i March 1, 19597 
Poultry and Duck Breeding. 
(By R, A. Cummings ) 
In April, 
small property containing about five acre 
1903, having purchased a 
8 
of land, and, thinking to make it bring in 
some return, I decided to take up poultry 
keeping, partly as a hobby, and partly as 
a profitable means of income, I had in 
hand eight Black Minoreas, inferior birds 
-and three years old, so of course had not 
any.eggs from them from April 1903 to 
August same year, but, securing a few 
broodies cheaply and a couple of dozen 
common duck eggs early in the spring, 1 
‘succseded in hatching 2% and rearing 18 
ducklings. I also purchased a quartette 
of Brown Leghorns, but only rared four 
chicks from these, pussy had the rest, 
The ducklings were sold at Christmas for 
36s. The Leghorns for 203. about March 
1904, when I purchased three Golden 
Wyandotte pullets and a cockerel for 
£2 13s. The Minorcas were gold and 
Buff Orpingtons purchased with th® 
money. 
I then spent about ££ on building 
houses, pens, and yards, etc , and penned 
birds up, Golden Wyandottes returning 
by far the largest profit, as they laid most 
consistently all through the winter and 
spring. Buff Orpingtons jast about paid 
expenses for year, 
The soil being very suitable for duck 
raising, I decided to purchase an Incu- 
bator and Brooder, and some Pekin and 
Indian Runner ducks. The Pekins I got 
locally, paying 4s per pair for six pair, 
and getting a drake from Victoria, started 
in good earnest at duck-raising. 
In spite of many difficulties and failures 
I succeeded in the spring of 1904, rearing 
about 70 Indian Runners and about 100 
Pekin ducklings, deriving very much 
fun and pleasure in attending to the sup- 
ply of their ravenous appetites, and 
peculiar ways. I had always been told to 
keep little ducklings from paddling so 
made a great deal of trouble and work for 
myself by trying (in vain), to keep then 
out of the water, iny only success being 
that after rearing quite a number to the 
age of one month, and thinking them 
then past all danger, the first time they 
would get any quantity of water, thoy 
would run round as if drunk, topple over 
and die. I lost, in all, about 100 in this 
way, sometimes ten or twelve in one 
morning. My! it was heart-breaking, 
but being a kind of “ Nil Desperandum,” 
1 wrote tothe Hrn and there received 
valuable instruction on the care and feed- 
ing question, which put me in a very much 
better pesition. But not until feeling= 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
A 
everything was a failure, and saying over 
the last clutch : “ Well live or die, you 
can please yourselves where you go, and 
what you do,” and putting a large shallow 
baking tin for them to wide in, did I find 
ont that, as far as my experience was con- 
cerned, ducks cannot be successfully 
raised out of water, and henceforth the 
ducklings from a few days old are allowed 
their dish to go in and out as they please, 
the consequence being L have not lost 
more than 3 per cent after hatching. 
The Golden Wyandotte chicks I have 
always found healthy, quick growing, and 
good foragers, often out on their own very 
early in the morning before the mother 
was liberated. The balance sheeu to end 
of June, 1905, showed total cash balance 
over expenditure of £35, which was more 
than enough to cover buildings, incuba- 
tor, etc. Thus, in two years, everything 
was clear and a fresh start could be made, 
Food has been very expensive. I have 
never bought wheat under 3s 6d, very 
often paying 4s 6d per bushel for it. The 
food I vary considerably, giving wheat, 
oats, maize, barley and peas, in grains, 
and potatoes (which I bought one year at 
15s a ton), with pollard and bran, and 
refuse green vegetables. I also grow 
swedes and beets, and found these mixed 
in the mash a very good food for ducks. 
Always had plenty of grass and clover, so 
did not need. other green food. Pur- 
chased bullock’s liver once a week for 
growing stock and laying hens. 
I have been fairly successful in the 
show pen, winning 3 Specials, 14 Firsts, 
7 Seconds, 6 Thirds in 31 entries 1904-5, 
other years accordingly. I append 
balance-sheet for 1906, and Consistent 
Laying Record of pen of Golden Wyan- 
dottes, which [ consider the best layers of 
all breeds because of their Autumn work. 
My poultry has always paid me well, and 
under other circumstances would have 
paid much better. 
Lhave this year imported from England 
a trio of Buft Orpingtons, which are mag- 
nificent birds and well repay the money 
spent on them for the pleasure of seeing 
them inthe yard, and the admiration they 
receive from all visitors, 
The young stock is coming on well, and 
I trust this year will not see any decrease 
in the profits of a Poultry Fancier. 
BALANCE SHEET: 
June 30, 1906. 
Stock Sold ett £35 10 3 
Eggs for Setting Ls 6 
Eggs Marketed ... ox 15° 9 8 
Preserved Eggs Marketed 3.0 0 
Eggs and birds own use ... 612 5 
Prize Monies ... arp 318 0 
Value of eggs Incubated gk 1D) 
Stock in hand ... 0 2017 6 
Food on hand 018 0 
Total...£99 9 4 
It 
June, 1905. 
Stock in hand 4 SBS TH 8} 
¢ Purchased DOME, 
Food in hand A 013 2 
Food Account to 1906 3 10° 8 
Advertising, Stamps, etc. 510 0 
Show Expenses <5 312 6 
Cash Balance mee 29 11 9 
Titale. £9909 e4. 
Since making this Balance Sheet I was 
compelled to hold auction sale, and birds 
sold realised within about £3 of stock in 
hand price, so if sold privately do not 
think they were over estimated. 
Jonsistent Laying —5 Gold Wyandottes 
in twelve months laid 1085 eggs, being an 
average of 217 eggs per hen. During the 
time four or five set and brought up a- 
clnich of chicks each, laying again under 
three weeks from the time the chicks 
were hatched. 
During six months ending December, 
1905, these birds produzed 574 eggs, for 
following six month to end of June, 1906, 
511,80 you will observe their egg-pro- 
duction during the month egys were 
high in price was quite equal to the spring 
season, in fact, the moult seemed not to 
make auy difference to their egg yield. 
It is quite possible and probable for 
heavily-moulting birds to get sunburnt. 
Don’t forget to provide abundant shade 
for them. 
WHAT KIND OF BIRDS TO SEND 
~TO ENGLAND. 
The late Mr Lewis Wright, England’s 
greatest authority on poultry, says in his 
book, after reviewing the table birds of 
France and examining their suitability 
for the English market; — We believe that 
the fowl to be aimed at for general pur- 
poses will be of the accepted English type 
reared for so many generations in Surrey 
and Sussex.’ This opinionis general in 
England, but the most conclusive evidence 
of the superior quality of the Surrey (or 
Sussex) fowl is found in the market re- 
ports The Surreys have for years—long 
before the Orpingtons and the modern 
fowl were produced—completely domi- 
nated the London markets. If the Sur- 
rey is not to be obtained, take the next 
best—the Buff Orpington. This variety 
was produced by Mr William Cook by 
crossing with the Surreys, which are also 
Buff colored, and the advantage gained 
was not on the side of market values. 
The difference in the Surrey fow] and the 
Buff Orpington is mainly this: the former 
has smaller bones, straighter and more 
developed breast and a plumper appear- 
ance than the Buff. The protruding 
breastbone of the latteris a disadvantage, 
The London requirements for a first class 
table bird are; .a‘small breast bone, plump- 
ness, and a well developed breast, small - 
bones, white and featherless legs. The 
- nearer we get to the accepted standard 
the more satisfactory will be the returns. 
