Poultry.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 162, 20 July 1901, Page 1

Poultry.

By (“ Feathery Logs.”) As promised in my last offusion, I wil now enumerate the best known laying breeds of fowls, and some of their good and bad points: Wo will take what is known as the Mediter breeds, which includes white, brown and buff _ leghorns, Spanish, Minorca, and Andalusian. It is hard to say which of these is really the best. As in most trials they have all done fairly well, but the majority favors the black Minorca. Somo of these fowls have been known to lay 180 eggs in one year; which requires a lot of beating. They are fairly large in size, the hens varying from 411 b to 611bs, and the cooks from 6.11 b to 811 b. They are also fairly hardy, and the eggs are large in size. The same remarks apply to the Andalusian, about the only difference being in the color, which is black and slaty. The Spanish is sometimes called the white-faced Minorca, and is a splendid layer, but is inclined to be delicate. The white leghorns have a large following of supporters ; it is a first-class egg-producer, and well-kept birds in a clean run look really well. Theylaysooner than the Minorcas, as a rule developing quickly. Under favorable oiroumstances they will lay at four months old, but that is the minimum. They also lay a large white egg. The brown leghorn is another prolific egg-producer, but docs not attain the sizo of the other birds mentioned, averaging from 3 to slb for the hens and sto 7lbs the cocks. They are easily kept, however, being very good foragers. They are inclined to bo flighty, and fly like canaries. AVe will now consider the wellknown and prettiest, of all the egg-pro-ducing species. The Hamburgs, Gold and Silver pencilled, ditto Spangled, and the black Hamburg with its lovely sheen and stately carriage are considered equal to some of the above breeds, but the eggs are very small, not much larger than bantam eggs, and the weight of bird only averages about 3lbs for hens and 4 or‘slbs the rooster, they aro also good foragers, There are also Houdans, Polish, and French bred fowls with reputations as egg-producers. Appended you will find a balancesheet, clipped from a Sydney paper, from which readers can draw their own conclusion. En passant, I notice that Mr Fawcett (who is well-known to Poverty Bay fanciers, being one of our leading exhibitors at one time) was acting as a

Judge in some of the classos at the recent Show in Auckland, The June number of the Agricultural Gazette contains a copy of the balancesheet of Mr J. Tremelling, of Lake Macquarie, who, speaking from his own 25 years’ experience, considers that a man who understands poultry, and gives them all requisite attention, should bo able to make £25 per annum from 100 fowls. On that basis, he should make £IOO from 400 fowls, but to do so would take the whole of anyone's time. Poultry can always be most profitably kept in lots of 25, or not more than forty whore there is ample accommodation. Balance-sheet for 100 head of fowls and chickens from 2nd April 1900, to Ist April, 1901

Grocers’ eggs (784.6 dozen) £33 17 7 Eggs sold for sitting (8.2 dozen) 13 6 Eggs used at home (25 doz. at lid) 1 211 Hens and young'roosters sold (81) 6 2 5 Chickens with their mothers sold (171) . 4 6 6 21 dozen bags sold 0 7 6 Income £l7 0 5 Expenditure £l6 3 6 Profit £3O 16 11 Average prices for grocers’ eggs, lid per dozen, cost to keep, per head, 3s 3d, profit, per head 6s 2d ; eggs, 29.1 dozen ; chickens hatched, 271 ; stock at present, 98; total eggs iayed, dozen ; hens lost during year, 23. Perhaps some of our readers can show better results ?