Page 15 Advertisements Column 2

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1806, 19 July 1913, Page 15

INDUSTRY ' (By Chantecler.)

Government Support. There is 110 denying the fact that the present Government is out to benefit the small settler who has to resort to various branches of agriculture to make a good rjturn from his'land. There are few factors in which his family- can render assistance more than in- poultry. The Government has decided to close the Burnham Poultry Farm, as thia was a most instructive agent in poultry onlture. The place, however, hacf disadvantages. It. was too far distant from Christcnurch, and to visit it required a whole day. If it is the intention of the Minister for Agriculture to purchase a piece of land nearer Christchurch, and carry on the experimental work there, the change will, work to nd- • vautam Much remains to be done _in New Zealand, and far more instruction seems to be needed among the farmers. Tha Pure Foods Act. Members of Parliament are being approached with a view to supporting the present Bill that enforces the labelling of all oustardi and powders in respect to their egg ingredients. The Bill also prohibits tho importation of egg powders (yolks and whites). This is a Trase provision and will help the poultry industry. Chick Troubles. "Beginner," Lower Hutt, writes:—l have seven, white leghorn chicks which are five weeks old. I have had them under cover ajid well cared for, and they are very' lively, and seemed to be getting on well. Thi? morning, however, I had a look at them, and four of them were gone in the foet, and were "hobbling along on their elbows," as it were. I thought that they had taken cramp, but. I cannot see how they could, as they were all kept warm. Their toes are turned in, and the feet are as if they were pigeon-toed. If they had got wet or had been in the cold I could understand it, but, having been kept dry find Tvarm, I cannot make it out. Otherwise they are strong enough, 60 perhaps you could advise mo whether I ought to kill them or "doctor them up." I have had their legs, rubbed with oil, but that has not. made fl-ny difference. I will keep them going till 1 get an answer in next week's column. [Our correspondent's chicks are troubled with leg weakness, and the result is general weakness of the constitution. Twisted toes are usually the •, result of the eggs having been heated during incubation, off lack of turning and airing. ' My advice la that the chicks 6hould be killed off. A little ground lime in the food will help chicks. The expert breeder always makes a point of killing off all weak chicks two days after' hsitohing. They can be easily detected, and there is always a certain percentage of them in every batch. The fact that they have been hatched by a hen, and the others are free from the complaint, shows that the trouble is inherent. Get some better ohioks and begin again,] Incubator Troubles. W. N. Nelson writes: I have had a little hard luck with my first batch, and I do not want to blame the machine, or the gentleman who supplied me with, the eggs, or even myself. I followed out the instructions sent out by the makers of the machine to the letter, and yet I have a 75 per cent, failure, and so I am compelled to ask myself "why." • In the first place, the eggs were packed well. I placed them in the machine, which had been previously heated up to 103 degrees, and then left them till the third or fourth day. After that I tested for infertiles, and' found thirty. . Again, on" the' tenth day,. I .teatqd and found 'about four ■dozen addled,' etc. I'contimied turning the eggs until ,the.. eighteenth, day, .and' during that time watching the air chamber, and keeping the size to that , which is on the card (as supplied- by the makers). I put water in tho moisture pan about the tenth day,' and f tested again every secoad f/ nighl; untjl^'thei/jsiateonth. day, when I 'noticed that £Ko air cham--ber "was a,little.too large, so I did not uso'any more water until.; tho eighteenth day,";when;.l filled iup tho.pan* arfd'left the ihoulator alone until trie hatching started.- On-watching the'incubator on the twentieth day, I noticed that they had started to "pip" (some of the eggs), and saw about twenty chicks come out, and watched other eggs "pipping," but that was all that came of them, for they . seemed to get no further. They died in : the shell. Several eggs showed, no 6ign J of "pipping" at all, out upon examining theso I found in each case a fully-devel-oped chiok, but no sign of life. _ There / were no "bad" eggs in the machine, and all the chicsks in the shells seemed to be well .developed. The conclusion. I havo .' reached is this: That the failure has been due to look of moisture, for the last chick or two that came out on the' tweny-first day. was of such a long duration (about twelve hours)ythat you could plainly see fhat it was for want of moisture that the chick seemed to be held to the lining of tho < shell. On placing this egg in a hot, damp cloth, it soon became free, and apI parently is none the worse for its treatment. There was some water in the moisture pan, on opening the incubator. The temperature of the machine never varied any more than a degree ono way or another. I trust that I have not wearied you over this/ letter. I have plenty of grit -about me, and, will try, try again. Only I hope every experience will be a lesson. [This is experiencing beginners' troubles, and the writer must not grow oouraged, After years -of experience I have had bad batches such as he describes,- and 60 does every poultry man, but you hear nothing of it from the old hands. I am satisfied if my batches average 50 per oent. of good chicks through the season. I get sometimes 90 per cent., and thon all the wily dowp to 30 per cent. Want of moisture as often- the cause of ■ non-hatching,, but-1 should say that the eggs in tho case under notice were spine- | what stale before being ®et. The air cell is a good indication of moisture, and must be your guide. I have usefj hygrimeters, but the humidity 'in the atmosphere varies so much' in different parts that one hardly knows' what degree of mois-' ture to work by. Howevey, do not bo discouraged; try again.] More Information Wanted. • "X.Y.Z.," Ekotahuna, writes:—No. 1: Many^hanjfs'fyr.your reply to my inquiries aborit my pullets. Ido not think they have had any set-back, but I do think-now that you have told me that liver trouble i 6 what is wrong. Since I culled tha birds out, I notice quite an absence of certain signs, which make it plain that the weak, ones are gone, 1 now have them in fin open-run paddock, and they seem to bo coming back again. Would you adviso retaining them? is it possible for them to recover? They are well-grown, not a bit weedy, but perhaps that matters little. No. 2: There is' another problem. My very best hen is suffering from leg weakness, due, I think, to heavy laying. She has hardly taken any rest right through the moult. I havo hor cooped up in soft straw, putting her indoors at night. Only one leg is troubled, and I have been plunging it into hot mustard water, with but little effect. She is in perfect health otherwise. What is tho best thing to do? No, 3; I have eighty birds all told—six two-year hens, the balance pullets—all of which I reared myself last season. I bought a second-hand incubator for a pound, of which I had these hatches—the first 30 from 65, the second 45 from 70, and the final 82 from 90. I made my own two fireless brooders, and had no difficulty in rearing, although this is my first year. I havo averaged twenty dozen a week since the beginning of May. Do you consider that satisfactory, or should I get a larger yield. lam purely a novice. I love the hobby, but would like the opinion of an expert as to how lam going. Thanking yo'i in anticipation of a reply 011 Saturday. .[No. li' Glndtonotothanl hit the causo of your trouble. YOll may Itenp the birds for eggs, but I would adviso a change of stock for breeders. After a good laying season, dispose of thom. No. 2: Your hen has got rheumatism. A compliant fowls ofton suffer from. Their blood is hot, and suscoptiblo to ohills. Keep cooped, and if you value her, vub the leg with liniment, and add a pinch of salacill in tho water; do not use her as a breeder. No. 3: Yes, you have done well, and got 6ome good averages. You will often get worso results in incubation as you get older. You evidently feed well, as tho period you prescribe is ."■lie .worst in the year.] ■