«FUE AUSTRALIAN GARDENE@, __ 
POULTRY YARD. 
Surremper BL, 1905. a 
o Breeding Table 
Poultry. 
BY D, F. LAURIE. 
ob WHE Adelaide market is ill supplied with 
Si A, table birds, even of moderate quality, 
__when judged from an Adelaide standard. Those 
_ who study the market reports will have noticed 
that what are called “young, prime heavy 
_ weights’’ sell at a considerable advance on 
rates obtained for ordinary descriptions. There 
is always a good demand for the very best 
samples of produce, and table poultry is no 
exception to the rule. At the present time most 
attention is being paid to the laying breeds, and 
__as egg production only is considered, there is 
 butlittle advance as regards quality in our table 
poultry. The production of table poultry re- 
_ quires considerable skill in feeding, that is, of 
course, supposing that you haye the proper 
breeds for the purpose. There can be no doubt 
- that in this State poultry is regarded as a 
_ luxury, and not as a regular article of diet, 
highly suitable, especially during hot weather. 
Eyen moderately good table birds are difficult 
to obtain, and the average bird offered for sale 
cannot be regarded as very tempting, nor as an 
 econoraical item in the bill of fare. Occasion- 
ally one sees in the salerooms small lots of 
pure bred birds—the culls from. some big 
reeder’s yards—and when such are of suitable 
breed a fair bird for table use can be looked 
‘for. In view of the scarcity of prime table 
‘birds, and the general unsuitability of the 
skinny mongrels generally offered, it cannot be 
wondered that the local demand is at present 
somewhat limited, and that so few people eat 
poultry. There is no doubt the demand would 
increase if a really good class of iable bird 
could be depended upon by the consumer. 
There are great numbers of people in the 
‘suburbs who rarely eat poultry, because they 
are unable to obtain good birds. As a matter of 
actual fact, the South Australian has buta hazy 
idea of what constitutes a good table bird. 
_ At the recent Poultry and Kennel Club’s 
Show there was a great display of dressed table 
poultry—the largest seen in Adelaide—and 
_ perhaps not excelled at any previous Australian 
show. In looking at the exhibits from a 
_ critical point of view, we have to remember that 
_ July is not a fayorable time for displaying table 
_hpirds to the best advantage. ; However, the point 
is, that out of the whole exhibits there were but 
two which can be regarded as possessing the 
chief points of a table fowl. These are: Shape 
and correct position of meat, texture and colour 
_ of flesh and skin, I took particular nottce of a 
number of visitors who were inspecting these 
birds, and with few exceptions the very large 
5nd often coarse, uninviting specimens, appealed 
to them as the most desirable. Quantity is a 
poor standard to judge table birds by. It is 
adopted only in Australia, hut certainly not in 
England or America. Some of these large birds 
weighed 10 and 12 Ib. live weight, and at the 
“3 
+ 
worth 10s, to 12s. a pair. Even if the quality 
: 
rice of ordinary mutton (6d. per lb.), would be © 
were all that could be desired, such weights are 
far too great, and the cost too much, for ordi- 
nary table fowls. This is not the class of bird 
that can be bred at a profit—such birds have 
been kept too long—they have passed the time 
when, with proper feeding, they could have 
been sold to the best advantage. We want a 
smaller and more compact bird for general use. 
Birds with huge tough legs are neither inviting 
in appearance nor satisfactory to the palate. 
The leg is not looked upon as one of the choice 
morsels of a fowl, and therefore undue deyelop- 
ment in that direction, rather than being a 
gain, is distinctly the opposite. 
The more compact and shapely birds, with 
well developed wings and long, deep breast 
bones, are generally the result of a cross, and 
this cross must have Game-—Indian or old 
English—as one element, as the Game fowls 
alone have the necessary shape which they can 
impart to their progeny. The modern English 
Game—the long-legged specimens generally seen 
at our shows—have too long legs, and therefore 
will introduce an element undesirable in more 
ways than one. The Malay has often been put 
forward as suitable for crossing, but in practice 
this breed has been found wanting. Certainly 
fair specimens haye been produced time to 
time, notably the Malay-Dorknig cross, but the 
great length of leg has detracted fromjits appear- 
ance, and besides, the quality of the Dorking is 
not *mproved by the coarser Malay. At one time 
the Malay-Cochin was recommended, with size 
as its main feature. For coarseness of skin and 
flesh, bad colour and general inferiority, this 
cross would be hard to beat. Without doubt 
the best specimens seen in Adelaide have had 
Game blood in them, as a rule crossed with 
Dorking. The most desirable table bird for the 
English trade has always been the Game- 
Dorking, and on this point there is but one 
opinion. For our local trade we can provide 
an excellent table bird by using Game sires on 
Wyandotte, Langshan, Orpington and Plymouth 
Rock hens. These will be found most satisfac- 
tory, as they aré quick growers, and if properly 
fed are plump from a month old. Such chickens 
at forty-two days old are sold in America as 
“squabs,” and in France as petits poussins, and 
as such are in great demand. These crossbreds 
grow rapidly, and at any required age may be 
topped off, and sold in prime condition at a 
total cost much below the average for a much 
older common or unsuitable bird. 
