POULTRY KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5303, 23 July 1928, Page 1

POULTRY KEEPING.

PREPARING FOR NEW SEASON.

BREEDING POINTS.

(By F. C. Brown, Chief Poultry instructor, in the Journal of Agriculture.)

The commencement of the hatching and rearing, sevpn is now near at hand, and the poultry-keeper should now look well ahead and have everything In perfect order for these operations. Especially where pullets are desired to commence their period of production during next autumn, when the price of eggs is on the up-grade, there must be no delay in getting the breeding-pen mated to ensure that July-hatched l chicks will be produced. The best time to hatch out chicks to lay in the winter is during August or. early September, as the early hatched pullets usually moult during the late autumn or early winter. The one. great advantage in having some pullets bred to lay during the autumn months is that they come i.nto profit at a time when. the. adult Stock commence to take their period of rest prior, to moulting. By early hatching the returns are' augmented at' a period when, on the average plant, much is going out and little coming in. Especially where the business is being conducted on a more or less large, scale- the raising of a fair number of July hatched birds will do much incr.eas|i,ng profits. It is always a wise course to have the birds mated well before eggs arerequired for hatching purposes. In previous notes breeders were advised to select the- required hens 1 — the late moulters —for thi$ x season’s breeding-pens before the moulting process sets, in,,, for it. is then, and only then, that the best specimens for breeding can be. determined. Usually the long-season layers, and naturally the late moulters, a more; dfeSjired type, and stronger consitutional vigour than the early moulters Thus it is from among the late moulters that the breeding specimens should be selected. Obviously it would be almost impossible to select, such stock now that the whole flock has moulted. Where the timely advice was acted upon, and the late moulters and best breeding types were selected and marked according-ly—-say, late in March—the, work of mating will now be a simple matter. It is true' that owing to developing some weakness odd birdis may have to be discarded in the final selection, but in a general way, and where; the work has been carried oiut by an ex perienced person, the remaininc birds will be the pick of the flock from almost any standpoint.

Those who have neglected to select the late moulters. during the autumn will not only find the work of mating, a troublesome business, but a high proportion of undesirable stock may also be- expected as a con.sequence. While lateness of moulting c;a.n generally be accepted as indicating good procl-ucing-power, it i,s not to be ini' ferne-d that all late moulters are suitmoulters are siuar.tm ,-oaonepfrv theable for the breeding-pen. If a uniform flock is to be built up and maintained something more is required. If this is to be' achieved the breeder must have an ideal type fixed in, his eye-, and keep this always in view, remembering all the time that constitutional vigour must go hand in hand with that type. Health and vigour form the base of all successful breeding operations. The uual signposts to these essential requirements are a clean face, clear, br'ght, prominent eyes, short shanks set. wide apart, alert carriage, and tight thick feathering. The question of size is another, important matter. Small undersized specimens of their breed should be rejected however well they have laid. South stock usually produce weedy progeny which, yield only secondgrade eggs, which are next to useless for the export trade. The production of small eggs is- probably one of the greatest weaknesses in connection with the present-day poultry-keeping. The size of the egg.s can be iincreased only by careful breeding, am} by the selection for breeding of only those birds which lay good-sized eggs. Of course,’on most plants there will be found more or less variat’on in type among the individual birids. This, being so," an endieavoup should be made to classify the hens, -and to mate with them a -male; strong; in points Where the females are weak, or vice versa. For example-, whel’e hens show a tendqncy to be on the small side, weak in front, and loose feathered, or carrying an excessive comb, etc., a male should be selected strong in these, points.

In a general .way the qualifications to be looked for in a good breeding male, as indicating constitutional vig.ourandgood thth hr. taler.t theshrd vigour an;d breeding,power, are good l chest development, width across the back, tight feathering, and an alert carriage. While feminine characters should be looked for 'in, the female, the male should be practically at the other extreme. The bead should be masculine in every respect, but without coarseness. In aldit : on. Ire-should be the progeny of a heavy-laying lien producing, good-sized eggs. Where old cocks are- used for mating, about three parts of the spurs should be r®m’ov'ed. A fine saw will serve for the purpose, 'as practically no bleeding Will take place- if a little Stockholm tar is applied to the part cut. Long s'harp spurs are- not only a, common cause of infertile eggs i>e>ing produced, but of hens’ sides being badly ripped as well. To ensure a high percentage of fertile eggis containing st”ong germs it is of the firjst importance that the male be maintained in the best of hcltii and vigour.