The Poultry Yard

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 30

The Poultry Yard

(By

GEO H. AMBLER.

OLD AND NEW PLUMAGE

YOUNG chickens grow about three sets of plumage during their first year of development from spring to autumn. The feather growth begins as soon as the baby chick comes out of the shell, if not before, and continues until the adult plumage is mature. The first feathers appear in the wing, and look like flight feathers, but before long the chick begins to grow its real flight feathers, and those first little feathers, which may have appeared to be badly off-coloured, are found on the side of the wing as little, insignificant, old feathers about to be moulted out.

Growth of the body seems to necessitate a constant production of feathers, and each set of new feathers is firmer and has a more durable webbing. The first set Is quite flimsy, and the feathers on the cockerels are shaped and coloured like those of the pullets. With the next crop the character of the cockerels’ feathers changes; and upon examination it is found that the cockerels are growing long pointed feathers on their backs. The development of the reproductive organs seems to influence this change. It is some times difficult to tell when the one set of feathers is complete and another growth started, for there seems to be a constant shedding and growing of feathers in young birds; but after the characteristic male plumage begins to develop, the Cockerels of many varieties soon take on a very different colour from their sister pullets, and never again in these breeds in which there is a striking difference in the colour and markings of the male and female, will the males be coloured like the pullets. For this reason, some breeders of pencilled varieties, like Silver Pencilled Wyandottes and Partridge Rocks, and speckled varieties, like Brown Leghorns and Silver Grey Dorkings—mark those little chick-feathered cockerels that have the best pullet markings, and then the following year they breed these males for the production of beautifully coloured pullets. DISTINGUISH COCKERELS BY THEIR PLUMAGE When a poultry rearer is unable to tell whether a chick is a cockerel or a pullet, because of undeveloped head parts, let him pick up the chick, and if narrow, pointed feathers, which are characteristic of a cock’s saddle, are coming out on the back, the bird is a cockerel. I have never known this test to fail. In culling young birds for colour, always look at the new crop that is growing underneath, and judge them by It. rather than by old feathers that appear on the Burface and which will soon be supplanted by the new. It will be found that a Rhode Island Red

cockerel which has a light colour'd hackle will not show much Improvement with age; but a Brown Leghorn cockerel that shows red in in his breast will usually change into a pure black-breasted bird; or a light Brahma pullet that has black ticking in her back may clear up after she is six months of age. If the new breeder is not crowded for room, he should grow practically all of his chicks the first year, that he may become familiar with the way they feather out and colour up. Young birds are not the only ones that change. A pencilled pullet after laying through the spring and moulting in the summer, usually comes out as a better pencilled hen; and this mature moult, which comes at the end of the first year of laying to transform pullets into hens, may change an open laced pullet into a mossey backed hen. It Is because of this uncertainty that many breeders prefer to mate hen for the production of hatching eggs. Hens have lived long enough for defects of colour and markings to have asserted themselves. By this advanced selection the different varieties of domestic fowl are being purified for colour and markings, and the number of good specimens in a hatch is today greatei than formerly. It is desirable that chickens as well as older fowls that are growing plumage should receive good care and nourishing food. The growing of plumage is a drain on the body. Under damp or crowded conditions, or as a result of poor feeding, a brown Leghorn cockerel or hen may moult in white in its wing feathers. White is a serious defect that may appear in all i coloured varieties, and is as often the ! result of faulty condition as of poor breeding. MOULT IS AN INDICATION OF EGG YIELD The length of time required to moult is shorter in cocks and hens of high vigour. This question of length of moult is of importance because females do not lay many eggs during the time they are shedding and grow-

ing plumage. The average time required for a complete moult is 90 to 100 days. The moult is considered as one of the best outward signs of egg production. When a female carries her old plumage late in the season, it is a good sign that she is a long distance layer that has not dried up and gone to moulting. The practice of culling out early moulters is for the purpose of eliminating the hens that are not persistently good layers. The practice, however, seems to work better with the non-sitting breeds than with the dual-purpose breeds. A female of the dual-purpose breeds that is set on eggs and allowed to breed a clutch of chicks, may begin to moult in December or early January before she has weaned her chicks. She may have been a very good winter and spring layer, and after the moult proves to be a good late summer and autumn layer. The starvation during the setting period and the change of feed when running with the chicks, brings on the moult. If hens were culled merely by the condition of their plumage—by the moult—more than one good Rock, Wyandotte, Red and Orpington would be eliminated. It used to be the policy to change and reduce the feed that hens were receiving during the summer to en courage a moult. This was called a “force moult,” and the purpose was to get the necessary and unavoidable process of shedding over with so that there would be increased productivity during the early winter. The presentday policy is to let hens lay as long as they will, and then moult of their own accord.

