The Cotswold QUILL

The Newsletter of the Cotswold Pheasant and Poultry Club                                                 

Issue 27                                                                                                                                       August 2010

Chairman's Chatter

Where's the summer gone, it's nearly over already. It's been great though, with lovely weather for a change although it's been challenging for the gardeners and farmers. Why can't we have overnight rain and dry days? Do read the ‘Looking Back' feature from one of our founding members, Sue Peace.

Congratulations to Julia Clark for winning ‘Best in Show' with her ‘Supreme Large Egg' in our May Egg Show. See the full report on the last page of this issue. In June our annual barbeque was held at Gryphon Lodge Farm by kind invitation of Chris & Dave Wadley and Julie Reading. Thank you so much for a splendid evening with loads of good food!

It's now only two months to our Annual General Meeting and I urge you all to attend so that you may air your views on the running of the club and choose your officers for the next club year. We also arrange our programme of events and any ideas for an interesting meeting would be most welcome. On that note, of particular concern is the lack of enthusiasm for our annual outing. This year we only filled two cars for our visit to the Wernlas Collection in Shropshire and although the birds were not at their best the few members that participated had an enjoyable day. So come on folks, Margaret put a lot of time and effort into arranging the programme, so it would show your appreciation if more of you joined the outing, after all it's not just a jolly for your committee.

Ken Cservenka: Editor and Chairman

Wednesday October 13^th

Annual General Meeting

Your chance to have your say

Labtec replacement.

The club are currently looking for an alternative supplier and to date there are a few possibilities. We will keep you informed of any developments.

The Cotswold Pheasant & Poultry Club

Website

http://www.cotswoldpoultryclub.co.uk/

Jcr120@hotmail.com

This Months Recipe

Margaret's Pavlova

Ingredients

5                      Egg whites

10oz                Castor Sugar

2 tea spoons             Cornflour

½ Teaspoon   Vanilla essence

Method

Beat egg whites until stiff, and then beat in the castor sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy. Beat in the cornflour and vanilla essence.

Spoon mixture onto a sheet of waxed greaseproof paper placed on a baking tray. Swirl with knife to make the Pavlova case, like a huge nest.

Cooking time for a fan assisted oven two hours at 100˚C.

When cool fill with whipped cream topped with fruit. Finally dust with icing sugar before serving.

Margaret Gardner

Wyandotte Wizardry

Wyandotte specialist Alan Brooker accompanied by club member and fellow expert John Winter came to our March meeting to give us the benefit of their vast experience of keeping and showing Wyandotte's. However, John by his own admission was apprehensive about speaking to an audience. He needn't have worried as he was struck down by a throat infection and all but lost his voice, only being able to talk to individuals after Alan had given his talk.

Originating in America, the first variety, the Silver-laced was standardised there in 1883. It is thought that the name came from a tribe of Native Americans

Partridge Cochin, Gold-spangled Hamburg and possibly Sebright males were crossed with the Silver-laced to produce the Gold-laced Wyandotte. The White Wyandotte appeared in Britain around 1888. All the other varieties were produced by out-crossing to other breeds but often included Cochin. The legs and feet of all varieties are yellow and the eye colour bay. To achieve some of the plumage colours double mating is preferred. This is where you have two breeding pens, one to produce exhibition cock birds and the other to produce exhibition pullets. For instance, to produce exhibition Silver-laced pullets the cock bird in the breeding pen should be heavily marked. The Silver-laced should have an even black border around each feather. The Partridge Wyandotte have double laced feathers with an autumn Oak leaf colour. The male in the pullet breeding pen should have Welsummer like breast feathers. The White Wyandotte generally have more feather than the other varieties and often have heavier combs, especially those bred in the north. The Columbian should be similar to Light Sussex or Light Brahma with pure white between the neck and saddle hackle but on closer inspection you will find grey under fluff.  Other colours include barred, black, blue, buff, blue-laced, buff-laced and red. Alan said the general appearance should be a bird of curves from all angles. ( I like a curvy bird: Ed)  

Looking Back

Having attended this years Club Show I was amazed and pleased to see so many new faces and how the CPP Club has grown.

It was very different at the first show I attended, when we borrowed a few cages and held it in the open air, getting very wet at Wally Johnson's place.

