POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

Bt Terror.

For the further information of "Southland," whose- query is »nswered above, I .quote, this .week, Mrs G. Harper, of Ipswich, who lectured at the Reading Conference ,on' "Rearing Turkeys." In regard 'to rearing young birds Mrs Harper said : — • "After r the birds aro dry they are returned to- th© mother, giving 10 to hens and- 'IS 'to turkeys, leaving -them there 8 to 12 hours; when-4hey are placed on a nice piece . of ■grass sheltered from the north and east wind as much as possible. The coops \ should be placed 20 to 30yds apart. The coop I use is from our own design, the j plain part of the front affording shelter j from wind and rain. A run about 9in deep, I covered over with wire netting, is very useful for a few days. Th© birds should be kept in the coops at night, closing them in with a shutter. After one or two days have elapsed the coops should be moved j forward on to fresh ground " night . and morning, and in dull weather always turning to face the sun. Feeding well and not over-feeding of the young chicks is a very important part of the work. They do not require anything till they are 12 to 24- hours old, when the food for the first day or two must be finely chopped or ' mixed, and clean," so as to be easy for them i ito pick up. Of the early broods I give mine rice boiled in milk with, a few eggs stirred in whilst the rice is cooking, and when sufficiently cooked, dried Out with oat- j meal, biscuit meal, or sharps, or some of j each. Milk curds, too, form one of the j finest foods for little turkeys, mixed with j fine oatmeal ; no better food can be found j to start them on, and in reality ip is much | better than eggs for them. When they are nearly three weeks old -we use a good lot of} boiled wheat (good" English) and some rice 'and bran, 'or buckwheat cooked to- • -'gether, to which a - little meat is added. • such as muttdn or mutton greaves. - Rabbits are .better still, and should be well and chopped up with the' food ; they are often plentiful on a farm. We use the water rabbits =are boiled- in to -.cook some of the rioe, and other ioods. It is essential, that on no account should stale or sour . food be- given. ' Sharp fcrit, such as road scrapings, must be i supplied where there" is not a sufficient natural supply on the ground where x they are cooped. I ant strongly in favour of cooking the food, although this involves a good deal of extra trouble. It is necessary to g;ive them a good start, and to feed six times a day, beginning between 5 and 6 o'clock in the morning, and as late as possible at night until they are a month or six weeks old, when they can do with four or five feeds a day. On no account must more feed be thrown down than they will clear up in a few minutes, as stale food left lying about, and also over-feeding, are very injurious. Just what they will eat up whilst the attendant is there is sufficient. Perhaps this may appear' a -great deal to write about feeding, but that is the secret of rearing turkeys, yet a little intelligent attention is more what is required than great expense in the rearing of these young birds. They must always be kept comfortable. Little or no water is required with cooked foods on a good meadow or clover layer during the young stages, especially if a rather wet season. In a dry_ season a_^ quantity of green food is essential to keep them in health, as the grass becomes tough and they cannot pick it for themselves. Lettuce, onion, dandelion, white nettles, dock leaves, mustard or cress, chopped up fresh daily, should be- given after the feed, not mixed with the food. „ When water is xecuked^ it must be fresh and clean daily. Let the hens and turkeys out of the coops to have- a walk daily with the young ones - as" soon .as you , conveniently can, say when they are six N weeks to two months old, shut- ' ting them up again in the afternoon. Especial care must be taken' not to crowd too many in one coop and a few in others, or\ they .will x get .overheated at night and turn feverish. ' Here is another good food when they are getting a nice size, 6a_y, three to four months old, as it helps them in getting their feathers throueh, and makes them shine (a sure sign of health) — via., boil whole linseed in water, 1 pint to ' 3 gallons, and scald meal or sharps with it, giving once or twice a day." —Mr Rou3e Orlebear, who took part in the discussion which followed the reading of the paper," said he> thoroughly agreed with the use of curds in turkey rearing; he thought there was no better food. He also recommended the use of the sharpest grit-. With regard to the use of curds, ifc may be added -that some of the most succecsful breeders in the Dominion have already satisfied themselves as to its efficiency with turkeys. — The' following advice is offered by an authority on. the breeding and mating of silver-laced Wyandottes:— "Two pens are required for breeding silver Wyandottes — that is, a cockerel and, pullet breeding pen. In the cock-breeding pen you require an exhibition cock, with a well-laced breast, good wing bar, and nice clean top; to him mate, if anything, rather open-laced hens, but they must be very clear and dense in their black, especially on the •breast. Cushion it matters little about, most cock-breeding pullets being very peppery on top. They should also have sound black tails. For pullet-breeding quite a different male is required. A pullet-breed-ing cockerel, a dark but well-laced bird, should be chosen, but these are often faulty in top colour, but that is of no account as long as tho bird is heavy in breast lacing. These cockerels are often light in tail, and I have 6een them with well-laced feathers near the tail, and what saddle hackle there is should have a clear white diamond-shaded centre. Both he and the pullets should be sound in You want the A«"»«t pitemnt to evhihitian. .

