POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4028, 26 May 1931, Page 31

POULTRY NOTES.

By Terror. I have been shown a device for testing eggs for or during incubation. It is a small pocket affair into which an egg can be placed as in an eggcup. When the egg is in position an electric contact is effected, with the result that the interior of the egg is illuminated so that size of air space, texture of shell, and degree of staleness can readily be seen. An advertisement by Mr Charles Bills which appears above these notes gives further particulars. The twenty-seventh Papamii egg-laying competition has now been running 34 days—i.e., to the Sth inst. —and some of the birds are beginning to give evidence of quality. A black Orpington owned by Mr J. Campbell has laid 34 eggs in the 34 days, and an Indian runner duck owned by Mr H. A. Dawber baa gone one better, having produced 35 eggs. She laid eight eggs during the last seven days of the report. During the winter months it is almost impossible to overfeed the majority of hens. If the birds eat all the feed thrown to them, however liberal the supply may be, they are not overfed. If after they are satisfied food is left on the ground, it is not a case of overfeeding, because the fowls have not eaten the surplus, but it is a case of waste on the part of the attendant, which may lead to sickness amongst the fowls through their subsequently eating the food after it has become soured or soiled. Fowls must be fed all they will eat in the cold weather or they cannot be expected to lay well, for it must be remembered that to keep up their bodily temperature more food is required in the winter than in the summer, and consequently they must have an extra supply for egg-making when the weather is cold. I believe that one of the chief reasons why many poultry people complain that they cannot get eggs from birds of good strain in the winter is because they underfeed. If it can be obtained, a little maize should be adde 1 to the morning mash, as maize is an excellent warmth-producer. It is well, notwithstanding the foregoing remarks, to understand that the best time to give the fully satisfying meal is just before roosting time. It is not a good plan to so satisfy a flock of birds in the early winter morning that they will spend an hour or two standing about in the cold. After their morning meal there should still be the incentive to scratch about the yard, the range, or amongst the litter in the scratching shed. It is not so much the well-fed fowls that lay well, in either winter or summer, as it is the active, industrious birds.

First crosses are as a rule hardy, vigorous, and prolific. They are well worth producing, for they more than pay for their keep, but they should never be bred from. Chickens bred from first crosses are mongrels, from which nothing satisfactory should be expected. They will lay eggs, of course, but the food anil attention they require would be better repaid by purebreds or by first crosses, like their parents. Irrespective of egg returns, however, there is the satisfaction which the owner of purebreds or first crosses receives when he shows visitors his live stock. Purebreds are always admired whatever the breed may be, and first crosses (particularly from sex-linked pairs) are always interesting, if, as they should be, they are the result of deliberate mating by 7 the owner. Every poultry keeper some time or other imagines that a given cross would give certain results, and if, on trying it, he is successful he is proud enough of his achievement to “ crow ” about it when opportunity offers. Some first crosses are uniform in appearance, and give the ■asual onlooker the impression that they are purebreds; in other cases they are “ all sorts,” having a mongrel appearance. But whatever their appearance, they invariably respond satisfactorily to good feeding, etc., by good laying, attaining weight rapidly', and without exception can. I think, be relied upon to go broody in the proper season. Health and Vigour.—An authority on poultry culture says : “The experience of batcherymen near and far has taught the poultry industry that for greatest health, vigour, and stamina there cannot be in practical use a better place to raise such fowl and produce fertile, hatchable eggs to turn .into baby chicks than on the general farm in the hands of an intelligent man or woman who likes poultry', enjoys working with it, and realises that here is to-day the best spot-cash crop the average farm produces. Domestic fowl to be healthy and vigorous must have exercise, plenty of fresh air, pure water, and good, wholesome feed. As a rule, give me the farmer’s wife, if she is fond of poultry, and I know I’ll get what I need in the way- of eggs in order to hatch large, fluffy baby' chicks, ensure quickgrowing young stock, and birds that will

develop rapidly into vigorous, productive adults. This is not a matter of guesswork with me, because 1 paid the price to find out.”

