February, 1914 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



i2i 



On the largest poultry farms shack- 

 is obtained by planting frutt-trccs in 

 the yards and runs. This is, perhaps, 

 the best method, but where it is not 

 practicable mammoth sunib)wcrs 

 planted in tlie same way as' maize will 

 answer the purpose as well, if not bet- 

 ter. The ripe seed also will be nl 

 great benefit to the poultry. 



Cool, clean water is undoubtedly 

 more essential to our growing stock 

 than even feed. Still, this is a mat- 

 ter often attended to with the utmost 

 carelessness. The water fountains arc 

 allowed to get rusty and slimy, and 

 the water allowed to remain in the 

 hot sun, unchanged for days at a 

 time. Where such conditions exist 

 it is no wonder that we so often hear 

 complaints of the chicks not doing 

 well. Ample-sized earthen or stone- 

 ware fountains are about the best for 

 general use, as they are' easily kept 

 clean, and they seem to keep the 

 water cooler than tin fountains. By 

 setting them in a shaded place and 

 refilling twice a day during the hot 

 months, no difficulty will be found in 

 having the water supply pure and 

 fresh. 



Feed for the chicks during their 

 growing period should consist largely 

 of solid grains, such as cracked or 

 whole wheat, barley, oats, and crack- 

 ed maize. Care must be taken not 

 to overfeed, and at the same time not 

 to starve them. It will readily be 

 found that chicks prefer a variety in 

 their feed. Animal meal or cut bone 

 may be fed occasionally, especially 

 where bugs and insects are scarce. 

 Green food has come to be recognised 

 as an absolute necessity. An abun- 

 dant supply may be had by sowing 

 lucerne early in the season. If the chicks 

 have free range and ready access to 

 good sharp gravel no other grit will 

 be needed. Otherwise, however, it 

 will be necessary to provide some of 

 the prepared grit sold on the mar- 

 ket. 



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Tom Steele. Local Manager. 



Culling the Flocks. 



Now is the time when this impor- 

 tant, but often neglected, operation is 

 best begun. In theory we all know 

 that quality is prelerabU: to quantity, 



but it is to i)c feared that the majo- 

 rity of poultry farmers and poultry 

 keepers try to go in for both, and 

 hang on to the quantity to the detri- 

 ment of the quality. For the farmers 

 culling is a simple operation, and con- 

 sists merely in getting rid of the un- 

 prolitable birds, when he knows them, 

 and of all the young cockerels as soon 

 as they reach a marketable age. In 

 this connection it is just as well to 

 mention that in all cases a bird pays 

 better to sell at four months than to 

 keep six or eight, for prices do not 

 increase in ratio to size. Now that 

 there is demand for better poultry, 

 and more of it, it is probable that 

 some extra feeding before marketing 

 will be often advantageous. For this 

 purpose birds should be kept in small 

 pens, not coops, and fed heavily for 

 three weeks. In recent experiments 

 this method of feeding has been found 

 equally ai satisfactory as cooping, 

 and in our climate it is certainly pre- 

 ferable. For this fattening process 

 ground oats and maize meal may en- 

 ter largely into the composition of 

 the mash, mixed with sour milk. 

 With a mash fed three times a day 

 birds should rapidly put on weight, 

 and the extra cost will be well repaid 

 in the returns. 



Let us take next the suburban 

 poultry keeper. For him culling 

 should be a little more serious under- 

 taking, for he has limited room and 

 wants no drones to occupy valuable 

 space, and he will be well advised to 

 begin eating and marketing the young 

 cockerels right away. He should 

 watch narrowly, too, the old stock 

 and send to market the second year 

 hens before they break into moult. If 

 he takes any pride in the appearance 

 of his birds he should weed out all 

 ill-grown pullets and keep only those 

 which are healthy, and, consequently, 

 profitable. 



For the fancier culling is, we be- 

 lieve, one of the things which decide 

 his success or otherwise. To cull, 

 cull, cull is good advice. The actual 

 value of the birds is to most fanciers 

 a minor consideration, and now that 

 he has fairly sorted up his season's 

 chickens the more carefully he goes 

 through them and weeds out those 

 which are faulty, the better it will be 



for the remainder. One of the great- 

 est obstacles to quick and healthy 

 growth is overcrowding, and the space 

 gained l)y the absence of one bird is 

 often of great advantage to his neigh- 

 bour. In the fancy world it is the 

 bird at the top which pays. To keep 

 a cockerel for a year and sell at 7/6 

 is a waste of valuable time. One can 

 certainly put one's space and time to 

 more profitable and pleasant use than 

 that. In some varieties it is difficult 

 to judge the quality of the birds till 

 they are some months old, but there 

 are in all breeds indications which 

 will tell the experienced fancier what 

 the quality of the bird will be. 



Les Faverolles. 



In a country such as Australia, with 

 its ample space, facility for growing 

 crops, the cultivation of poultry and 

 the table poultry industry are matters 

 of the greatest moment. The cultiva- 

 tion of poultry is one thing, and the 

 poultry industry is another. For it 

 stands to reason that to obtain the cus- 

 tom of our own people, and those who 

 cater for the export trade, the breed- 

 ing of the more suitable classes is of 

 paramount importance. It is little use 

 rearing birds for the market that are 

 not required either by the home buyer 

 or the exporter. Therefore, the breed- 

 er must study what will best suit his 

 customer. 



It is universally recognised that the 

 best export market for Australian 

 breeders is that of Great Britain. So 

 long as the birds are of the type and 

 meet their requirements in other ways, 

 the English buyer will give a remunera- 

 tive price. 



The English trade is one that deserves 

 to be catered for. It suits the Austra- 

 lian breeder in so far that the birds 

 bred in October, and even later on in 

 the year, are the ages which are most 

 suitable for that trade. 



The essentials of the trade are that 

 the birds sent must be white-legged, 

 white-skinned, plump, and young. To 

 obtain these desiderata is the business 

 of the breeder who desires to succeed 

 in the supply of table poultry for the 

 London market. 



There are several breeds of birds 

 that are eminently suitable for the 

 trade referred to. One of these is Les 

 Faverolles, a breed of French origin, 



