138 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



August, l9l3 



Breeding Good Layers. 



If the best^ results are to be ob- 

 tained, writes W. Hinde's, in Queens- 

 land Agricultural Journal, fowls must 

 be bred to lay, and only the indivi- 

 tlual best should be used for breeding 

 from. The "trap nest" is a sure 

 means of finding out the best layers, 

 but, as it means a certain amount of 

 labour to^attend to these, single-test 

 pens, or houses, would be best for the 

 purpose. A row of small houses, 4 

 ft. square for each bird, would make 

 ideal places. Litter or stable manure 

 should be put on the floors to a depth 

 o/" 3 or 4 in., and all grain buried in 

 this to give the l)irds plenty of exer- 

 cise and keep them in good healthy 

 condition. If, say, twenty of the most 

 likely pullets are tested for twelve 

 months, and their individual records 

 kept., the best can then be used for 

 breeding from in the following year. 

 It is only bj'^ this individual selection 

 that the best results can be obtained. 

 The selection of the male bird is just 



Bqqs! Eaqs! 



Sittiugs from Heavy Laying 



White Leghorns 

 Black Leghorns 

 Black Orpingtons 

 SilverWyandottes 



15 Eggs to each setting. Guaranteed 

 fertile or replaced. 10/6 per setting 



T. E. YELLAND, 

 S.A. Farmeri' Co-Op. Union. Ltd. 



12 Poultry Papers for Is. 



j| j / THE AUSTRALIAN HEN 



^JVS AND FANCIERS' PRIEND 



ii tlie generallj acknowledged 

 1 belt Poultry & Fanciers' Paper 

 in the Commonwealth. It ia publiahed 

 twice a month and coiti 6t. a year, pdSt 

 free. But to prove its ralue, we shall send 

 you 12 back numberH — a liberal poultry 

 cduealion— post free, for Is. Money back 

 if you are not satisfied. Write to-day before 

 they hare all gene. 



The Australian Hen 



XND FANCIERS' FRIEND. 

 756 GEORGE ST., SYDNEY, N.S.W. 



as essential (perhaps more so) as that 

 of the females. It is a fact well known 

 to our best breeders that a good lay- 

 ing hen transmits her qualities to her 

 sons, and therefore the greatest care 

 should be taken in selecting the male 

 bird for the breeding pen, as he will 

 transmit his qualities to his daughters. 

 His ancestors should have good lay- 

 ing records for several generations — 

 the longer the better. Only healthy 

 birds with good strong constitutions 

 should be used for breeding purposes. 

 Quick maturity is a good sign in this 

 respect, also width between the legs. 

 Never breed from narrow knock-kneed 

 birds, as there is a weakness some- 

 where. It will be best for the begin- 

 ner to go to some reliable breeder and 

 purchase a pair or trio of birds, pro- 

 perly mated, the best procurable. It 

 is better to buy a first-class pair or 

 trio than to pay the same amount of 

 money for a larger pen of inferior 

 quality, , as the former will always 

 pay best in the end. The best 

 months for hatching chickens are 

 August and September for the heavy 

 breeds, and September and October 

 for the light breeds. Chickens hatch- 

 ed at these times should, if properly 

 fed, commence to lay in the followirg 

 March ,and continue throughout the 

 autumn and winter months, when eggs 

 are at their highest price. This fact 

 should be kept in mind if the most 

 profit is to be made. A few chick- 

 ens could be hatched in March and 

 April, if desired; these would com- 

 mence to lay about October and keep 

 up the supply of eggs at Christmas 

 time, when the other fowls are com- 

 mencing to fall oflf in their laying. 

 Care should be taken never to over- 

 crowd the birds, especially the chick- 

 ens, which double in size in a very 

 short time, but if overcrowded they 

 neycr make fine birds. 



♦ 



About Spurs. 



"Cocks have spurs," writes a con- 

 lributf)r to an English paper, "and 

 tliis fact was Ijrought lionic to nie 

 with consideral)le force the other day. 

 i'ent on handling a moulting bird, 1 

 put an arm tentatixely within his pen. 

 whereupon the fierce old gentleman, 

 at once attacking, got in one good 

 blow on my bare arm; I withdrew it 

 liaslily with a complete spur still 

 slicking in th"b flesh! This incident, 

 coupled with the fact that two other 

 yearling birds in moult each lost one 

 during the moult makes me think 



that at this season of the year the 



spur becomes rather loose in its 

 socket. 



The| length of spurs varies consid- 

 eerably in individuals, even of the 

 same variety, and is by no means a 

 very certain indication of age; some 

 coclrs possess exceedingly sharp and 

 long spurs in their second year, whik 

 in others these appendages are short 

 and thick, and those of the latter type 

 do not usually lengthen very greatly 

 even at an advanced age. 



It can readily be seen what danger- 

 ous weapons in the breeding-pen the 

 sharp spurs of a weighty bird must 

 be. In my novice days I have fer- 

 quently lost hens through inattention 

 to this point (or points). To shorten 

 spurs efficaciously is no difficult mat- 

 ter, and may be acomplished in two 

 . ways — by sawing off or by burning- 

 down. The first operation requires 

 an attendant to hold the bird firmly, 

 and before, commencing a poker or 

 other iron should be thrust into the 

 fire to get rod hot. A sharp, fine 

 toothed .'•aw is best, and the spur 

 should be removed about half an inch 

 from the shank; bleeding will ensue 

 when the "core" is reached, and im 

 mediately the po^nt is off, the hot iron 

 should be pressed against the stuoip 

 and this will stop the flow at once. 



1 have frequently burned down 

 sjiurs single handed, but it takes long- 

 er thus because the irons must be re- 

 heated continually; with patience 

 howc\ er, it is easily accomplished and 

 the only danger is that of allowing 

 the iron to slip and so seat the 

 shank; if this should occur it will be 

 well to smear the part with vaseline 

 Spurs shortened by either method 

 will eventually grow again, but an en- 

 tirely lost spur is never replaced, nor 

 have 1 ever succeeded in getting a 

 partially loosened one to adhere again 

 to the shank, though I have kept ?. 

 bird up for months with the 'imaged 

 member bound tightly into its socket." 



WANTED TO SELL 



INCUBATOES AND BROODERS, 

 Simplex, awarded first price (silver 

 medal) Adelaide Exhibition, 1910. 

 A|;ent ior Cort's Patent Cooler-aafe, 

 a boon in emnmer. Send for price 

 list.— D. LANYON, Manufacturer, 4t 

 North Terrace, Kant TVywn. fl-12. 