Reilly’s Report.—A keen demand for stud poultry', and sales are being made at from 10s to 25s each for first-class birds. Me sold:—Hens—lB at 6s 2d, 11 6s. 14 5s Bd, 18 5s 6d, 17 5s 4d, 18 ss, 13 4s 6d, 16 4s 2d, 24 4s, 10 3s lOd, 39 3s BJ, 19 3s 6d, 20 3s 4d. 42 3s 2d, 32 3s, 10 2s lOd. 12 2s Bd, 16 2s 6d, 4 2s 4d, 9 2s; cockerels—2 9s, 13 Bs, 13 7s lOd. 12 7s 6d, 13 7s 2d, 13 6s Bd, 7 6s, 6 5s lOd, 14 5s 4d, 8 ss, 13 4s 6d, 14 4s 2d, 6 4s, 6 3s 6d, 2 2s lOd, 7 2s 6d, 5 2s 2d; ducks—2 8s 6d, 4 Bs, 4 7s 6d, 3 7s, 7 6s 2d, 9 5s 6d, 3 5s 2d, 3 ss, 2 4s Bd. a4s Gd - , 12 4s i pullets—l2 17s Gd, 15 44 12s > 14 Us; geese—6 7s Bd, 3 /s 2d; bantams— i 4s 4d, 2 2s Bd, all at per pair.” Eggs.—These are slow of sale, at 2s 3d to 2s 4d per dozen, but with the show next week we anticipate a keener demand.

WINGED “ WATCHDOGS.” According to “Peter Simple,” of the Morning Post (England), geese are again in demand as watchdogs ”in many parts of the country where poultry farming is carried on upon a large scale, and where m consequence there are at regular seasons great quantities of eggs ready to be transported to central markets. “I heard during the last day- or two of two cases, i n one of which 2000 C"<'s and in the other 5000 eggs had been stolen during the night from locked sheds. On one ot the farms concerned a do<r is kept, but, being allowed to sleep''indoors, probably heard nothing of the midnight marauders. Several' of those who had been similarly robbed are no longer putting their trust in watchdogs, but are turning for protection, or rather tor vanning, to flocks of geese. Geese are not likely to allow any intruder to pass unheralded. How keen the goose’s senses are,’ wrote AV. H. Hudson; ‘how undimmed by ages of captivity the ancient instinct ° i "" a4<dl4 ulness is everyone must know who has slept in lonely country houses.' ” THE CAUSE OF THE SMALL EGG. Small eggs are due to several causes, which are set out by a Home paper as follows: — 1. Heredity—that is, breeding from small-egg hens and from hens that as pullets laid a very large number of small eggs, although' their eggs are now of full size; above all, breeding from male birds the sons of small-egg hens. .2. Undue forcing of the pullets by giving too much fish meal or meat meal or large quantities of soft food. This causes the pullets to lay too soon before they are fully developed, and the consequence is they lay a very' small egg. 3. Hatching too late. The"" latehatched pullet—that is. the late May. the June, and the July pullet [Xovember, December, and January- in New Zealand] —are the worst offenders .as layers of small eggs. The sisters of these pullets that were early hatched may- be laying eggs of quite good size, while the late batches lay small eggs far into the spring. Late hatching is one of the most srious drawbacks to Irish poultry keeping. The first cause of the small egg can be avoided by taking particular care of the size of egg set. Like produces like, and this is especially- true of qualities like egg size. There is, however, a danger of rushing to the other extreme. Abnormally- large eggs (not double yolked) as a rule’do not hatch as well as those of a more moderate size. The ideal hatching egg is the 2’oz egg. The poultry keeper who sets eggs below 2oz in weight is looking for trouble, and will find it once the next crop of pullets starts to lay. TWENTY-SIXTH PAPANUI EGGLAYING COMPETITION. The awards varned by exhibitors in the Papanui egg-laying competition conducted for 51 weeks ended March 28 last are as follows :— TEST I—SINGLE BIRD CONTEST.

—Winter Test.— T. D. Dalziel, 62 eggs. —Autumn Test.— Mrs Hillis. 62 eggs. T. D. Dalziel awarded the J. 11. Shaw Memorial Cup. TEST 2—WHITE LEGHORNS. (Owner Enters Three Birds.)

