The Poultry Yard

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 852, 21 December 1929, Page 38

The Poultry Yard

————— tßy GBO H AMBLRR.)

“OPEN DOOR ” TO POULTRY FARMING

I PREFACE my notes this week by wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. It is an old-time wish, but none the less sincere.

The poultry Industry is a very curious one. In almost every trade or profession a long apprenticeship is usually served, followed by a further lengthy period in gaining additional experience before one ventures to go into business on one’s own account. Quite a number today, however, are commencing poultry-farming with very little training and often less experience and, while many succeed, unfortunately, many fail, and even those who succeed would have done far better had they obtained more experience before they took the risk on to themselves. It must never be overlooked that every failure does harm, and the strength of any industry is the number who enter it and make good. AMOUNT OF CAPITAL NECESSARY One of the great problems of the prospective poultry farmer is what amount of capital is required, and most people appear to think that the more capital they have the greater possibility of success. This, however, is an absolute fallacy, for few seem to realise that the principal thing thst matters is the capacity of the individual. The more capital one has rhe greater must be one’s capacity, and as business grows capacity must grow. With £I,OOO when I was 21 years old I feel that I should have been a failure. There are, of course, many businesses which cannot be started without capital in the way of hard cash, and in some cases a lot of it, but poultry farming is not one of those, for by commencing as a hobby one can gradually develop into a poultry farmqr on quite a fair scale before giving up one’s usual occupation. I am a great believer in people having a hobby, and everyone should have some interest apart from their daily labours so as to provide recreation for one’s mental and physical powers. I believe that the head of poultry maintained by s mall poultry-keepers in England is far greater than that of all other classes of poultry keepers put together, and really, when one considers the numbers who keep fowls in their gardens, there is no question that poultry-keeping is the greatest hobby of ail. In the ordinary way, when starting in business, it is without doubt a tremendous plunge, but with regard to poultry one can minimise the plunge by drifting into it through the side door of a hobby. Thus one knows the habits of the birds, methods of feeding and rearing, and will also be able to recognise when a bird is going 3ick. Most poultry-keepers can recognise a bird which is actually ill, but it is frequently too late to prevent contagion. THE BUSINESS SIDE A point which will have consider-

able weight with the beginner Is the manner of disposing of eggs and fowls. He should cultivate a private trade, and sell direct to the consumer, which will save two or three profits and enable him to get a far better price. A private customer will always pay more for fresh farm produce than tor the same thing from a shop, because he can rely on them, and the producer can usually count on getting about a penny more per dozen, than he would by selling to the wholesale merchants. Even on a small number of fowls this means a great deal over a year. When selecting a farm, due consideration must be given to Its situation, and one near a railway station and within easy reach of town is worth twice as much as one outside. Many people overlook the cost of cartage and the time occupied in it, but as a farm develops so will the expenses in this direction. With development will doubtless come the necessity of employing labour, but first of all everything should be planned to save time and trouble. The houses and runs should be arranged so that they are easily get-at-able, for the more walking a man has to do the less work he can do. If the farm increases to the extent of requiring labour, it is well to make the work as interesting as possible. A man gets sick to death of always trap-nesting, or anything else, and a large poultry farm should be a collection of small farms or units, each complete in Itself. In this way every employee is interested in his particular unit, and gets a change of work, from the breeding pens t.o incubating, rearing and trap-nesting. It is a good thing to encourage visitors to look over one’s farm, as It advertises the place, but in this case it must be remembered that the farm is the “shop window,” and its condition will convey to the prospective customers what is for sale. Window dressing is an art which applies just as much to a poultry farm as it does to a jeweller’s shop. Make the place Advertise up to the extent of your business. It is no use spending a lot of money in the earl}' stages —it must be in proportion to the amount of stock for sale —but whatever means of advertising are employed, they be attractive. STRENGTH OF UNITY There is another way in which poultry can be turned into a business, and that is by several keen fanciers joining, and if this were done the risk would be limited considerably. If, say, half a dozen poultry-keepers d€:cided to work together by rearing all the chicks possible on the limits of their respective gardens or plots for one year, they could, at the end of that time, draw lots and start one of their number on a good-sized farm —one

which would be large enough for all In due course. He would start with all the stock which had been reared collectively, excepting that the other members of the party would retain sufficient to enable them to go on breeding. The first man would also carry on breeding, and In his spare time make appliances wtVch will be required during the development. The idea should be to sell as little as possible, and increase to the fullest possible extent. The other five would all keep their jobs, and should be able to spare enough to keep the odd one going without drawing anything out of the farm. The five will continue breeding as much stock as they can, and in their spare time be: building sectional houses, coops, brooders, and anything else which may be required. Having got one fairly going, No. 2 will give up his job and join No. 1, and so it will go on until the whole halfdozen have such a farm that no individualist could ever hope to compete with. Among the half-dozen, although all would be keen on poultry, they would have different abilities, and suited to different sections of the work. One, for instance, would no doubt excel at building; another possibly have literary gifts, and keep the public acquainted, through the columns of the Press, with the progress of the organisation; another could make a speciality of buying and selling foods; another be particularly good on the office and business matters, and so by careful selection and working together in the true spirit a farm would be established which would make history.

