POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 98, 15 June 1911, Page 2

POULTRY COLUMN.

MATING TO PRODUCE EXHIBITION FOWLS. (From an American Exchange.) . The Essential Desiderata. Mating to produce exhibition [owls is indeed a dnlicult task. First ;n impol Lance I consider the health and vigour of the individual birds; second, their past records as producers ol exhibition. birds; third, the any in which they unite together as to ancestral and individual qualities; next, the blood lines hack to the ereaders; and last, their individual qualities a > exhibition specimens. 1 place heal til and vigour hrst, because unhealthy specimens or those lacking in constitutional (il they produce chicks at all) pro.iace weak chicks which will be slow to i.mtute, ulidersizcd; dull, laded plume.ged specimens, incapable to stand much showing, and will not take the beautiful poses in the show room that more vigorous birds will; also, because them arc twice as many chances of producing exhibition birds from a dOUegg hen as from a 100-egg nen. Sext an order comes me selection according to their past records as breeders of exhibition birds. .Main birds have bad individual qualities, but coming from a long line <U winners, arc pioduccrs of exhibition bil ls. Un the other hand, pme-wnm rs w 11 sometimes produce nothing b it ‘•nils, even thongn they are of »he best el blood. Here is whore tno trap-nest and pedigree breeding arc valuable in tolling tne .producing value -ir hens. Had the Maine Experiment Station selected birds that were prducers ot d(JL)-ogg liens instead of selecting 200egg liens to use as breedois, it would ’liavo built up a phenomenal laying strain/’ The same applies in breeding 'exhibition' birds: ' A producer of 95point birds is more valuable as a 'breeder ! tliah a’ 95-point bird whose producing dualities' are unknowni. A bird generally produces the qualities of its ancestors for several genel atioirs back in its progeny, stronger than those of its own, and it may produce the qualities of its ancestors car ten or fifteen years back. Hence the value of breeders selected from good blood linos.

However, one should always bo careful in selecting the bird good individual qualities, remembering that oven if these qualities are not produced Upon its progeny, they will lain the blood of the progeny and liable to crop , out at any future time. 'limrcniihds me of the experience, of • a breeder who used a cockerel having a crooked too to head one of his breeding pens. This defect was not produced upon the progeny of the cockerel, nor aid it,appear in the stock for ton years, lint ten years after using the cockerel all the chicks reared from one peli had. the same crooked toe or the name foot.