“In England and throughout Europe and 
America the practice of raising table birds pro- 
fitably has reached a great pitch of perfection. 
The breeders have certain markets which are 
practically governed by an age limit—the chicks 
have to be in fit condition at a certain age, or 
the market is lost, and the birds must be carried 
on another stage, It is the adoption of similar 
methods that is now advocated, for it is abso- 
lutely necessary to conduct table poultry breed- 
ing on a definite basis. You must first of all 
obtain stock of the proper quality, and these 
must be housed and fed properly to obtain a 
fair supply of eggs, from which stock of sound 
constitution may be bred. Remember that con-- 
stitution is a most important factor in poultry 
breeding, just.as much so for table birds as for 
egg production. ‘The question of hatching by 
hens or with incubators depends largely on the 
scale of operations. In any case, the young 
must be well fed all the timé, as a check is fatal 
to success. Grading the chickens is of the ut- 
most importance all through the growing period, 
big and little must be kept distinct, using age 
as an additional guide. The chickens do. better 
under control than on extensive range. The 
main object is to get sufficient range, and have 
the birds plump and heavy by a given date from 
hatching. The birds must be killed as soon as 
fit. The future need not be considered, as isthe 
case with birds being reared for stock purposes, 
under which circumstances a fair amount of 
range is dssirable. Movable yards are convenient 
for giving'a change of ground, for the young 
birds must not remain on tainted ground. 
Their sleeping quarters must be roomy. Close, 
ill-ventilated coops and houses will stunt the 
growth and cause disease and loss. It must be 
remembered that a coop which is ample for 100 
chickens for the first few days will soon accom- 
modate only one half that number, therefore 
the birds need to be frequently transferred as 
they progress. Towards the end, grade according 
to condition and size, so that the most furward 
can be topped off and disposed of first, followed 
in turn by each grading. 
For about twenty-four hours after hatchirg 
Nature provides all the food required by the 
chickens, buta liberal provision of clean, coarse, 
sharp sand should be made, as it will be found 
that the chicks will eat some of it for use later 
on in assisting digestion. The old practice of 
giving hard-boiled egg has now but few sup- 
porters, as there is abundant evidence that it is 
responsible for bowel trouble, Dry feeding is 
popular with many American breeders, but is 
more suited to stock bird breeding. Hard food, 
such as a mixture of various grains and seeds, 
cracked and scree ied, gives excellent results in 
every way,and may be recommended for the 
first month, after which a little soft food, or 
mash, as the Amcricans term it, may be slowly 
introduced, I have always found rough oatmeal 
an excellent food, fed dry for a few days and 
then once or twice a day slightly moistened 
with yolk of egg, whipped in skim or separator 
milk, This, followed by a good grain mixture, 
cracked and sifted, and fed in chaff or short 
straw, suits the birds admirably. In searching 
the straw for grain they obtain plenty of exer- 
cise, which promotes health, growth and diges- 
tion. At a month old, soft food or mash may 
be fed twice a day. Use the grain mixture 
passed through a mill to reduce it to a coarse 
meal, Green food, cut finely, may form at 
least one third in bulk, and the whole may be 
moistened to a crumbly state with a little soup, 
made of bones, liver, or scrap meat free from 
any taint, After a week of this feeding a little - 
soup may be added, but do not overdo it, nor © 
use green bone for this class of bird. Feed a 
little at a time at short intervals. Keep the - 
young on the hnngry side all day. This will 
force them to scratch well, and: you are thus © 
sure of good digestion. The big American 
breeders attach much importance to this point. 
The use of skim, or separator milk as a, - 
poultry drink and food has been much debatede-’ 
Briefly, it is advised to use it in all forms in tht ‘ 
soft food, because it is then consumed withou-: 
delay. If used as a drink, our climatic condil 
tions soon bring, about a change, and itis wel |; 
: ee rer a 
— se Po 
