POULTRY NOTES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 119, 5 February 1940, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

POULTRY ON THE FARM (By a Contributor) How often do we go on to a farm and see how neglected is tlie poultry. The owner probably tells you that they are not worth their keep, and in the majority of eases lie is quite j right. Certainly it is correct -when the poultry are running wild, seldom fed and left tio roost in trees or on the fences. And then again, we see fowls of all ages, and no two alike in size or colour. If the farmer Ave re to look after all his stock (or not look after them)* in the same way, they also, would not be Avorth their keep. To-day farming is a business and anything that does not show a profit shoulud be culled as soon as possible, and replaced by something that Avill. So if you have a lot of fowls that are not showing a profit cull the lot and make a fresh start by first building a house and small run, then purchasing a few pullets from a reliable breeder. Feed them well and von will soon see how quickly they respond. I have two examples in mind. Firstly is the ease of a person in this district Avho purchased twelve pullets which have averaged six dozen eggs per week for the, last five months. The net profit from the eggs sold Avas 5s per week. Now, how nice for the farmer's av'il'c or the younger members of the famity to hhve a basket of eggs to take into town each week-end and have -the proceeds for pocket money-, Another farmer in this district bought a few pullets three years and now he has built up a flock of between 300 and 400. To-day his weekly returns amount to £12, and nearly all the food for the poultry' is produced on the farm. This must show quite a good'profit. Therefore I maintain that if the poultry were given the same chance as the other* slock they would show the same profit. There ai-e lots of people who will not entertain the idea of keeping poultry because they think there arc too many ailments among foAvls. Those ailments are caused by overcrowding and denying the foAvl her natural habits. On the farm, where the foAvls have a free range, there is \ r ery little sickness and if one happens to sicken at all the best cure is the axe. My advice to anyone desiring tb keep poultry is to buy the bes!j build a good house, feed hard and cull hard. That is the shortest road to success. A WORD OF WARNING In OA r erseas poultry journals frequent references are made to the unscrupulous practices of persons who earn a nefarious living by exploiting poultry keepers i."n connection Avith the sales of stock and chicks. In fact reports of prosecutions and convictions for fraudulent practices' are by no means uncommon. Ncav Zealand has been reasonably free from that kind of thing and it is an unpleasant duty to haA*e to say that there are very solid reasons for the conviction that the claims made in advertisements in daily newspapers this season by one alleged breeder of pedigree stock are not genuine. This person is a comparatively new arriA*al in the Dominion. He offered pedigree breed i/ng stock at fairly high prices. Inquiries failed to locate his. poultrybreeding establishment, and it is reported that his "pedigree" birds are bought at the auction markets. This word of warnrng is issued to put poultry keepers on their guard. EGG QUALITY Warm weather bringes the p.rob-. lem of egg quality. Care must be exercised in handling the eggs, otherwise the losses will offset the profits. The following things should be j done: (1) Get rid of all male birds; (2) keep the hens confined until ! noon on rainy days; (3) keep plenty j of litter on the floor and ample nest i ing material in the nests; (4) use a ! wire basket for gathering eggs and I leaA _ e the eggs in the basket until all j animal heat has left them; (5) case the eggs, small end doAvn; (6) store tn a cool place away from vegetables and kerosene, which Avill cause the eggs to absorb undesirable flavours; (7) market often.