POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 97, 18 January 1919, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The followiiiß is Iho sußfteßtod programme l'or tlie ninth annual onnfercnco ot the Mow Zealand Poultry Association, to bo held at Cliriatcluirch on Wednes<lay •and Thursday, March 12 and 13, 1919:— Wednesday, March'l2:.'Open at 9.30 a.m.: ;'rqll call ' Of . dolcgixtes''and members; 11 a.nh.'.ltayoral ryceptiou rtiul addresses by., niomhefa '. of : parliament;.-' 12., secretary a report and balance-sheet; 1 p.m., adjournment; 2 to 5, reception by tho New Zealand Utility . Poultry Club ! at competition grounds] Papanui; 8 p.m.»'"Poultry Breeding by' Selection/' "Lino Brewlinir or Outcrossing/''by Mr, F. Brown, Chief Government Poultry Expert; 9.30 p.m.. reminiscences by Mr. 0. Cussen, .Government Assistant Poultry Bipert. Thursday. March 13: 9ja.m.. president's address;. 10.30 a.m., ■rcmits/ijierieral business, appointment of next''conference, election ol offlcers; 8 p.m., Australia., by. Mr. Jamesi'': .ik'dllnEtop, government... flhiet-, '-PoultlV.: -Expert, for Kew.:SouUi Wales,'. 'Friday. ''March \ 14V : Motor ■ :excur«pn; for | .'Bfclcgatfe'Bj'to Wailtuku Beach/ andvisits •• — '. ..... . ; ■>,bliristoliui'fllv pbttl I ry Club, S& .theloiiristchurch : Poultry, Pigeon,; and - meeting ou.Monday n«JiV tlto*clißirinaE't (Mr... G.', E. , 'Jeffreys) said] Taovoral'-ftu'iciera had returned froni 'tno >%ar,' and as. many more would be .return'inVin the near'futurc, ho ' hoped members present would femlnd tho soeretary of 'their honie*comin{?, bo that lie could wnto • congratulating them on their return, .and extend, to them a hearty welcome on vrsitinc the club rooms. All.i3em.bers who . hadf. enlisted had been kept financial. . v At vjthe;'same. .meeting, Mr. Shaw said, :thitt';as''the war.ivas nowApraclicaUy. endrea; :-:iin:wo'nldnil;eno^»e(^oro, entlulsiaam, cpiit'Sntai'- thci : : fancy. Ho ~thoueht,v tWs ; '.miEht'be '46ne; by ."enconminc •iUk-mbs/tp-^old^thpir.'sUows.at.'th^aW^ church 'ftmltt-y'-.Club's ■ annual exhibition., He explained- that Specialist, .clubs. • SmbMj bo charged a smaU fec for tbe.™; 6 ° £ ;,* l ' e 1 plant; but otherwise they misli l he allowed. to select their own judges and control their, own show. It was decidedtoßet un the followine committee to go into tho'inatter. and report at ths nsxt meet, iint;—Messrs. FinneEan ir .E,rPearee, A. Pen''fesiley ■Wi' , ' :, G.,'E. Jeffreys./G. ,H. nlmbleV;!'..;F> Kinffsford,.; B. ?. Afihworth, ; T.

Handling of Chickens. *■ The poultry-keeper "who finds it' neces. sary : to,rear chickens-in a fi pa£ B shoulß 'take care to have the floor of the run thickly covered■ with loose litter. Cocky chaff, or hay chaff, are well suited rd'..thf' purpose.' but the former as P, rn -, c : tically unobtaibable. A Erood. Bubstitute is dry liorse manure. Why is the .litter wanted?- So that the feet of the chickens may be buried in it.-and tljus prevent; tha development of -the.- toe-picking \ii.e.. Yoil see, the-too of, the chick is not rav., ia. \Worm,"'and it is because of this fact that the' poultry-keeper has "to watch out. Tho sun may Bhine on the foot and , Bhow up the. pink toes of a chick. The '"SirS*-them,- think they are .wormß. peck at them in obedience to-the instinct. • fmplanted by. Nature; draw.,blood and then the, vice of. cannibalism is established.'.' • Ohickenß . are very curious things, and will get'uo to ,-all sorts of tricks keenly watched. The birds-run-Cg ? at' laTge'.are free ; from, vices aa a 'Sral thing, for the reason that they. '* • find ilentv of'things to.intereßt them and ' "occupy- their attention, and because they , -are-living -under natural conditions. The 1 ' 'cbtifitied cliickens are living ajt unnatural-ltfe,-and, consequently require roe^ a }. c SJJ i,nfl 'attentioti.'"'•• Lack of accuration is'the . forerunner and cause, too, of tho develop* 'meht 1 of ''ailments and viced. The chicken, is a scratching animal. Yery well, let it scratch, and it will be ind freer' from sickness and baa natjita. . one my copy- . school, ; It was Prevention ib better, than-cure." That is* a true ,sayinff and it 'applies with, peculiar force to the' bperationa ,o£ the poultry-keeper. Don't forget.it. • .