pulletg you oan get hold of to use in the pullet-breeding pen,^ taking care that they are rich and eound in their black, and quite free from feathers that' are not perfectly laced round from fluff to fluff — that is, they must not be horseshoe marked or irregular in laoing. It is often necessary to inbreed to produce show specimens. The birds you have, if they are bred from a cockerel-breeding pen, can agin be used for , that_ purpose, but if you do not know their origin do not risk it, for they may be waaters from a pullet-mating standpoint." — The Rhode Island red being 1 already introduced into New Zealand the following inforn-ation published in the English field on their introduction to Great Britain will prove interesting, the more so in view of their great celebrity in the United States of America: — Soaie attempt is being made to ' establish in this country a breed well known in the. United States as the Rhode Island red, and certainly from all accounts it better deserves the attention of utility poultry keepers than the later importations fiom the -Continent. Its origin is similar to that of the Lincolnshire buff. It was not made by any fancier, but was the result of crossing Cochins with the common fowl of' th* country "side some 50 years .ago. There was an- infusion of Wyandotte and brown Leghorn blood later on, while.early in its history a cross with the Malay was xtndoubtedly introduced, "and • shows unmistakably in -the shape "of the body and, the~ colour of the egg_ laid. ' But all along no* attempt was made t<s breed to -any ai'tificial standard. It flourished chiefly -in 'Rhode Island 1 , and its breeders were ' concerned 6olely in producing a useful stamp of fowl which would be profitable both as a layer 'and a table bird. It is now spreadingv.lo other parts of the United States, and seeking a footing abroad. The only objection to it is that it is yellow legged and yellow fleshed, which points "to • its being of more value as a laying than as a table breed, but the Indian game is yellow fleshed and "yet a first-class table fowl. 1 I have seen both Indian game and Wyandottes at table poultry shows practically white fleshed; this may be due to selection, but is more likely to.be the result of the feeding they undergo. A bird fattened on ground oats and skim milk cannot be very yellow fleshed, as the feeding tends to whiten !h.* flesh, and there is little doubt Rhode Tsland reds would respond -to similar treatment. I*-, is as layers, however, that they appeal to our poultry -keepers. They lay .a real chocolate-coloured egg of good size and such as egg merchants ask for vainly, as a rule; for besides being of this desirable colour — due no doubt 'to the Malajr and Cochin cross in them — they average' rather more than under 2oz .each. The pullets mature fairly early and' make good layers, they are very .hardy, having, been inured to the winters of the Eastern States, which are very severe. The_ breed. is of a good useful size, -the cocks weighing ,61btto 7flb and- the hens 4£lb to 61b. The standard, however,. . for they have attained to -the distinction cf a "pure" bteed, save,, eobks' B£lb, cockerels 7ilb, hen-5 6ilb, pullets 51b. For table use we cannot- have birds too big if coarseness be avoided, but as the chief value of. the breed: lies in their egg production, 'they should be • kept to the smaller weights as much as possible." Rhode Island reds were used in the composition of the Buff. Plymouth Root and Buff Wyandotte, two subvarieties •of popular breeds ' ' which, as evolved by fanciers, have failed to ,make much headway. One of the reasons why this breed is so popular in the States is that j if; is eminently adapted, fpr the productici of "broilers." A cockerel when it scales 21b, eeneeially if early hatched, will make more if killed and^sold as a broiler than if, reserved as a "roaster." which. means the age at which' we consider" a chicken 'ready for table. It is a great advantage to poultry-keepers in^the States" to be able to ; market their chickens so , young. .rHere there, is no N market for the legs mature birds, for attempts made to popularise the l petit poussin on this' side of the channel hjive met with little success. The demand ia so scanty that it