Poultry Keepers Guide

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 38, 7 May 1927, Page 20 (Supplement)

Poultry Keepers Guide

BY.

GEORGE H. AMBLES.

GENERAL NOTES

We have received an advance copy of the Taranaki Agricultural Society’s Winter Show, which will be held at New Plymouth on June S, 9 and 10. In addition to a long list of special prizes, several valuable cups and trophies will be competed for, including:—The Nolan Cup, £lO 10s, silver cup, for best young bird in show. The Hawkins Silver Cup. for best utility bird in light breed section. The Taranaki Fanciers’ Trophy, for best Buff Pekin. The A. and P. Association have also allocated a 5-guinea trophy to the best bird in each of the following breeds: Orpington, any variety. Plymouth Rocks, any variety. Wyandottes, any variety. American Leghorns. Bantams, any variety. English Leghorns, best young bird. English Leghorns, best adult bird. The following North Island championships will also be competed for: English White Leghorns. White Wyandottes. Utility Ducks. Pigeons.—Tumblers, African Owls. In adidtion to the two Richardson cups the society has allocated five 3-guinea cups for pigeons. * * » Mr. Finlayson, Henderson has decided to take up duck-breeding, having purchased a first-class breeding pen of three ducks and one drake of Khaki-Campbells from Mr. Geo. IT. Ambler. One of the ducks is a daughter of Mr. Ambler’s duck which laid 318 eggs in 50 weeks at the Mount Albert laying test. * * * We are often asked the question: “Is poultry-keeping suitable for women?” In our travels we often come across women who are making more than “pin money” from their poultry, one in particular being Mrs. Lindsey, Glen Eden. This lady commenced poultry-keeping less than two years ago with a broody hen and a sitting of utility eggs from a well-known strain, with the result that she has now somewhere in the vicinity of 150 head of beautiful Black 'Orpingtons and White Leghorns, over 80 of them being this year’s pullets. As a good many of the latter are in full lay they are more than paying their way. In fact, Mrs. Lindsey informed us she had never been a day without eggs since her first pullets commenced laying about 18 months ago. The result is she has two large poultry houses built out of the profits. There is quite a number of women, placed just as favourably as was Mrs. Lindsey, who could bring about the same success.

Mr. V. Hanson, who has for several years held such a strong hand in the variety bantams, has sold practically all his bantams and built a house standing on li acres at Mount Albert, where he intends taking up one of the large breeds of poultry.

The Poultry Farmers’ Association of New South Wales has arranged for a trial shipment of maize to be sent to Sydney from South Africa. The cost on rail at Sydney will be 5s 8d a bushel. This, says “Poultry,” Sydney, is from 6d to Is a bushel less than the retailers’ prices in Sydney. The ment is stated to be prime quality and kiln dried. Members only are entitled to receive any of the shipment, and the same price is to be paid for large or small lots.

It is with regret that we have to chronicle the death, at the early age of 49, of Mr. Montgomery, of Henderson.

The deceased, who was one of the best-known breeders of utility Black Orpingtons in the Auckland Province, has been a competitor in the Auckland laying tests for several years, one of his teams of Orpingtons winning the competition at Mount Albert some two or three years ago. Mr. Montgomery was employed on the s.s. Rangitoto, where he was found unconscious on the boat's arrival at the Thames a week ago and conveyed to the Thames Hosptial, where he died on Sunday morning. The funeral took place on Tuesday at Waikumete Cemetery, and it was: with regret that we were unable to attend the interment and thus pay our last respects to an old friend.

To his sorrowing- wife and son we extend our heartfelt sympathy and in doing so we feel sure we are expressing the wishes of all those who knew the deceased gentleman.

POULTRY FARMING

HOW TO COMMENCE LEARN ABOUT THE BUSINESS If your enthusiasm holds to poultryfarming and you are not a fool and not afraid of work, and you feel competent to begin, then begin as best you can. Now, at first sight, there does not seem anything very troublesome about this advice, but there is one part of it you must be quite sure about —that you do honestly feel competent to begin. Because if you do, it means that you have taken the necessary and commonsense precaution to have learnt all it has so far been possible for you to learn about the business, either through study and experience gained of the fowls you have kept yourself, or as a pupil on a farm run by a successful breeder of repute, or as a “hand” on a commercial poultry farm, or by some other means you have adopted, so long as you have gained real and practical knowledge. This is most important, as you can, if you are net foolish over practical matters, Are into the business side of the enterprise while you are going along, and the rest will be accomplished by constant hard work. DON’T LISTEN TO ADVICE About to begin, it will be an unusual accident if you miss the important person who burns to pour fatherly advice over you. Do not listen to him. Your knowledge is your best capital, and the brains you have been endowed with your best cash in hand: and if you are not too proud at the outset to sell your own produce with your own hands, then you can at once write down several extra hundreds of pounds to the credit side of your account.