The individual qualities and cnaraotei’istics, of. a bird used for breeding always, became ancestral qualities in its progeny, and are bound to bo asserted i'h the future progeny at some time. Whole two birds score the caine and one has a number of minor defects and the other less defects but more glaring, always select the former. . The reason for this selection isTh/it the lesser defects are much more easily overcome in the progeny -hr nigh the influence of the female, chan t the greater. , ' Line Breeding. . In order to produce exhibition buds ol tue highest quality in large numbers it is neccssaiy to lino-breed. One cannot get much good from a line individual .by. always,.iqattijg it. with unrelated birds, Per instance, suppose a cookciel No. 1 is mated with an unrelated ‘lien No. 2. The progeny>of this mating will bo one-half of the cockerel No. 1, and one-Jialf tlie blood of lien No. 2. if the pullets arc again mated with an unrelated male their progeny will be but one-quurtei the .blood ol cockerel No. 1, and the pullets from this mating mated with all unrelated male would produce progeny orio-eighth the blood of cockerel iso.* 1, etc. Tims one can readily see that unless inbreeding is practised the good qualities of .. an individual bird arc being constantly bred out of its progeny. But by . inbreeding or mating a bird back to its progeny each season its blood is being concentrate 1' and perpetuated in the strain, h’or instance, the-lirst season that a cockerel is mated with Ids pullets the progeny will bo throe-quartoi s the blood of the qockerel, tlie next season sovoncigbhs, - the next liftoon-sixtcentus, etc. \ • This ilibreding concentrates and mtensilios the bad as well as good qualities of a. bird, so if a bird having a slight physical weakness, such as weak hpigs or liver, is inbred several goner atiqns the progohy will possess this weiikness in a much greater degree unless mated with a view to overcoming it. If one could detect the physical woakhoss of his birds in time so as never to mate together two birds inlying tbo same weakness, he could inbreed continuously. But wo cannot always do this, and it is therefore. necessary to introduce now blood at. times. There has never been a bred or strain of fowls excelling in cither ohg production, size, or fancy points without line breeding. Thu Actual Mating. in mating my pens I select the fount led lirst, putting all the females ol one typo in quo pen and those .f another typo in another pen, and then select the males to mate with them. 1 ill fit go to tho house containing nly lions that have been previously used for: breeding, and that have proved themselves prepotent breeders ol’ tlleir good qualities. Of those I select all that are of tbo same blood and ty pb and put -them in one pen. Thcti I select from the pullets, lirst cnllihg out all that are ol only utility value it l l cl then selecting those that are of the same type and closely relit ted. to the liens, and put them in the pod with tho liens. ! may have several dozen birds that closely resemble each other, lint I put them all in the same pair, and then select tho male to mate with them. The male should be strong in the points wherein tlie females are wonlc. The male has the hlost influence on the colour and ebarnctei istics of the progeny, and the females in tlie size and shape. I like to use a male a little over standard weight, bowcvoi, as they arc stronger birds. One should never use a bird that is of exceptional size for tlie breed and strain, however, as such males me generally sexually weak. Alter selecting tho male that will best mate with the females, I then take up tho question of how many females ho should be mated with. Aiiieii depends upon the females, but considering that tile females are heavy layers, tbo following figures are correct: If a large, vigorous cockerel be can be mated with toil females; a yearling cockerel with twelve females; a two-year-old with eight, and a three-year-old with six, etc.

'liioru :iro maiiy you: lillcockerels tliul. will not nroporly mate with iis many fo.malos as a cockerel, hut tluit ■s because they havo heca aliased and imp: opei ly cared tor. Pronerly cared tor, a inal". is at his Ivst both as a I nv a I’d hreediup; iiiid hel.weou the Ur. I a.ud r vend mmiltian: season. I ! ut ’■V. ; h' '• i'r.v males that receive

proper care during and after the tune L.laL tiicy U;0 being I'iGi.d TiJi nrcc<ii ag. When the females in a pan arc fed the proper amount their gallant mat-:-cals scarcely enough to an,stain himcoif. For this reason ho should ho lad onto a day away Mom the Son.ales. A good «a t to do tills is to put him out in the yard just after going to roost and shut the females in fire house. Me can then ho fed a handinl of mixed grains and coarse he'd straps before letliag him in Mm house again. - After the breeding season the males should be put in nans by themselves or with half-grown (nicks. If allowed to run with feiaales, t!;oy waste their \itality and injure the moulting lion;;. 1 never lot a cod: bird run with mature females from the time ho begins to moult till he is mated for brooding—about December loth. If one will pedigree his birds and keen icoords of the results ol nil lomales, lie will soon bo able to if II almost to a certainty what cadi mating will produce, but it takes careful study and a thorough knowledge of both* the individual bird and its ancestors. DISTINGUISHING BREEDS IN DAY-OLD CHICKS. This is often a vexed problem, and causes anxiety to many poultrykeepers. Although it is hardly possible to distinguish all pure breeds when hatched, yet most of them can if a little practice is obtained. If a man sets one hundred mixed pure-bred eggs, it is next-door to impossible to keep them all separate when they come out, and if a certain number of any particular breed is desired it becomes imperative that he should know, as near as possible, what he has already got. The ignorance displayed on this subject is surprising, but I will endeavour to explain, as clearly as possible, bow many popular jnire breeds can be selected, even from cross-breds, when only one day old. White Leghorns artel White Orpingtons. Sometimes chickens of entirely different. breeds are as much alike as two peas to the casual observer; take the White Leghorn and White Orpington, nine men out of ton could not toll any difference. Yet on examination it will bo noted) that White Orpington chickens are a little more com by in appearance, thicker in neck, and the comb is seldom as pronounced. The colour of the logs is hardly safe to go by, at such a tender ago. Houdan chickens can always he told by tho black spot on the top of the head, and the customary iive toes. Anconns resemble them very much in colour, but have only four toes. Tho Faverolles can ho distinguished by the beard, or muff, at the side of the face, and also the feathered logs. White Wyandotte chickens have always rose combs, which can readily bo'soon, although when single-comb-ed specimens are thrown those could not hp differed from White Leghorns. Barred Rocks have a little grey patch at the top of the head; if this is not distinctly visible, they will turn out black, and most likely be pullets. Sometimes black cockerels come from'a barred pen, but it is not often.