GENERAL NOTES The following are the results of the Taranaki egg-laying competition to and including the 36th week: In the White Leghorn section the leading hen, belonging to M. Scanlon, laid 7 eggs for the week, bringing her total to 231 eggs; Gibbons Bros.’ hen being second with 217 eggs, followed by C. W. Taplin’s and R. Cannon’s No. 2 and 3 hens. W. L. Conway’s hen has also reached the 200-egg mark. The positions in the Rhode Island Reds. Golden and White Wyandottes, Light Sussex, Langshans, Brown Leghorns and White Rock section are all unchanged. D. M. Waddell’s Black Orpington hen again laid 7 eggs, bringing her total to 255 eggs. ' In the Fawn and White Runners both D. Riley’s and V. L. Gane’s ducks laid 7 for the week, their respective scores being 197 and 196. In the White Runners the leading duck laid 8 eggs for the week. J. W. Garrick’s Khaki Campbell duck again laid the possible, bringing her total to 236. In the 3-bird team test the leading teams in both light and heavy breeds laid 19 eggs. * » * I have received a copy of the result of the ballot for South Island chamoionships for 1930 and as many are of little interest to many of my readers I am giving only the venue of the most ponular varieties: Christchurch Poultry Club. —Sussex (open class), Old English Game (female). White Plymouth Rocjc

(female), art union championship, Black Rose Bantam, Show Homer Pigeon. Dunedin. - Utility Minorcas, jubilee show championships, best exhibit in poultry or bantams, best exhibit in pigeons, best exhibits in canaries. Ashburton. —Utility Barred Rock. Rangiora.—White Plymouth Rock (open class). Utility Black Orpington male. Lyttelton. Golden Wyandottes (open class). Modern Game Bantams (female), utility drake, any variety. Waimate. —Black Leghorn (open classes), Sebright Bantam, Utility. Silver Wyandotte, art union championships, Magpie Pigeons, Norwich Canary. Oamaru. —Utility White Wyandotte, Modern Game Bantams (male), art union championships, Indian Runners (open class). Taieri.—Duck cr Drake, other than Runner (open class), Utility Ancona. Balclutha.—Game (male), other than Old English, Minorca (open class). White Leghorn (open class), art union championship. Utility Brown Leghorn, Homer cock ringed 1929 Yorkshire Canary (Cinnamon). Invercargill.—Old English Game (male), Peking Bantam, art union championship, Utility White Leghorns. Timaru.-—Rhode Island Red (open class), Barred Plymouth Rock (open class), Orpington, other than Black (open class). Utility Rhode Island Red, Homer cock, Yorkshire Yellow Canary. Tapanui.—Ancona (open class), Game female, other than Old English. Kaitangata.—Brown Leghorn (open class), Utility Black Orpington, female. Gore: Black Orpington, open class, Silver Wyandotte (open class), utility duck, any variety. Nightcaps: Utility Sussex. Otautau.—White Wyandottes (open class), Andalusian (open class), utility Black Leghorn. Waiau: Old English Game Bantam, male, Old English Game, female. Waimangaroa: Sussex open class, Utility White Wyandottes, Utility White Plymouth Rock, Sebright Bantams. Granity: Ancona, open class, Utilitj' Minorca, art union championship Old English Game, Utility Orpingtons. Westport.—English White Leghorn (open class), Rhode Island Red, open class, art union championship, duck or drake, any variety (open class). Old English Game Bantams. Greymouth.—Utility White Leghorn, Modern Game Bantams, art union championships, Utility Silver Wyandotte, Black Rosecomb Bantams. Hokitika. —Silver Wyandotte (open class), Peking Bantams, art union championship, Leghorn, other than white, open class, Utility Brown Leghorn. Kokatahi: Barred Plymouth Rock, open class, Indian Game. New Zealand Utility Poultry Club: Best in light breeds, best in heavy breeds, open or utility classes. PERSONAL NOTES The many readers of my notes who know Mr. Walter Scott, New Plymouth, the well-known judge (and his fancier friends are numbered by hundreds) will join me in offering him sincere sympathy in his protracted illness, and in wishing him a return to better health. I hear this week

that “Walter” is still very ill and unable to receive visitors. I can only hope to be able soon to report progress, but meanwhile, 1 extend personal sympathy, and I am sure I may include also that of all his old fancier friends.

During the week I had a long letter from Mr. Frank Hirstich, Patumahoe, who until recently was poultry farming at Waiau Pa, and his many friends who remember his tenacity when the after-effects of his being badly gassed in the war caused him to have to work against odds, will be sorry to hear that he is again far from being well. Mrs. Hirstich is also suffering from a nervous breakdown, and their boy is seriously ill. Due to ill-health, Mr. Hirstich has not bred any chickens this season, but is retaining his breeding stock which he says are all “genuine Amblers.” All fanciers will join me in my sympathy with Mr. and Mrs. Hirstich and in my wishes that 1930 may have brighter days in store for them. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS J.H.H., Onehunga. —(l) Yes, you can give weekly doses of Epsom salts to your fowls. I do not think it advisable to give weekly doses to chickens. You could give them a little, say every other week, after they are a couple of months old. Yes, Glauber’s will answer the same purpose. (2) Yes, I would gradually increase the meat or fish meal in the growing stock. You will need to be careful not to bring the pullets to maturity too early though. (3) Yes, fish meal is suitable for breeding birds. Regarding your feeding, it has evidently been satisfactory and I would sooner have birds that are Slightly underweight if they have built up the frame as yours have done, than birds all fat 'and rio bone. You should have had no difficulty in obtaining ground as one firm in town always has a good sample, and it is cheaper than oatmeal. I notice it is your intention to increase your flock as soon as a suitable place can be procured. With the enthusiasm you have I would have no fear of your not making a success of your venture. A man who will go to the trouble of tying straw round the perches to make the birds comfortable has the right temperament for poultry keeping. You will, however, need to keep a keen look-out as the straw round the perches is likely to harbour fleas and redmite.