Soft-Shell Eggs. - , ,■',■- y Thia: -trouble, .is frequently .associated; -keeping: of -.-fowls in small Bubur- ( ban\ack- yards. Where/ a free. run. pan. -be provided;-the. shells- are-,all right as •a - general^-thing, s for- the reason that the ..birds'are:atilei.to the'neoMßary_Bli?ll;] •frtrmiYig -material. . In-tlic small subur-i bira yard.' "where the birds are conflnedv to the same patch of earth month after month, tho shell-forming the soil ouickly become exhausted, so that it is necessary to supply them in the form of shell grit or old mortar. . ina poultry-keeper-who finds that his hens are addicted to .the, laying of soft-shelled eggs should-,'.in'. searching,.for the, cause.,,first., 'sdi'.ifi'thorslieU-formmg material as. iin, full. suppiy. : An occasional soft shell is laid in every yard, and it may bo duo to fright or some other exciting .cause. Should shcll-forminK material be. in .full supply, the probable cause is an over-fat .condition of -the hens, .due,,to too much food and insufficient exercise, a. tin case the cure is'to reduce the -auantity of food siipplicd. and to thickly'.strew the. floor of the run with chaff, hay,, sti aw, or, dry horse manure, into which the grain, should-be thrown; bo. that the fowls may; have plenty of exercise in scratching for; -their living. ..How will scratching affect the proposition?'. In this way: The shell-; making-- elands are stfueezed m> and be: come ■ 'incapable when . -the, birds are, charged vnth' internal fat. Wlen tho'bird; is lean, the elands are able to open andi to poai'.out the.-liquid lime that makes. ' tho '-shell. 'Should-the soft sheila persist; i . otter.'-the- food . ,has been cut. dipwu . and. "plenty -of ■ exercise; has been provided,, the. .Mbuso will bo.that-the hens are too old,, ' and the .'.lime-forming glands have.- have become atrophied "br worn out. . Some Breeding Hints. • . ..-.it- is probaiilo that' the liens have, the: •.most'influencevon. the vital .powers: that--5s so far' as the organß of nutrition and, production ' are- concerned., In- active ex--, Derieucc it .has, been found that fornv size, 'and constitution- should all bo found. '-iii the- hens; otherwise .they should boobjectecV to as breeders.l As a general rule most attention is paid to ~t he c °° k bird, on the basis that he la half the pen" So.-lteris.i'but'.'h'e' ir.:not",all..the pen," and ,this- is 'where-'a.■ lot< of, young breeders. Ko'SvronK.'; .'The-rooster,-should be : chosen'-foritype; gait/feather... and generv ally- Brie, pet'iip- . A bird which fills, tho, ■ biU'-in-'alKthese -importont respects comes - 'along now and .again, and his union with. go'odi.'ftens will be productive of the beat, ' arotrcuy. for the reason that the hens .will ■W'rattracted. to hira. , The ..female mfSHßfet•'is''- universally in favour of the ' haiidsomo'male; it is just INature at worK, :;attd"the utmost harmony will nrevMl in a i' ; peh' which is:-headed by a beautiful cock ■'bird,' 1 and the /offspring • -will be of .the ■ ■best. 'Equally important as the selection, 'of the rooster is the choosniE of the hens. 'They-must be-big feeders of ttood size and shape, layers of perfect-shaped eggs, \freb from deformity of an# sort—m short,, •as'-,perfect-;in'their,sex as the rooster is Tcprcßcntativc -of his. ' . ,