430 Journal of Agriculture. Victoria. [lo July. 1912. 



REPORT 0^ FIRST ECICtLAYING COMPETITION AT 

 BURNLEY, 1011-12. 



By H. \ . Hawkins, Poultry Expert. 



On Sunday, the 31st March, the first Burnley Egg-laying Competitioni 

 came to a close, and the result, both as to the high standard of egg- 

 production attained, and the general health of the birds engaged in the 

 test, was in every way satisfactory. 



The Egg-laving Competition has proved beyond doubt that Victorian 

 fowls are second to none in Australia for productiveness, and this is also 

 tantamount to saying that in utility they are equal, if not superior, to 

 anything in the poultry world. That this should be so is only a reason- 

 able outcome of the efforts that have been made for years past by poultry- 

 keepers to obtain breeds, and strains of such breeds, whose powers in 

 relation to egg-production were above the common. 



The recent competition was not the first inst'tuted in this State. Some 

 few years since two very successful egg-laying trials were held at the 

 Dookie Agricultural College. The work done there was of an interesting. 

 and educative nature. The experience gained showed that poultry to pay 

 must be carefully bred for the purpose, and attended tO' in an intelligent 

 manner and by proper methods. I'here were 396 birds entered for ttie 

 competition, all. or nearly all, the leading breeds being repre.sented, as. 

 will 1)6 seen by the following table: — 



Breed. Pen*. 



White Legnorns ... ... ... ... ... 46 



Brown Leghorns ... ... ... ... ... i 



Black Orpingtons ... ... ... ... ... 7 



White Orpingtons ... ... ... ... .. i 



Silver W'yandottes ... ... ... ... ... 4 



Golden Wyandottes ... ... ... ... 2 



White Wyandottes ... ... ... ... ... i 



Minorcas ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 



FaveroUes ... ... ... ... ... i 



66 



White Leghorns. 



The great number of White Leghorns entered indicates the i)opularit7 

 of the breed. A note of warning should, however, be sounded in respect 

 to them. It has been found that they are far more difficult to handle 

 than many of the heavier types. This is largelv due to a considerable 

 amount of in-breeding which has been going on for some time ; whilst 

 the system of housing in small sheds the whole year round has, no doubt. 

 a tendency to .soften the birds — resulting in loss of stamina, and rendering 

 them liable to catarrhal troubles and diarrhoea. Many pullets were brought 

 into the competition that had never tasted green grass, nor had any of 

 nature's favours, such as insect life, and the many varieties of seeds which 

 usually abound during the breeding season. In nearly every case those 

 birds raised by the shedding system were only moderately successful, and 

 were the cause of much anxiety. Some of them broke down, and most 

 of the deaths that occurred were amongst these. This grand breed runs 

 a great risk of falling in public favour if the system referred to is carried 



