^^n7 3, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 291 



Poultry Notes* 



April. 



JAMES HADLINGTON, Poultry Expert. 



The principal work on the commercial poultry farm for this month will be 

 the getting together of the breeding stock. It is most desirable that this 

 work be completed by the 1st May ; therefore, where new stock has to be 

 introduced, no time should be lost in making purchases. The main portion 

 ■of the work, however, is with the hens and pullets that are to be bred from ; 

 the male birds need not be put in the pens quite so early, though it is 

 desirable that they be in the pens by the middle of next month. Of course, it 

 may not be possible in every case to make up all the breeding pens required so 

 •early, particularly the second-year-hens portion of the matings. Many of these 

 might be still fairly heavy in the moult, and if they are on a good extensive 

 run and are being kept under better conditions than would obtain in the 

 breeding pens, it might be advisable to leave them till a little later. But it 

 does not follow that because hens have not quite completed their moult they 

 should not be put into the breeding pens to settle down before the time 

 when they are required for breeding from. That is a matter wh^re the 

 discretion of the breeder should be exercised. One of the most fatal mistakes 

 made by poultry breeders is to leave the mating of their breeding birds until 



too late in the season. 



A Common Error. 



One of 'the errors made by poultry keepers with limited experience is to 

 ^iccept advice whereby they are induced to make an attempt to hatch only 

 heavy breeds at first, say during the months of June and July, and to leave 

 the hatching of light breeds, such as Leghorns, until August and September. 

 This practice is responsible for many thousands of late and unprofitable 

 ohickens being hatched. The facts are that while, if a discrimination is to 

 be made, it is, of course, better that way than the reverse, it is far preferable 

 to have some early chickens of both breeds. Unless this is done, the light 

 breeds will very soon deteriorate just by reason of the fact of being 

 ■continually hatched too late, and the impossibility of securing well-matured 

 stock to breed from the following year. Thus the effects of late hatchings 

 are cumulative, to the detriment of the breed. 



Then again, there are but comparatively few poultry keepers who can 

 ensure sufficient eggs of one breed (if they keep two breeds) to enable theno to 

 keep their incubators full so early in the season. Ibis will be better understood 

 when it is stated that the highest average egg-laying made in one year in the 

 competitions at Hawkesbury Agricultural College was seventeen eggs per 

 pullet for the month of June for first-year hens, and six eggs per hen for the 

 same month in the case of second-year hens ; seeing that these are all selected 

 hens x'epresenting the best that their owners could bring up, it is not likely 

 that the average farm pullet or hen will come up to this record, although, as 