And there are the cautious experts who will deliver to you such a formula as this: “It is esesntial, in order to undertake poultry farming, that you should have sufficient income to live upon for a year or more and enough capital to safely capitalise your business. Then you may embark in a small way, but go very slowly.” Most careful and profound wisdom! And by no means reckless, either. But is it not so simply obvious? Why, then, is poultry-farming treated either as some will-o’-the-wisp or as something for nothing? Because it certainly proves a will-o’-the-wisp to those who try to follow it when they have failed to make a sucess of everything else at all possible to them. However, it never turns out to be something for nothing. Well, does any other work that has to be done for a living? Poultry-farming is just as real work as any, more exacting and continuous, though, on the whole, much more pleasant than most occupations. Poultry-farming as a business has to compete in the commercial world, and only the competent reach the winning post. A CLERK’S EFFORTS I knew a man who left the office where he was employed as a clerk, his small salary in his pocket, and actually started in business with the few birds he had kept in his back garden. On more than one occasion his rates and rent were paid only in the nick of time. But, by faith in himself and the energy to persevere doggedljr, he certainly earned a living, if a small one. That was encouragement enough. He was yet his own master, and the hope of becoming absolutely independent and free in the fascinating open-air life he had thrown up his city clerkship for spurred him on. When, occasionally, trade fell off a little, he simply worked twice as hard, so that in a few years he had taken a farm with a commodious house and several acres of land. Here, after a while, he took two or three resident pupils, and was earning as many pounds a month as he had previously earned shillings when a clerk. Ah, it was those pupils frho set him and kept him upon his feet, you may think; he was a boarding-house keeper to more effect than a poultry-farmer. Well, perhaps he was both, and no doubt the pupils were a source of profit; but, mind, only after he had firmly estab-

fished. entirely by his own eff o „ successful and satisfactory »- farm. He could not have keptJ! Ul! b when he commenced with his, 4 fowls in the back garden. Xo- h» a poultry-farmer first, not a fruit * poultry-farmer, nor a pip and farmer, nor a boardinpe-house and poultry-farmer. Neither waV 1 ? a wonder nor a senius. but j u „ * ordinary man who had learnt how v rr. n a business of his own. ® ’ And it is most probable that the ' st.lt would have been eomparatlw.' Quite as successful in any other bn ness he might have preferred. SEEKING A PLACE Now. when you are ready to there is otten a tiresome difwT which, of necessity, must be overt„ somehow —seeking a suitable place poultry-farming. At the same s'* it is neit made easier by the fact o' just those choice spots paxticuhS desired are always much in dem.,. although—and this is where you in if you are lucky or shrewd changing hands. Human nature " never satisfied or at rest, and a v«wise dispensation this is. especially 7 the life of this Dominion of ours, wh.* suitable land handy to our best mar j is so hard to get. Set out to find no fewer than m, acres of land. On 20 or 50 a really *, ancern can be arranged. More" jr, cisely, the area you will require pends upon the particular method decide to develop. That is to aav • you prefer the natural eaten*; method of free range, 50 acree serve better than 20, and if the aes intensive method of wired-in gras* runs, 15 should give you room enene and even a modest five will enable y to make a real beginning, at any rat," In any case, see that you have aw«grass land. And it does not mattc if there are no fruit trees upon it- h, trees of any kind will afford welcom. shelter from either scorching sun « chilling wind. Low-lying, damp group, leave altogether alone, unless you an out to investigate all the ills which an waiting for the fowls. NO BEST BREEDS—KEEP WHAT YOU LIKE 1 am constantly being asked which is the best breed to keep. After all there is no best breed, except in the eyes of some who swear by the!favourites. A Silver Wyandotte Bin may say ‘‘nothing to beat the black, and-white,” and the Black Orpington and White Leghorn men will say the same of their varieties. Half the r cess of the battle ir, poultry-I, recti ini is to take up the variety one likea, to be fuly sure it contains the righ’ material, and then to go ahead on to, direct road with a high ideal to eouij breeding methods. Keep the kr bird always in the mind's ey, and mate to produce specimens up to that ideal.

Time was when the White Leghorn and White Wyandotte in utility held the field, and practically no others wen bred for high egg-production. As lavers they take some beating to-day, bltt personally, I welcome the modern trend which, thanks to the utility shows, has brought forward man, lesser known varieties, capable of development in the egg-laying line. If everybody keeps but two varieties, then those few at the top get the orders, and the rest are “also ran." There will be a better chance, with wider scope, for breeders to distribmt themselves to the top of each. Every breed has its advantages ut its drawbacks. The individual poultrykeeper should thus think out carefully his needs and select the variety which most nearly answers those require, ments. Every variety can be faulted for one thing or another, but by taking pains those faults can, by special environment and methods, be reduced considerably.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

ENQUIRER, Kingsland.—The midress of the gentleman you are In* quiring for is c/o Government Cool Stores, Melbourne.

H.W.T., Helensville.—Am writing you direct re books on ducks and will give an article on ducks as requested during the next couple of weeks.

EGGS, Taupaki.—Unfortunately thf laying of slightly deformed egg.', which seems to be a regular feature with some birds, is very likely indeed to be chronic, and I fail to see that

it could be remedied by giving any medicine or by altering the feeding When birds in a breeding pen lay the** miss-shapen eggs we always try w find the particular birds and ttf* them out, as such eggs are not suitable for hatching. Such birds ais often, however, quite valuable for laying purposes where the eggs are required only for the table.