POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10556, 10 February 1912, Page 6

POULTRY NOTES

(By Utilitarian.) In tho last notes, reference was juiulo to tho great value of green feed. Oats, sown now till the next couple of months, are a splendid asset for the winter, and should be put iu every sjuire patch of the garden; and should ther-s .be more than is required for the birds, the balance can be {lug in with benefit to the soil. '1 wo or tlirep cuttings can generally be secured well ino the spring months. Beii'ore .sowing, enquiries should he made of a local farmer who would be able to ipoint out the best variety for your particular coil, aiming to j obtain a LOrdes that will yield a large : amount of foliage. Amongst the i tribe, one of the most prolific 'will be found broccoli, both early and late sort?, tho large leaves giving an ample source of green food. '1 he late varietv will probably not be ready foi use till early summer, but even then its value will lie readily recognised. To sum up, green feed should be grown so that there is plenty and to spare ail the year round. Some voars ago duck breeders could seldom obtain as much for the eggs as those -laul 'by the liens. Then c,'-me a turn in the tide, for it was not often in more recent years that any difference was made iu this respect. And now, history is repeating itself. .!'(•.»• there is a decided tendency for dealers to cut oft the duel: eggs by one penny per dozen, stating that the demand is not so keen as fo.' the hens' product. This should *iot he so. Ducks are similarly fed to liens, and they are just as healthy a food as the hens' eggs. Duck breeders .should protest against this 'u,justice. But combination is the oni.v method. This month is a good opportunity | for culling out the laying ducks, seil-j ing off all those which have struei;, work. All coarse-headed or ,-k pk-] necked should be marketed, retaining those only with fine, tapering bodies, and the eye as high lip in the head as possible. They should be. set wide \ apart between the legs, and the head to the point of the hill he an absolute direct straight line. These remarks refer to Indian Runners. Breeders of Pekins and other heavy waterbirds can, with advantage, mate the birds now to ensure a supply of young stock for the table, having these, reaj dy for market in the off season when {prices are the highest, j Correspondence on poultry questions is invited per the medium of these columns, and advertisers should j note the advantage of supporting a paper which-devotes so much space to the 'industry.. - Many will be having stud birds of various", breeds to quit during the next few months, and now is the opportunity to make known your goods. Intending buyers are strongly adised to purchase early, thereby obtaining the pick. A few more weeks' feeding is ihore than compensated by possessing a superior class of bird. :on<s well-known local poultry proprietor is sending to Christ church for some sixty or seventy pullets, to arrive about, the,end of the month. Self-closing gates, which can be cheaply fixed up with a nail, cotton- , reel and weight, should he in every j fowl yard; they save time and worry, and make good neighbours. A line cf eighty head of fowls and ducks recently changed hands locally, consisting of some thirty ducklings (purebred Indian Runners), several ■ White Leghorn pullets, and a fewpairs of young Leghorn hens; The ducks , are from the well-known .strain of Mr Knight, and the Leghorns are evolved from a Padman-Browno (Napier) strain. Old customs die hard in the poultry world, the same as elsewhere, I and there are still many who persist in believing the barndoors equal the purebreds. Exceptions exist, hut they are so Jmv and far between that it i,s safer to stick to the pure breed, and, moreov: r, when purchasing, always be sure and obtain your stock from some breeder with a good, solid reputation. Amateurs frequently make a mistake in going to their next door neighbour because it is handy. He may have a local reputation, and be worthy of it ; but go, if possible, to tho man who has a name all through the Dominion. You will probably have to .pay more, but it is generally the cheapest in the long run. The Utility Egg Circle committee expects a large increase in their membership within the next few weeks. j Scalded Chickens.— The following I useful piece of information is taken from the Illustrated Poultry Record: -—"The practice of scalding poultry before plucking has almost died out in. England. Recent investigations in America show that bacteria develop much more rapidly on a scalded I than on a dry picked bird, and that the same is true when wet-oooled as compared with dry cooled." When eggs are not required for hatching purposes, always keep the male birds away from tho layers, as they serve no good purpose, and deteriorate the quality of the eggs.