July, 1910.] 



37 



Live Stock. 



of its frequency and distribution. 

 Another point that must not be lost 

 sight of is that all breeders are more 

 observant in miuufce details than was the 

 case a few years ago. It is the observant 

 breeder who will, however, do the best 

 and most lasting work in selection. 



Trap Nests Versus Single Pens. 



A writer in a recent issue of The Field 

 (Eng.), in commenting upon my expressed 

 opinion in last year's annual report, 

 says : — " As a matter of fact more com- 

 plete and conclusive evidence of the 

 effect upon breeding and the efficient 

 maintenance of strains consequent upon 

 either method is very desirable, and it is 

 unwise to be too emphatic without 

 sufficient proof, but it may be stated 

 meanwhile that the great bulk of practi- 

 cal experience does not tend to encourage 

 methods that compel breeding from 

 fowls that are, or have been, long subject 

 to conditions of very close confinement." 



I think that, without undue preference, 

 we have three trap nests in this State 

 superior to any of the rather complicated 

 devices in use in England and America— 

 these three are models of simplicity. 

 Nevertheless, experience teaches that 

 some of the hens take unkindly to these 

 trap nests, and some will not enter 

 them ; others are frightened and occasion- 

 ally injured. So many eggs are laid out- 

 side trap nests that they can only be 

 looked upon as accurate registers of the 

 eggs laid in them by any individual hen — 

 not necessarily her actual record of 

 laying. 



The certainty and saving of time which 

 characterise the single pen system are 

 readily admitted. 



The misunderstanding on the part of 

 the writer in The Field appears to be 

 that he loses sight of the fact that all 

 single pens in this State are on the 

 scratching-yard system. That is, each 

 pen is kept well littered with straw, in 

 which the hen has constant and health- 

 giving exercise. To pen a pullet under 

 other conditions would merit the expres- 

 sion of doubt. 



The conditions of judicious single 

 peuning are as follows:— The housing, 

 exercise, and feeding all tend to the best 

 results. Each bird is under constant 

 observation without any unnecessary 

 handling, and can be carefully studied, 

 as should all birds destined for the breed- 

 ing pens. 



As 1 have stated often, our breeders 

 must look for and encourage character- 

 istics other than mere numbers of eggs 

 laid. This many of them do, and it is 

 the utility breeder's art to detect signs 



of heredity, which he can encourage or 

 otherwise, as his knowledge and experi- 

 ence dictate. There are many here, 

 more or less associated with me in solv- 

 ing some of the breeding problems, who 

 have had sufficient experience to agree 

 definitely with my opinions. 



With every respect for the expressions 

 of opinion by the writer in The Field, 

 and others who may think with him, I 

 would again point out that constitution 

 and vigour are important features which 

 our breeders aim to secure. I might 

 also add that this and other South 

 Australian practices are apparently so 

 different to those in vogue in England 

 that their true import has not been 

 grasped. I can assure the writer that 

 there is abundant evidence at hand hore 

 of pullets which have established satis- 

 factory records in single pens, and, when 

 mated, in due course have given a 

 remarkable percentage of fertility and 

 hatching, with sturdy stock as a result. 

 The system is all right as regards health 

 and feeding, while for scientific observ- 

 ation — nowadays of supreme importance 

 —it has no equal. 



I might add that a prominent English 

 writer (a medico) has foretold disaster in 

 the form of ovariau cystic disease as a 

 natural result of breeding hens with 

 Australian capabilities as layers. A few 

 years ago cystic disease was in error 

 confounded with hydatids, and if a few 

 more cases than usual are reported it 

 only shows that our breeders ar e more 

 observant, and desire to ascertain the 

 cause of death. In former times post- 

 mortem examinations were rare outside 

 the yards of specialists. The doctor also 

 overlooked the fact that cystic disease 

 is undoubtedly one which conforms to 

 the laws of heredity, and can either be 

 increased or, on the other hand, bred 

 out by selection. In my opinion, there 

 has been no increase of cystic trouble in 

 this State, and the public and private 

 results of the laying of carefully-bred 

 hens show that our system has come to 

 stay. 



Broodiness in Leghorns. 



Breeders of White Leghorns have been 

 concerned at the somewhat frequent 

 cases among some strains of broodiness 

 — the more or less partial exhibition of 

 the maternal instinct. It is well known 

 that a few years ago, owing to the un- 

 natural craze for a certain exaggerated 

 type among exhibition White Leghorns 

 in England, recourse was had to an in- 

 fusion of Malay blood to give the re- 

 quired structural alterations. As far as 

 Australia is concerned — that is as re- 

 gards her laying strains of White Leg- 



