POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10559, 15 February 1912, Page 6

POULTRY NOTES

(By Utilitarian.) |r When culling, it is judicious to pay extra attention with regard to any birds it may be desired to keep for next season's breeding. Where ,the birds haw been trap-nested, figures will indicate very clearly which tire the .most profitable layer*, and ■therefore the or.es to propagate from, though best results are generally obtained, not from those- which record over two hundred eggs for the year, hut from those which have produced between one hundred and eighty to two hundred. The extra strain involved iii, producing abnormal numbers appears to leave weaknesses .shown in the offspring, or rather, m the inability to hatch chickens at all lin any quantity. It is. in the writer's opinion, going to take several ! vears to bring the average up to two i "hundred in a large flock, and tin's will ' onlv be brought about by degrees, that is, \ear by year, with the most careful selection, 'and through a slow process. Nevertheless, improvement along these lines should be aimed ;lt - " ' i ~• i • The selection of the male bird is the most difficult prrpostion, and experience is the only reliable guide. Practical information on the plant is worth reams of written material, and beginners are strongly advised to seek the services of some capable person on this matter. MY F. Brown, the Government Poultry Instructor, is one whom I can confidently recommend, and he will come if written to. Breeders should endeavour to J arrange for Mr Brown to visit several plants, when possible, as .this will <rive better cr.nortunities, for those who can'go round with him, of comparing their birds with others. There is one point, however, which we can all he fairly safe on. and that is, the head. No matter whether it is'a hen, cockerel, duck, or drake, reject all those which have a coarse, thick neck and head and overhanging eye-brow, if eggs are the main object. Away with it, shun it like a leper, market the bird for the pot on the first opportunity, rather than breed from it. Like a racer's head, which must be fine, whose bone is flat, not round, whose eye is bright, alert, and whose every movement is full of life and vigour", so must be the bird the breeder.should have in his mind's eye, and better still, on his farm. A similar comparison could be made with the ideal dairy cow, if not more so, as in her we have the great development in the hindquarters as a further guide. . There must be ample room for the machinery, whether its I purpose is to produce milk Alegars.

The eye, in the human body, has been termed the window of the'soul. In poultry, its value as a guide in the selection of layers cannot be overestimated. At the Burnham Poultry Farm there was last November, and may still be, a White Leghorn rooster whose pair of eyes was a revelation. They projected most prominently, antl that bird was a regular Trojan for 'fight. • The late manager, Mr Rose, gave the visitors on that occasion quite a sparring exhibition, he himself being the one antagonist, and the rooster the other. The rooster spurred, if not- sparred, with terrific animation, showing his extreme constitutional vigour, which should . be the foundation of all breeding stock. On the Qpaki may be seen four very fine specimens of Chinese, geese, or sometimes termed Cape geese. They are-both handsome and large. The owner, who: is. leaving the district, is desirous of parting with them. As the price is reasonable, this is a- first elass opportunity for ■those who have a partiality for geese. For some unknown reason there does not appear to be anything like a proportionate demand for them here as in the Old Country. There are many families in England who would he if they were debarred from their goose at Michaelmas time. As the houses become depleted of the present laying stock, it should be the. buisness of every poultry keeper to thoroughly overhaul the premises 'by cleaning out all- refuse, digging and renovating the ground floor, and spraying the whole of the interior with sheep dip, in the proportion of one of dip to thirty to forty parts of

water. The perches, too, need to bo closely examined for the übiquitous red mite. When the whole of the fronts of the houses are open there will be less disease, less work in cleaning, more eggs and healthier birds. The Utility Circle despatched last week 140 dozen eggs. When eggs are sold at a more uniform price, that will be a happy day for the grocer, as his demand will be steadier and more consistent and his trade in this commodity will be less of a speculative character than it .s to-day, and this state of things Is one of the many reforms the Egg C;rcle- movement is struggling for.