(Single Bird.) A. Woollev, 96. T. D. Dalziel, 96. (Three Birds.) R. Heazlewood, 275 eggs. —Autumn Test.— (Single Bird.) A. M. Espie, 71 eggs. (Three Birds.) A. M. Espie 188 eggs. Three Birds Laying Greatest Weight of Eggs. Tracey King, 18220 z 13drs. (Best Exhibition Pen.) W. Keen, 23J points. (Three Bird Aggregate.) eggs. R Heazlewood 829 A. M. Espie 821 L. Tracey King 821 J. Nancarrow .. ~ . . 797 J. C. Wilson 792 D. Christie 777 W. Turner 761 W. L. Donald 744 Tracey King .. .. .. .. 742 A. C. Goodlet 727 Green Bros 726

TEST 3—BLACK ORPINGTONS. Weight. TT OZ. dr. 11. Cotton 298 60i 6 T —Winter Test.—■ 11. Cotton, 65 eggs. (Three Birds.) L. P. Hawke, 110 eggs. „„ „ —Autumn Test.—• 11. Cotton, 65 eggs. (Three Birds.) L. P. Hawke, 110 eggs. (Three Hens Laying Greatest Weight.) H. P. Hawke, 12340 z 12dr. —Three Bird Aggregate.—• (Black Orpingtons.) L. P. Hawke, 545. A. It. Leckie, 505. (No award reported.) TEST 4—ANY VARIETY LIGHT OR HEAVY BREEDS. (Three Bird Aggregates.) cj tt •»».. . .. . . eggs. oz. dr. S. IL Mitchell. (Ancona) 256 555 g (No award reported.) ! TEST S—FLOCK5 —FLOCK TEAM BIRDS. i (Six Birds.)

—Winter Test.— W. E. Ward, 524 eggs. _ „ —Autumn Test.— I‘. G. S. Chapman, 348 eggs. rJ’°u, u ? La >' in S Greatest Weight.— J. Bobbitt, 30970 z 7dr. —Best Exhibition Team.— M. C. Craig, 1231 points. TEST 6—DECKS.

—Winter T’est.— (Single Duck.) H. A. Dawber, 111 eggs. J. W. Thomson, 111 eggs. —Three Ducks.— 11. A. Dawber, 298 eggs. —Autumn Test.— (Single Duck.) A. G. F. Ross, 75 eggs. (Three Ducks.) G. A. Heath, 210 eggs. (Best Exhibition Duck.) F. R. Colton, 22J points. -5. (Three Duck Aggregate.) G. A. Heath (1.R.) 929 eggs. —Studholme Test.— R. Heazlewood, 99.68 points. —Liggins’s Leghorn Shield.— J. Bobbitt, 144.57 points. —Wyandotte Shield.—S. H. Mitchell, 136.27 points. —Orpington Shield.—• A. R. Leckie, 146.33 points. —Duck Challenge Shield.— G. A. Heath, 95.96 points. TAIERI POULTRY SOCIETY 7 . Mr R. Smeaton occupied the chair at the monthly meeting of the Taieri Poultry' Society. There was a good attendance of members. A letter was read from Mr G. Nicholson agreeing to the society's terms for judging at the show. It was decided to ask Mr J. Jowsey to judge the light breeds as well as the heavy ones. Mosgiel Woollen Mills notified its willingness to give a prize of the same value as last year. The remainder of the business was of a routine nature, and at its close it was resolved to meet again on June 13.

No. eggs. Weight oz. dr. T. D. Dalziel 285 646 13 E. J. Hillis . . . . 283 579 15 Tracey King 274 618 A. C. Goodlet (4th, but no award) 262 597 5

No. Weight R. Heazlewood oz. 660 dr. 9 J. Nancarrow .. 300 629 13 M. C. Craig 360 669 R. Heazlewood 295 614 13 S. E. Davey 293 615 8 Tracey King 289 614 2 A. Woolley 286 605 1 D. Christie 2 S3 568 W. Keen 283 580 8 Tracey King 282 565 15 A. M. Espie 277 580 14 Green Bros. 277 573 0 T. D. Dalziel .. 277 616 0. Olson . . 276 500 9 M. C. Craig 276 599 5 J Wilde .. .. 276 673 o J. C. Wilson 275 557 13 A. M. Espio 274 563 11 A. SI. Espie 273 567 «_> —Winter Test.—

Weight J. Bobbitt egfis. 140!) oz. 3097 (1 r. G. 11. Bradford 1410 2978 s M. C. Craig . . 1382 1 W. E. Ward .. .. 1350 2821 7

II. A. Dawber . . G. A. Heath 330 904 823 15 11 G. A. Heath 30S 737 13 R. W. Hawke . . 304 815 13 F. A. Ashworth G. Itoss 302 301 794 SG4 9 8