I sat quietly at the back of the room at the first meeting we attended at the Phoenix Centre in Cirencester, where a few men - not more than eight or nine, talked poultry.

After a little time I started to chip in, one or two wives came to meetings and by and by it became a family affair.

I self appointed myself as secretary and during the summer months we took our hens and cocks to various places including Cirencester Hospital Fete and a home for disabled young adults.

We often held our meetings at each others homes where we would compare stock and set-ups.

To get our own equipment we introduced a raffle and over the years we really went from strength to strength.

How fortunate we were to have Tom Bartlett from Duck Pool Valley as one of our members. He was generous to give his gate money and premises to hold an open day for a good many years. Stalls of all kinds were put up by the members and families, with cake, plants, books and bric-a-brac plus competitions and of course teas. For that day we held a big raffle and made a good deal of money for charity.

Soon we were asked to display our birds for a payment. From first having to borrow a tent from the Girl Guides we were soon able to get our own, then a trailer followed by a lugger (Our name for a box trailer, Ed), more cages and then a caravan, which over the years all got bigger and better.

New members might not realise how hard we worked for the club, now recognised as one of the best poultry clubs, look at our silverware alone, and judges just love to come to our show and give their appraisal.

The club has always been semi-social with outings and lots of fun along the way as well as all the hard work to get it to the standard it now presents.

My plea to the younger members, Carry on the good work!

Long may the CPPC continue.  

Sue Peace

Seasonal reminder

With the end of the summer looming fast, now is the time to be vigilant as Red Mite are most prevalent at this time of the year. As they are only on the bird at night they are easily overlooked. Look for them in perch sockets, nest boxes and where the door sits in the frame. In bad infestations they will appear as a mass of small grey spiderlike creatures with a patch of red ones towards the centre. They are grey until they have had a blood meal and can have a real debilitating effect on the poultry, often resulting in the death of the bird due to the loss of blood. Treat the birds with a suitable dusting powder, clean out the house and then spray with Poultry Shield. When dry, spray the house with a mite killing spay such as Ardap or Mitekill. If you find small black mites around the vent or head during the day they are Northern Mite and they live on the bird all the time. Again treat the bird with a dusting powder such as Barrier or Ruby Louse Repellent Powder. 

Handy Tip

Portable nestbox

For use within a large hen house, make a chicken or bantam sized hole in the side of a plastic lidded bucket of the type supplied with chemicals, rat bait etc. Obviously you will need a larger bucket for large fowl than you need for bantams. The lower edge of the entry hole should be about two to three inches from the base of the bucket. You can then scatter some mite powder on the floor of the bucket, line with straw and place in the hen house. If mites become a problem you can wash the bucket and drown the blighters.

Margaret Gardner

Rare Breed Bonanza

For our April meeting the Vice President and poultry consultant of the Rare Poultry Society and friend of the CPPC Andrew Sheppy came to us to talk about Rare Breeds. The Rare Poultry Society was formed in 1969 as an umbrella club for all the rare and unusual poultry breeds not covered by a breed club. The first breed that Andrew talked about, the Sultan is coincidentally the bird that features on the logo of the Rare Poultry Society. Originating in Turkey the Sultan was all but extinct in the UK with the only successful breeder being the late Eric Parker. When Eric decided to concentrate on Polands the birds were taken on by Andrew who then discovered another breeder whose stock proved to be a lifeline to save the breed from becoming too inbred. The Sultan has five toes, horn comb, feathered legs and feet, vulture hocks and just about any feature that is considered a fault in most breeds.

The next breed under the spotlight, the Spanish lays white eggs and as its name implies originates in the Mediterranean region. The comb is single and in the female falls to one side. Both the comb and wattles are bright red while the face and ear lobes are white with kid glove texture. The plumage is black with a green sheen and the legs are slate.

The Burmese Bantam is very rare and the earliest account was written in 1894 by a Mr Entwhistle who described a bird sent by an army officer to another officer in Scotland. These were white, crested and had a single comb. The wings are carried low, the tail is big and flowing and the yellow legs and feet have extensive foot feathering.

