. J. B. Merrctt s recent visit to Australia he speut eoino days at Bendigo, and the following, takon from the "Independent," gives some of his impressions wliilo there:— . Mr. H. Macdonald's Black Orpington has recorded eiglity-seven eggs in niuet<y-U\o days in the Boudigo competition. Slio is described as being a nice weight bird, tight in feather and full of business. Mr. Merrott, in conversation with the manager, Esiid slio was tho typo of bird that lie hail in his mind's eye to take back to New Zealand to tell tho breeders there tliat llie Australian Black Orpington was a bird bred to lay without the desirable standard points being overlooked. Before leaving the lleudigo Independent Competition grounds, Mr. Morrett had a tood look at tho large variety of green feed that was growing between tho pens and in all other places available. He was so struck with tho large amount of succulent green feed that was available, especially tho Bresem (tho Egyptian clover) that he proposed to introduce it in new Zealand, ou account of its great winter growth. Mr. Morrett was given a civic welcome by Mayor Abbott. He was afterwards shown over many of the largo pla_nts and egg-layiiig competition grounds at which world's records were being established by picked hens. At the Candee Poultry Farm Mr. Merrett explained that in New Zealand tho main breed was the White Leghorn, and there were breeders who thought that the Australian Black Orpington was merely a bird with black feathers 011 it. ilo had been pleased to noto that that was not the case; in fact, ho bad been very much impressed with the all-round high standard of tho Black Orpington that was doing so very well in the competitions and in tho breeding pens ot tho States. He would go back to the Dominion and tell tho breeders thero that i 'lie Black Orpington in Australia was a good bird, full of typo and of good weight, and a great layer. Ho said that it was a pleasure to sec the quality of tile stock at the Candee farm. Tho birds were carefully culled, ho could tell, and they were good breeders. He, too, noticed that tho White Leghorns were not weeds. When he referred to weeds. Mr. Merrett had the whole party round him, and it would be a mistake to miss what ho said. Here it is: "It ik absolutely .wrong to breed from tho weed, never mind how well she might lay. In New Zealand we are trying to keep type intact and to have the bird that is neither smoll nor large, anil we are striking tho liappy medium. Wo want to get at the bird that is generally found on the Australian farms, but we luiyo had some very good scores established in the competitions by tho birds of tho standard at which wo arc striving. Tho best birds must go into the stud pens, and a bird should not go there merely becouso she lays a very high number of eggs. She should he studied for merit as well. There is a great danger with tho breeders striving for the two extremes. Tho pen that laid 1032 eggs in New Zealand belonging to Mr. W. A. Nixon all weighed 51b. Tlmt is I lie nearest score that we have to the world's record of the Mullano stud, which I understand, is now in Bendigo. It is imperative to make u study of the breeders. then of their eu'g. and later of the chicken. The culling should he practised every day of the year, so as to get at the very best, With (he prices of Iced so very high, this is absolutely necessary. One should not carry anything but the healthy birds and tho good producers. Thero is nothing gained by breeding from birds that, have not- a constitution to transmit to their progeny, and then it should be remembered that every chick that is hatched must ho a layer. Cull, cull, cnll."