OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 231, 4 February 1911, Page 3

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS

[ (Uy "Coek-o'-the-North"). 11l anyone, wore to ask my advise as to tin- selicuon of a breed for the purpose I oi .starling poultry as a business 1 should advice as follows:—Wyandottes, Faverolles, Orpington (black or wnite rosecombed), Plymouth Rock, Sussex, Houdan, or any of the auove breeds crossed with noudans or white Leghorns, i should, however, add one word of adviee, as follows: If a good laying strain can be obtained, always select Hie white (if possiole) of any breed one may determine, as, provided both white and colored

are. equal layers, the white variety will be found the most profitable kind to breed. This may seem a rather strange assertion, but it is nevertheless true, and J will try to explain how. Let us take Wyandottes as an example. As everyone who understands the breed knows, the white variety of this breed is only a sport from the silver. Let us suppose that the eggs from a silver Wyandotte hen were saveu and incubated, and that among the chicks was one white sport (a cockerel). We will assume that this white sport and one of the silver cockerels developed exactly alike, i.e., ate the same quantity of food, gained exactly the same weight, were of identically the same shape and size, and when kuled and dressed were identical except for color. The white is the most profitable, for these reasons: If the two birds when dressed were exposed for sale by a man who understood his business and a lady came into the shop to purchase a bird for eating purposes (mind, I mean one who could afford to suit herself and not the one one who has to make every penny tell), the shopman when asked the price of the silver would probably ask a shilling less than the price demanded for tne white bird, and the uuiy would take the white bird. Why? Simply because the absence of the dark pin feathers would make the white bird look plumper and more inviting than 'the colored bird, -and thus make it sell better. Again, every bird of decent size will yield on the average about 4oz. of feathers when plucked, while colored feathers will realise anything from Is to Is Od per lb, so that it will be seen the white bird is preferable as a business bird to the colored. There is one exception, hi'ivever. to the rule. If I knew of a real])- -nod laying strain of Columbian Wyandottes. I woiild certainlv take it in preference to the white, as it would be a better winterer than any other variety, would lay a larger egg, while the quality of the meat shouliTbc slightly superior.

The drawback, however, just now is to get a pood laving strain of these, though very shortly I,anticipate there will be layers of this breed in the Dominion second to none of any other variety. The Columbian Wyandotte has been produced by mating a white Wyandotte cockerel with a light Brahma female, and as the light Brahma is practically ruined In excessive breeding tor show points, according to the English standard, i could not recommend any Columbians produced by such mating.

Tn America they have never permitted the Brahma to deteriorate as with us. The American bird is a tall, majesticlooking bird, very iightly feathered'down the legs, hard feathered in body, with clean, round bocks, and is also an active bird. The consequence is that in the (United States there are manv very heavy laying strains of light Brahma, while a low. squat, loose-feathered, vulture hocked Brahma i.s useless as a profitable bird.

The Faverolles is another sterling good bivctl. and deserving of far more attention than it receives. It is not very well known, being of comparatively recent origin, and produced by mating Dorking, light Brahma and lloiidan. It has the five toes and color of the Dorking, the comb of the Brahma and the beard of the Houdan, without the topnot. It is a splendid winter layer, its egg being a large tinteu one. That it is not a poor layer is proved by the fact that six birds of this breed in llawkesbury College, New South Wales, from "April, 1905, to March. 190(1, averaged 173 eggs each, in spite of the fact that on account of being so young they laid nothing for the first two months. Another breed which is being well spoken of is the silver Campine, a very pretty breed, and said to be a good winter layer of large white eggs, besides being a very plump-breasted table bird, of medium' size,' with excellent llesh. There is one more breed deserving ot mention here both as layers and table birds, viz., the Rhode Island Red. They are very strong and resemble the English buff Orpington, but are an American breed. They lay a large brown egg and are far less" prone to go broody than the bull' Orpington. At Hawkesbury College in 11)04-05 six of these birds averaged 170 eggs each, average 25'/;Oz. per doz.

JOTTINGS. Never feed the grain feed to the fowls on the bare ground, but always in deep litter (straw preferred). Thi.s makes the lazy bird an active bird and turns her from a useless bird into a layer. If you pee a bird drooping and can find no signs of sickness, examine both the bird and the bouses for vermin, and you will probably find them. Buying a well-bred bird and then neglecting it is like buying a gold watch and giving it to tne baby to play with—it won't last long. A fowl is a fowl, bub many people when keeping them are apt to add before houses and run foul—not fowl. Hundreds hatch chicks but very few can rear them, and yet it is simplicity itself—when you know how. If you have a hen (or hens) which is always fat do not set its eggs, as the fertility will be bad, the vitality worse, and the chicks (if any) useless. The most economical incubator is a good old drunken turkey hen. (1 hope no proHibitionist sees this).