Nankin's are true bantams and most seen today have links to those bred by Mrs Peter of Lewes, Sussex. They are one of the oldest Bantam breeds and are thought to have originated in Java or India. They are the typical yellow-buff farm bantam with the main plumage colour being ginger or buff with black tail feathers. The legs are bluetinted and the comb can be either rose or single.

The Houdan is a crested breed with a beard and muff and is classed as heavy, has a leaf comb and originates in France. The plumage is black with white mottles and the feet have five toes on relatively short legs.

The Lakenvelder is a German breed with a white body, black neck hackles and tail, slate legs and clear white ear lobes.

The Orloff originates from Russia and has a beard, yellow legs and can be Black, Cuckoo, Mahogany or spangled. The comb is small and flat and the wattles are small and only show in the cock bird.

The Marsh Daisy has a red eye, willow green legs and a rose comb. Colours include black, white, buff, brown and wheaten. They originate from Great Britain and had several breeds in their makeup.

Norfolk Grey as the name implies originate from East Anglia and was originally called Black Marias. The main colour is black with silver neck and saddle hackle and a silver wing bar. The eyes are dark and the legs black. The comb is upright and single.

The Friesian comes from Holland and is buff spangled with white. The ear lobes are white and the legs slate.

How to perform a post-mortem on a chicken

In May, Julie Cane, who is a member of CPPC and a qualified vet, gave a demonstration of how to perform a post-mortem on a chicken. She followed this up with a discussion and demonstration of methods of killing birds. (See Part 2 below.)

Part 1

Several dead birds were available, so we were able to see a range of symptoms and also see the differences between male and female anatomy.

Before you start

1.      If you find a bird dead, do external checks for possible causes if death, e.g. has it gone off its legs, signs of bleeding, comb colour (blue usually indicates a heart attack), whether there is any discharge. You should also check the environment for extra hints, e.g. are shavings scuffed up etc.
Before you cull a sick bird, try to note as many of its symptoms as possible.

2.      Important If there is any black discharge this is likely to be Anthrax. Do nothing more. (You will need professional advice here.)

3.      Having learned as much as possible externally, you can now examine the bird internally. You will need the following:

a.     A pair of thin latex surgical gloves

b.     A sharp scalpel and a pair of fine, sharp scissors

4.      Dunk the dead bird in a bucket of water, this helps to stop the feathers getting everywhere.

Performing the post-mortem

1.      Cut a line from beneath the chin to the vent, peel the skin right back then cut away the breast muscle.

2.      Cut through the ribs on both sides towards the bird's back, then completely cut away the sternum (breast bone) and remove it together with most of the rib cage. Also carefully cut back the thin membrane that lies over the abdomen to reveal the gut and other internal organs.

3.      Cut under the tongue to release the trachea (windpipe) and oesophagus (food pipe), then cut around the vent to release the end of the gut.

4.      Carefully lift out the internal organs. They should come away all together, except for the lungs and kidneys which normally stay attached inside.

5.      Spread the internal organs out (on a sheet of paper or similar) so you can examine them.
Note, the more familiar you are with chicken anatomy the more you will get out of doing a post-mortem, so if necessary have a book or a picture to help you identify the internal organs, and try and bear in mind, for the sake of comparison, what healthy organs look like.

6.      Have a good look at all the organs and see if you can spot anything abnormal, for example,

• frothy or bloody fluid in the trachea could suggest a respiratory infection
• texture and size of liver and spleen - these should have a uniform appearance
• all the organs associated with the gut should look healthy
• appearance of large lymph nodes or enlarged thymus - these can indicate infection
• open the heart and the membrane that encloses it (the pericardium) - heart should not contain a lot of fluid and any clots in heart should wash away - if they don't it could be a blood clot that killed the bird. White nodules in the pericardium could indicate E. coli infection or a build up of urates.
• cut open the gut to see if there is a heavy infestation of worms
• coccidia can live in the walls of the crop-but are microscopic.

Part 2

For the second part of the evening, Julie described the different approved methods of killing poultry as approved by the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) along with the pros and cons of each method. Julie then demonstrated the neck dislocation methods.