is not safe to 'send these baby chickens up 'for sale ~, unless specially ordered. * * • — Those . who have the ca^e. of young turkeys should always be "careful to notice the excrements of the birds, for they are apt to have constipation, and where the back passage becomes clogged there is very little hope of recovery. As the birds are so frail they must have a constant supply of nourishing food, and them must be an out- I let for the waste material. - — Central , Product Mart. Moray place, Beilly, Scott, and Gill, proorietors* report for week endintr Saburclav, the 18th inst- : — Poultry have come to hand in fair numbers, the bulk unfortnriatelv being' very, thin. Good y*ung chickens have keen inquiry, And command high prices. We cataloe-ued- some -500 birds, .. and sold — : Hmis 2s, 2s 4d. 2s 6rl, 3s. ..and 3s- od per , nair. youne roosters 3s. 33" 6d, 4s 6d. and 5s 6d. Ducklings realised 3s 6d, 4s, 4s 6d. and ss. and rhicks 4s per ' nair. No ! game* on offer. Turkey gobblers made 6£d to Bd. and hens 5Ad per lb. Esrgs have been in keen demand. We cleared our consignment of case epgs at lWd to Is : stamned and o-uarantee-d, Is to Is Id, and confidently recommend consignments. 'Butter realised 6£rl to 9d per lb, and pigs are wanted at 5Jd. EGG-LA YlKfi TOM PETITIONS. * CHRISTCHURCH, January 13. The returns of the duck egg-laying comt petition to the 14th inst. are: — Knijrht 31, Williams 11, Rulieu 20, Spisrs 10, Cuff 21, Smithers 21. Kitchinjr 18, Kearns 12, Lucy j 24. Gage 2, Dowthwaite 30, Hahur 14-, Woodward 8. Gibbons 7." Scott 25, Pen- ] I berthy 34, West 36, Knijrht 11, Savage 27, . Butler 14. The best totals to date are : — > Dowthwaite 830, Scott 787, Knight 763. 1 January 19. In the. Utility Poultry Club's egg-laying competition at Lincoln College the number of eegs laid last week was 817. making a total of 36.461 to date." The best layings were:— A. V. W. Clarke /silver Wyandottes), 30- F. Allen Petrie (silver Wyandottes), 29 ; G. Brittan (white Leghorns). 29 ; W. ANixon (white Leghorns). 28; W. O. Sail (white LcghornsK 26; G. Robinson (white | Leghorns), 26; W. A. Nixon (silver Wvan- . dottes), 26; Miss Rita Nixon (white Leghorns), 25. The highest totals to dale are: — Allan Potrie (white Leghorns), 1017; J. Tonge (white Leghorns). 971; Miss Rita Nixon (white Leghorns), 966; W. Forrest (black Orpingtons). 941; W. O. Sail (white Leghorns). 933; F. G. Brittan (white Leghorns), 897. • BLENHEIM, January 17. In the Blenheim egg-laying competition the highest for the week were: — Scott .kgbit* .TrfurWnal 30, Law (white Leeborns) \.

■' "•-~-«Cr<;> < *"w. < *' < "' mmm »— *■ i n ' '■» 28, Br-tuie'tfe (silver Wyandottes) 2iv O'Donohue (white Wyandottes) 27. Th* higihest to date are:— Law (white Leghorns) 957, SilocMk (white Leghorns) 946, Tricharl (white Lflghorns) 943, Hawke (white Leg* horns) 925, Brown (white Leghorns) 924. The total for the week was 1683, and th«r total to date 70,179. - . GREYMO'DTH, January 19. The results of the thirty-seventh week of the New Zealand Poultry Journal's, duck 'egg-laying competition shows two of Mr Douthwaite's pens lead with 860 eggs. Mr Scott, of -Warehou, being second with. 806, and Mr W. Knight third with 800. The best three for the week were: W Knight, 37 eggs; S. West,- 37; A. Penberthy, 36. N.Z. POULTRY JOURNAL DUCK EGGLAYING- COMPETITION T Following are the results of the above competition to January 14 (six ducks to the pen): — > - Total for Total t« week, date; vV. Knight, I. H 81 763 Williams and Simpson, B. O. 11 694 Carl Ruben, I. B. . . 20 745 A. B. Spiers, B. O. ■ . "10 ' 688 W. Cuff, I. E._ .... 21 689 T. R. Smithers; B. O. . " 21 541 J.- Hitching, I. R. .... 18 £01 . "R. L."Kearns.Pekins . 12 434 "Mrs Lucy, 1. 'JR...-. " .-,-24, , 709 -James G-age." Pekins ... 2 "-.,362 Dowthwaite, I. B.'.'. 30 830 Mrs Hahn, Pekins . .. 14 - 445 G. Woodward, ' L ' R. .- . '8 ' 1 U.l F. Gibhpnß. 8.-O. "..".. . 7 684 „, Scott and Wareham, I. E. ...25 . -787 A. Eenberthy,.l. E -34 768 Theo. West, I. B. .. ..36 728 W. Knight. B. 0 11 636 Savage and Walk«r. I. K. .. 27 618 Mrs O. Butler, I. E. .. .. 14 513 ' 370 12,631 Three best for week: — Theo. West. A. "Pen» berthy, W. Knight. Three best to date-— T. Dowthwaite, Scott and Wareham, W. Knight.