POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10698, 20 August 1912, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

(BY UTILITARIAN.)

Air K. C. White a prominent member of tlie Palmeryton North Egg Circle, lately paid a short visit to this town. Ho brought a glowing account of the progress, since its reconstruction, of kis Cfc'clc, and mentioned that now there are over fifty members in it, some of them living over twenty miles away. Foxton has also lately commenced to supply members, and there appears to be strong hope* of greater increase in the near future. ! Mr White lnd a good deal to say about Indian. Runner ducks, and spoke of a lady he knew who farmed some three hundred and was, some weeks ago, collecting on the average well over two hundred eggs a day. Right through the winter she hasl-akcd in the eggety nuggets, and this, on n minimum of food. Her method of treating her birds j s to feed them well .until they are fully feathered, when they are marked for future picking over, and then turned out with the rest of the laying flock. This large flock is brought into a small paddock every evening Mid. fed. Here they stop until about nine o'clock next morning, being then turned out with--i out. further feeding till night time, to roam over between, three and four hundred acres of swamp and meadowland, j

• Mr White is a great believer in extensive range for Runners, and, though, perhaps, no' more eggs may be obtained by this method, one feed a day instead of the usual two, is an enormous saving, in both cost and labour. This gentleman also is ini clincd to condemn the mash-feeding of i' -fowls, on account of the excessive labour.- compared with all grain feeding, considering that there is not enough extra profit gained. . We have never known such a backward season for broody hens. The , extraordinary wet weather for some time past, no doubt, has retarded, greatly, egg production, and in con- ' sequence, hens have been elow to take on maternal duties. .This will, likely enough, be a temptation for poultry keepers to hutch later than usual, in the endeavour to raise a sufficiency of pullets for next season. A late pullet is of little commercial value, al- - though those who keep fowls for their \ own use would .sooner have them late than not at all. Late pullets will result winter in a corresponding high price for eggs unless some other 'imforseen circumstances arise to balance matters.

Another beginner has just started operations at Homebush, mid lias ordered, two consignments of day-old chicles frc-M Mr Leger, the White Leghorn specialist -at Levin, and also from the local Utility Farm. One Homebush'friend liar- just built a substantial'house for his future layers. Open wire-netting front, and plenty of .ventilation all round the top should make it a healthy dwelling. It is Iks intention to keep them closely curfr.icd all the time,. thk< being now quite a usual procedure. A-s bis farm is. saturated with moisture all the winter, be is adopting the best methods, for it is absolutely useless trying to make heny pay in the winter if they are allowed to ream about in slu*h and nuid, day rfter day. The scheme adopted gy the Utility Kgg Circle for cheaper feed i.o taking on vi'.vy v.-01l among the members, and ;\s numbers joining at any time can narticiprto, according to tlieir contributions, it should be the menus of inducing many poultry keepers to enter its ranks. Hemeinber, daily, the fresh green feed for the chickens.'.