The beauty of all new plumage depends to some extent on feeding and condition. Buffs that are faded may moult out quite beautiful if shaded during the process. Many Red females come in lighter in colour

after moulting, but the number of non-fading Rhode Island Red hens is increasing. Purple bars on black feathers are sometimes the result, of lice or retarded feather growth. Creaminess in white birds results from feeding yellow corn during feather growth or may appear in birds enjoying free range, but will largely disappear as the sap in the feather dries out. One of the most important things in man agement is to see that the growing tail plumage, particularly on males, does not become broken as a result of the roost being too near the wall. These are simple things that will not transform a poorly-bred bird into a good one, hut may make a difference of a first instead of a fourth prize. Vigour is of particular importance in both young and old birds, and everything that serves to maintain nigh vigour contributes to the production of good plumage. Poor feather ing is a sign of poor health aud poor management. Of course, in marked typos, the cockerels feather slower; but a chick which looks ragged and wretched when others of even age are well clad, is what an old fancier would call a “bad doer,” and should be culled. GENERAL NOTES The following are the results of the Taranaki Egg Laying Competition to and including the 32nd week: M. Scanlon’s White Leghorn has now reached the 200 mark, and heads the list with 205 eggs, followed by Gibbons Bros.’ bird, with 192 eggs. A. J. Lacey’s Rhode Island Red heads her section with 172 eggs. Golden Wyandottes are not laying so well, the leading bird having now laid 161 eggs. D. M. Waddell’s Black Orpington still leads the whole competition of both fowls and ducks, her score now* standing at 227. White Wyandottes and Light Sus- | sex are still on the low side, but are doing better than either Langshans, Brown Leghorns or White Rocks. In the Fawn and White Runner ducks, V. L. (Jane’s duck is leading with 178 eggs, folloewd by D. Riley’s duck with 170 eggs. White Runners have not done so well, and are headed by D. M. Waddell’s duck with 142 eggs. J. W. Carrick’s Khaki Campbell is ! leading all the duck section, and has ; now 208 eggs to her credit. In the tliree-bird team test (ligiit j breeds). R. Cannon’s White Leghorns are leading with 545 eggs. In the heavy breeds, Gibbons Bros. Golden Wyandottes head the list with 477 eggs to their credit. A meeting of the members of the Auckland Poultry Club was held in the Y.M.C.A. on Thursday. The sec- ! ret ary. Mr. McLaren, briefly outlined arrangements made between the club and the A. and P. Association for the j holding of a poultry and pigeon show j

in conjunction with the A. and P. Association’s spring show. Tlic classification as submitted by Mr. McLaren, with the exception of additional classes for Langshans and Sussex, was adopted, and the following members were selected as nominees to the A. and P. Association to officiate as judges:—Messrs. W. A. Hanson, F. Skinner, J. Nixon and J. M. Thomson. The A. and P. Association has fixed the entry fee at Is 6d a bird and, as there is no membership fee to be piaid, exhibitors must admit they have been met generously, and should make as many entries as possible. Further evidence of the good feeling existing between the Onehunga and Auckland Poultry Clubs was evinced at the last meeting of he Auckland Club. After it had been moved that the club’s nominees as judges to the A. and P. Association should be Messrs. Hanson, Thomson, Ambler and Nixon, it was suggested that Mr. Skinner be one of the nominees, Mr. Ambler .immediately withdrew in favour of Mr. Skinner. As fliis is Mr. Skinner's first judging appointment all fanciers will congratulate him. He has, for many years, been a keen fancier as an exhibitor, former president, and now secretary of the Onehunga Club. I have just received tile official statistics of tile poultry industry in England and. comparing them with those of a year ago, they show there has been an increase in England and Wales of 2.537.000 fowls and 104,000 more Turkeys. Ducks and geese are practically the same. If this rate of increase is maintained it would seem that, so far as eggs are concerned, England, unless it be in mid-winter, will be self-supporting, and probably during the flush season will be an exporting country. The entries in poultry classes for the London Dairy Show and Birmingi ham Show are both slightly down this ! year, those of the dairy show being "j 3,425, compared wth 3,642 a year ago. ! At the dairy show, as at Birmingham, | Sussex and Wyandottes have the j greatest number of entries, each breed being represented at the dairy show ! by an entry of 211. Rhode Island Reds. I which for many years have been the most popular breed in Britain, are j evidently losing their popularity in j favour of Sussex and Wyandottes, as l entries In this breed at the dairy are j 114, compared rvith 221 in 1326. At Birmingham, 1,281 pigeons were exj hibited, whereas 2,976 have been en- ! tered for the Dairy. The total for ! poultry and pigeons at. the latter show i was 6,402. The reduction in entries in the poultry section at both events is attributable to the dry summer, chickens being late in maturing. A Christchurch fancier tells me a trio of Jersey Black Giants are expected to arrive in Christchurch shortly and states that, these will be ! the first importation of this breed to Xew Zealand. My Christchurch friend is evidently under a wrong imj pression. as two years ago a breeder i in the Palmerston North district ini-

ported several birds of this variety. In fact, the writer judged a class of something like 20 at Palmerston North Show a year ago. Mr. J. Wise, Melbourne, a leading Australian exhibitor, who lias imported quite a number of birds into Australia from New Zealand, has just received a couple of pullet-bred Brown Leghorn hens from a Christchurch breeder. Mr. J. Nixon, Auckland, has forwarded to Mr. Kingsland, Christchurch, a Black Orpington cockerel, full-brother to Lady Alma, his world’s record-breaking hen. To improve the appearance of pot plants used as a table decoration, cover the surface of the soil with damp moss. Remove the latter, however, when the plant is no longer required for indoor use.