The Poultry Yard

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 July 1927, Page 26

The Poultry Yard

Learning to Breed Careful Study Advised

By

GEO. H. AMBLER.

“IT has always been a question in my mind, however, I whether people could be taught breeding. It seems to me that the real breeder is born, and if the faculty is not in him he will never get it.” Such are the words of a well-known breeder of a popular variety, in a recent personal letter, expressing his appreciation of the writer's methods of discussing matters relating to the breeding of pure bred poultay.

It is unquestionably true that to attain the best results in breeding one must have certain qualities. It is none the less true that, no matter howlarge his endowment of these qualities, there are many things relating to breeding that have to be learned byinstruction or by experience before his natural talents can accomplish much. It may be that there have been breeders somewhere, sometime in the past who accomplished remarkable results through their own perception of the laws of breeding, but I have not been able to find that there were. Wherever we can learn the facts, it appears that the breeder who accomplishes most is the one who is able to learn most of what others ktiow, and to apply it in his own breeding. NATURAL APTITUDE The conditions of acquirement of a knowledge of breeding do not really differ from those of acquiring skill in feeding or in preparing fowls for exhibition. In these things, too, certain natural aptitude makes it much easier for one person to acquii'e skill than for another, but in all “practice only makes perfect,” and practice is much more effective when continually directed with a knowledge of the methods and ideas of others seeking to obtain the same results. Knowledge of breeding and skill in breeding come more slowly than in the other things, because the process covers a much longer period, and the relations of cause and effect are less conspicuous. In breeding to high standard of perfection, so many details have to be considered, that in most cases it takes several years for one to become familiar with all the points he has to consider when making a mating, and the greater part of a year to learn what any mating he makes will produce—that is unless the mating is absolutely a failure. The other processes, too, call for much attention to detail, but a method of feeding can be tried out in a few weeks at most, and many preparing processes almost immediately make or mar a specimen, while the most protracted continue only a few weeks. HARD WORK In my mind, the most conclusive argurfient against the idea that natural capacity in any line is of much value without training, study, and assiduous practice, is tile fact that the greatest accomplishments in all lines are made by those who work the hardest, and the most judiciously, to gain their ends. In the breeding of purebred poultry, continuous success has been in every case the result of severe and sustained effort. I have known many people who had enough of the appreciation of quality in poultry, and of ability to analyse individual specimens, and of the faculty of seeing in their mind’s eye the probable results of matings, to have made good breeders, yet never got beyond the novice stage as far as results are concerned, because they were equally averse to the “drudgery” of considering all the details of every mating, and indifferent to what they could learn from others of the art of breeding. On the other hand, I have known many persons who have gained a creditable eminence in the poultry world, though they had little of the natural qualifications of a breeder, simply by trying to learn the methods of the best breeders, and to follow them in practice. A BEGINNER’S DIFFICULTIES I received a letter from a reader last week in which the writer said: “It is all very well for you people who have had plenty of experience to tell us beginners to give our breeding stock just the right amount of food, but I for one can never tell when my birds have had enough; they seem capable of putting away an unlimited supply. How can I find out? Well, as .1 said before, and shall do again, I suppose, it is impossible to state any actual quantity to give per head, even for birds of the same variety, if kept under different conditions, let alone the question of different breeds. As I advised .my correspondent, there is only one real way of solving the problem, and that is for each poultrykeeper to find out for himself. At any rate, he can take it that if his birds are bright, active and healthy, and producing goodly supplies of fertile eggs, there cannot be much amiss, either with his food or his feeding. On the other hand, should there be little or no results in the egg line, the beginner must reason for himself something as follows: “My birds were hatched right, but seem lazy; therefore, it must be that they are getting too much food, and too little exercise”; or, “My pullets always seem ravenous and handle light. I must give them more and better food.” Or, again: “I have done everything possible for my birds; they were March hatched, are well-grown, not too fat, and yet will not lay; I must get rid of them, as they are-evi-dently drones.’ TEST THE CROPS

One cannot do better, if uncertain as to the quantity given to the birds, than visit the roosting houses twice a week, about 5 p.m., just now. The crop of each bird should be felt, and its condition noted, a bulging mass indicates over-feeding, to say nothing of the risk of “slack” crop ensuing, while, of course, the presence of but a few score of grains indicates too scanty a ration, or else indisposition. A normal cropful is one such as does not unduly enlarge the bird’s outline, when viewing it sideways, and one which, when felt by the hand, gives the impression that there is still room for a little, if not much, more. On very cold days it is advisable to visit the nests three times during the day, say, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m., because if it is very cold, it is quite possible the eggs laid will get frozen. Frequent collection obviates any danger of the germs being injured by the frost. Eggs for sitting should be stored in a room where the temperature is as even as possible, and where it does not fall below 45 degrees. Those that have to be kept over a week should be turned every day until used. Some people stand the eggs on their ends, but, personally, I prefer to lay them on their sides. Bran or sawdust makes a very good bed for eggs awaiting incubation. HINTS Watch the females’ backs in the breeding-pens, that the males do not tear them. If the cock has sharp spurs it is as well to remove them or part of them. In the case of a bad tear, remove the hen from the pen, and wash the injury with a good disinfectant, and draw together the torn flesh with several surgeon’s stitches. These are made by taking a stitch and tying, and cutting for each stitch. If seriously torn, it will be impossible to use the bird in the breeding-pen for several weeks, or until the wound is thoroughly healcd.