Qlach Minorcas and Black Leghorns. Black Minorca chickens are difficult to tell from Black Leghorns, but they are usually darker in log colour, more especially under the solo of the loot. Partridge Wyandottes and Brown Leghorns are much ■ alike in colour, but here again the rose comb of the Wyandotte stands out in addition to the heavier build, and general all-round cobbiness. Blue Andalusian chickens often hatch out all, colours but those that are strictly blue are the only ones that will ever bo true to colour. The white or spotted chickens will never change, and this is really what keeps the Andalusian from becoming popular. Buff Orpingtons generally hatch a nice yellow colour, something after the stylo of a new sovereign, and arc very pretty 7 . Breeds like the White Orpington and tho White Rock cannot be distinguished from each other with safety until they are a few weeks old, still most breeds can, and the knowledge is often very useful. WINTER LAYING. Winter laying is a matter of hatclung rather than breed. Almost any pullets, if batched during Sept, and October and well housed and fed, will commence in the late autumn, and lay regularly all through tho winter. The former month is more suitable for the heavy or sitting breeds, since they require longer time in which to mature. Good or bad laying depends much on strain. \Vo have had Mmorcas which were properly housed and fed, kept in a eovorod-in run, and protected from wind and rain, that have, hiring winter, laid as many eggs as any breed ; and, on the other hand, wo have had Miuorcas, kept under the same conditions, that were useless for winter eggs. Shelter and warmth, with proper feeding, will work wonders with a non-sitting breed; but there must bo a good strain with which to begin. NOTES. I understand that a local fancier has purchased a pen of ten hens, lull sisters to tho pen which put up a Ni w Zealand record at the last Competition and that these arc mated with a Padman Cockerel. Amongst other pons which have come to this district are one of Irvine’s American Leghorns and pens of the same breeder’s White Wyandottes and Black Langshans. 1 should lie pleased to learn whether any other good birds have come into the district. It is intended that this column ••.hall appear on Thursdays in future, and ! should bo obliged if any of my readers who have information will let mo have same on Tuesday at the latest. MEW ZEALAND UTILITY POUT. TRY CLUB’S EGG-LAYING COMPETITION. During the tenth week of the Now Zealand Utility 7 Poultry Club’s seventh egg-laying compet'd ion foi fowls. 105)0 eggs were laid, bunging tlie total to date to 7710. Mi Bradley (W.L.) ... 2di G. H. Robinson (B.O.) ... 2(5* T. Kennedy (S.W.) ... ... 2‘U Horetaungs, Poidhy Co. (W.L.) 22.7 A. T’issb (W.L.) 2ld A. R. Brown (W.L.) 2U I leivtannga Point! v Co. (W.L.) 2H' A. E. Wilson (WAV.) ... ... 200 A. R. Brown (W.L.) ... ... ! ;)'■ I). Y. Gibson (W.L.) ... ... liU Mr R. W. Hawkins (W.L.) ... UK' Edgar Hall (B.O) IS! COMPETITIONS LOR DUCKS. Dining tbo same week 210 egg; laid in tji<> fbmk competition, making the total I odd to date. Tb< following am (lie i alums for the different pens : Tol Total lot 1 a wreck cl it Horst'o'nga Poultry , heb (X ilvorr.li earn), I ndi - an Ron lies ~ oj o-e W. Kni'dit (Hath, Indian ir ~ ... 01 27