THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 301, 15 August 1929, Page 6

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

— j BREEDING STOCK. Success in the hatching and rearing f chickens depends primari*y on the fitness of the parent stock, and every possible care should be taken in their .selection. Such an important matter as the selection of hens for the breed ir.g pen should not be left, as it is too often, until the close of the laying season, and then done in a hurry just before they are required for maiing up. , Selecting for this purpose should be carried on continuou ly throughout the year, and needs to be based on an accurate knowledge of the general health and physical condition of the birds, as well as their laying powers. No hen, however good her pedigree or her own laying record, should be included in the breeding pen if at any time she has shown any signs of con. stitutional or physical weakness. The only reliable guide to the laying qualities of birds is to keep a re cord of the eggs laid by each individual hen by means of the single pen or the trap nest. Tht single pen is the better method. *

as in addition to supplying the laying; record of the hen it affords special, facilities for studying her individual character, but it is, unfortunately, far f too costly, and pedigree breeders, alm.>l without exception, rely on tne trap nest. In the absence of any such recordsthe b feeder is forced to rely, in selecting his breeding stock, on certain external signs or characters which are legarded as more or less reliable indications of the good layer. Of those general indications, the following are huiong the most reliaole; productiveness during the winter months, lateii* .-g m moulting, tameness, a good jcgular appetite, and, in the case of yellow fleshed birds, a gradual loss as Mie laying season progresses of pigmentation iu the shanks, beak, and. othcr parts of the bouy. Other signs indicative of egg-laying, capacity are an alert carriage, with a j getn'ial appearance of sprightliness j and vivacity, and the feathering should j be close and compact. li’Le following points should also be lookoc for iu each hen selected for the breeding pen. The head rather Ismail, finely drawn and well set on 'a owfwhat thin neck of medium y !• ength; the beak short and thick at .tie case, the face clean and free from, wrinkles; the eye bright, rather prominent and with a large pupil; the comb fine in texture, neither too small nor "beefy,** and together with the wadies it should feel like silk to the touch. The back should be long and broad especially across the saddle; the breast full and the body deep and wedge-shaped when view d from side,, top. and rear, w tli considerable widtn b hind, set on legs rather short, fine in bone, and wide apart. ! While there should be no signs of fst, the body should be warm and fl *shy. Cold shanks and feet indicate poor constitution. The pelvic bbnesshould be pliable, straight, and thin, with no lumpiness at the ends. Tne distance between these bones and the end of the breastbone should be as great as possible to provide the neccssary * 1 roominess** without which a ‘ bird cannot possess fully developed organs. As regards s'ze, it is essential the bird sh ould lie well up to the standard A lived for the breed, as there is a general tendency to lose size as the result of breeding for increased egg production.