POULTRY KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5132, 30 May 1927, Page 2

POULTRY KEEPING.

AUTUMN EGGS? (By F. C. Brown, in the Journal of Agriculture.) In poultry-keeping it is now recognised as an established fact thaf eggs must be produced in good numbers throughout the dear season if maximum returns are to be secured from the business. Obviously, there can be no comparison between a bird laying the bulk of" her eggs during the dear season and one producing her main yield in the cheap season, when practically any sort of fowl will lay. The fact of fresh eggs commanding such a high level of .value during the recent autumn months is sufficient to indicate how many poultry-keepers there are who have yet to learn how to produce eggs at this season of the year.

At one time autumn-produced eggs realised but little more, tha.n those pi pe need during spring and summer, but this has not been the case during recent years. For example, during February, March, and April this year the price- of eggs in Wellington gradually rose till they were being retailed at 4s per dozen. A* a result, those poultry-keepers, who hatched out good numbers of chickens during July qlnd who managed their flocks on proper lines reaped a good reward. These results were attained by reason, of the fact that none but the late moulters —those birds which gave promise- of being long-season layers—were retained in the flock. The etirlj - moulters and poor layers had been previously got rid of. Under, this systein of management, together with the high ruling price for eggs, a good margin of profit over and above the expenses of running the plant was secured. In fact, one big producer informed be that lie secured his biggest weekly returns for eggs during the autumn months. This is a striking contrast to the returns secured on the great majority of plants at this period of the year, where the eggs gathered do not paj' for the food consumed.

It may be contended that the bulk of the July-hatched pullets will moult in the late autumn, and that there will be a loss of winter, eggs tis a result. It js quite possible that they will, but on a well-managed plant there should be later-hatched pullets specially bred tp lay during the cold months of the year. In any case, the early-hatched pullets will not all moult and cease to lay at exactly the same time, providing, of course, they are- properly fed and managed. With such birds it will" generally be found that eggs iq a more or less number will be obtained right throughout the dear season. Naturally, some of the birds will moult early and cease to lay, but others will continue- producing, so that when the latter are moulting the former will have renewed their feathers and be. read.v to resume lijying. Then again, owing to the fact of such birds moulting during the late autumn or early winter, they can usually be depended upon to lay well into the autumn or early winter during the following year, when the price of eggs is on the upgrade.

Usually, the poultry-keepers* most lean period is from, say. the middle of March to the end of May or even June. The adult stock are then taking their period of rest, either preparing for or undergoing the moulting process. Further, probabl.v owing to late hatching or through indifferent management, the pullets fail to produce when expected. This means that there Is much money going out and little coming in. If the maximum returns are to be secured sufficient eggs should be collected to at least balance expenses, i