Everyone should familiarise themselves with the correct and humane methods of killing their birds. For further information, contact The Humane Slaughter Association who provide practical advice, a range of booklets, and courses on this subject. Particularly recommended is the booklet ‘Practical Slaughter of Poultry - A Guide for the Small Producer' (Price £2 available from HSA)

Contact them at:

Humane Slaughter Association, The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead,
Herts, AL4 8AN, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1582 831919
Fax: +44 (0)1582 831414
Email: info@hsa.org.uk   http://www.hsa.org.uk/

Thanks are due to Vanessa Collins for providing a good venue for this meeting, as well as generously providing tea and cakes afterwards. Thanks also to those who produced the dead birds for the post-mortem and thanks to Julie for all her work. It was a very informative evening.

Sandy Vaughan

Show Results

Royal Bath and West Show

Veronica and Dennis Norvill attended the show held in May and walked away with a bucket of a cup due to one of their Cochins achieving the accolade of "Show Champion". They also won the cup for the "Best Large Soft Feather". These really are superb trophies to have for a year and if you have good birds the Royal Bath and West is a good show to enter.

In the egg classes they were awarded "Best Premier Egg". As well as the trophies mentioned above they were also given an engraved whisky tumbler and a china jug illustrated with chickens as a permanent reminder of their success. Well done, Veronica and Dennis it's great to see some good luck heading your way! It's also good to see our members achieving good results away from our own club competitions.   

Club Diary Dates

Wednesday 8^th September

Talk on Domestic Ducks, speaker to be announced.

Wednesday October 13^th

Annual General Meeting

Your chance to have your say

Wednesday 10^th November

Knock out of birds (box show)

Wednesday 8^th December

To be announced

Exhibitions

Sunday 15^th August

Cotswold Pony Club, Andoversford.

Sunday 29^th & Monday 30^th August

The White Horse Show, Uffington

Monday 30^th August

Cricklade Country Show

Sunday 5^th September

Brinkworth Show

Sunday 12^th Sepember

Frampton Country Fair

Saturday 25^th September

FFF&B Ploughing Match, Meysey Hampton, Cirencester.

Show Dates

Saturday 18^th & Sunday 19^th September

Newbury Agricultural Show

Saturday 20^th & Sunday 21^st November

The National Poultry Shown Stoneleigh

Saturday18th & Sunday19th December

The Federation Show, Stafford

From the President's Perch

Well, it's that time again for another "Quill", it only seems like yesterday that the last one came out, every thing is going on at such a rate so that time goes by in a blur.

With the exhibitions taking place to our now recognised high standard of presentation and organisation we are finding that the birds are not co-operating by moulting early due to the warm summer.

Still, we may be able to help nature but we cannot control it. The Club must thank John our vice chairman for stepping in to run the exhibitions due to Vanessa's accident. It is good to see Vanessa well on the road to recovery, she can now scratch behind her ears and I told her if she must use big bales then get a pitch fork that is strong enough.

By the next issue of the "Quill" it will be the AGM so bring along your ideas for next years programme. It is one of the assets of the Club that we always have a wide range and high quality of talks etc, on Club nights. The other thing is if you feel that you could offer more to the Club please speak up and possibly join the committee.

Good luck with the rest of the Exhibitions this season and I hope to see you at some of them.

Neil.

For sale and wanted

For Sale

For sale

Booted Bantams (Sabelpoot)

Cockerels and Pullets, bred 2010

Janet Norris 01793 771531

Free to a good home

Three cock birds

2 White Silkie, bred 2009

1 Large Black Orpington, bred 2009

Janet Norris 01793 771531

Jack Russell Puppies

Ready late August

From good rat catching stock

Vanessa Collins 01793 752305

Quartet of Large Vorwerk including

a stunning cock bird, 2009 bred £35.

2 large Buff Orpington hens £10 each

1large Black Orpington hen £10

Carol Smith 01666 823167

Sebrights

Bantam Welsummers

Pam Davey

01285 810438

Wanted

Wanted a small/ medium incubator

Must be in good working order and under £100, (wanted as a secondary incubator).

Pam Martyn 01242 519306

The present committee:

The views expressed in this Newsletter by individual contributors are not necessarily those of the club committee.

Editorial Deadline for next issue

Saturday November 27^th  2010

(01285) 656480

ken.cservenka@sky.com