POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2932, 18 November 1916, Page 15

POULTRY NOTES

(By Ohantkclbb.)

Unless the quality is born into the clucks, it can't bo led into them. A few drops of tincture of iron in the drinking iratcr makes a good spring tonic. Chicks of the breeds having large combs ai'G often spoiled 'by feeding too .stimulating food, or keeping them for too long or in a too hot brooder. Uhango of pen has a beneficial effect on the growing chickens, .maintaining interest in lil'e and much-needed vitality. Tameness counts in the show pen, and the proper time to tame is'during babyhood—and tameuess generally counts in the egg basket, too! There is no one of average intelligence and a love of the calling who should not make his poultry-pay a fair return for the labour expended u.pon them. Prepare for tho annual moult. Don't overcrowd the young stock. Separate tho males from the females.' Cull out all tho time and keep only the beat. If one chicken in a brooder gets pasted up behind,' or if the ivings begin to i droop, kill it at once. . The first loss is always the best. dive green! stuff to tho yo.ujj# chicks twice daily. (ireon stuff aids in the growth, of the feathers, and in'the development of the plumage, besides keeping tlicm in good health. ; Chicks that bavo been taught to eat a lot of green food when young eat a lot of green' food when adults, and a reduction in the feed bill i 6 thereby attained. There is 110 better green food than chopped-up green lucerne. Always feed the green food fresh; if alldwed to become sour it may upset the chicks and cause diarrhoea. A suitable wet mash fed twico daily to the young chicks will promote quicker growth than dry mash feeding alone. 1 Quick growth is the growth that pays. Don't forgot to supply grit; a fowl needs grit supplied regularly from the time it is 48 hours old till death. l Crushed oyster shell by itself is not the best foi',ni of grit; it is not hard enough nor sharp enough. The main function of the grit is to grind tho food and to do this'in tho best possible way the grit should be both hard and sharp. (Jnt by thoroughly digesting tho food enables the fowls to get all the nourishment out of the food, and thereby saves the food bill.. , ... The laying hen is a hard drinker. She will consume about half a pint of water per day. If all the water tins are collected and boiled once a week it prevents the possibility of diarrhoea being caused by germ-infected water tins. Tho water tins ghould always be kept in a shady plaoe; "under a. tree is the best. The fowl likes a drink of cold water just as much as we do in the hot weathor. Lukewarm or hot water is a frequent cause of scours* A regular and efficient water..supply 6nveg pounds to poultry farmers in the course of the year. If you are finished breeding operations separate the males at once. All except the extra choice breeding should be 6old' or got rid of. A lot of' extra 1 males are a" great source of trouble, ns they have to' bo penned separately, and they take up a lot of rootin that could be more profitably used for raising chickens. 'No males should-be kept at any time with birds kept for" market' egg production. An infertile egg keeps Indefinitely, and never contains any : blood spots, clots, or streaks, and tastes much better'than a fertile egg. In addition to all their .advantages, the egg,yield from a pen . in which no males are kept is at least ten per cent, higher than irom pne containing a male bird. . ' Now is the time to get rid of all second year hens that one wishes to dispose of, ■No hens, unless very choice breeders, should be kept after tho second year. Even if they uro laying now it is better to sacrifice a few cheap eggs and get 1 a better ,'price f Qi' the old lions, and also get the added advantages of saving their feed bill, and having more l-00-m for the growing . • . , Charcoal is tho best .preventative; ;:of bowel disorders in chickens, as well-as being one of the best ourM. for diarrhoea, due to overfeeding or bad feeding,. 'It is a good plan to mix powdered charcoal in the mash two or three times a week. Remember that charcoal is a great absorbent of gases, and when being ]ppt any time should ■ be' stored in dry, ■' se-curely-corked jars to keep out the air. If it is suspected that charcoal has absorbed any impurities or noxious ' gases, it can be Heated and the gases 'driven out, and the qharcoal made as good as new. .:. ECC-LAVINC. COMPETITIONS. Tlie official results of the thirty-first week of tho New Zealand Utility Poultry ■ Club's twelfth egs.layiaß competition tor fowls for the .week ended Tuesday, Novem,. hcpl4, are as follow:— - LIGHT BREEDS.-. - Total Total tor to .' week. data. Verral Bros,, Ji.0.25 815 Bracken Held. Farm,: 8.0. • 24 859 W. Savoy, W,L. 36 J. JJ. Merrett, W.'L JO 823 R. 0. Sliearaan, W.L 30 802 Heretaunga Poultry Co., W.L. . 21 716 ; H. Ball, W.L.- •' 25 M. A. Currin, W.L. . 26 827 Salmuir Poultry Yards, W.L. .. 26 783 Mrs. H. Graham, W.Jj 26 ■ 918 J. Wordsworth, W.L 33 703 . H. E. Ross. W.L; 25 838 •R. H. James, W.L 27 . .661. C. J. -Norton, W.L 32 772 Alfred Eaton, \VM 31. 753 M. H. Walker, W.L 31 '753 Green Bros. (No. 2), W.L 25 827 H. Leger, W.L... S< -764 J. Hancarrow, W.L. 31 . 888 Colder Bros., WJj 34 • 897 11. Pounsford, W.L; 25 807 A. W. Adams, IV.It 21 855 A. E. Phillips, W.L 27 839 T.. Kennedy, W.L 27 701 V. J. Hill, W.L 38 BDO B. P. L, Olayson. W.L. 34 814 T. E; Conway, W.L 29 752 Huretaunga I'.G. (No. 1). W.L. .. 32 ' 842 Rangiurw "Egg Rftuch, W.L 34 868 8.. Pick, W.L .....: 35 797 G. Gee, W.L 26 758 H. C. Yates, W.L 26 722 >1 P. Amyes, W.L 25 785 A. E. Wilson, W.L 32 770 Mrs. J. Mills, W.L 36 537 A. G. Brallcy, W.L 30 813 Green Bros. (No. 1), W.L. '. 31 717 Atkinson Bros.. W.L 28 825 A. A. Hoare, W.L 27 771 L. T. Wright, W.L 30 800 To Anau Utility Stud, W.L.::.. JO am T. M'llwraith, WX 30 732 R. A. Lazarus, W.L. 34 785 H. W. Bower, W.L 32 ; 731 H. S. Woodnorth, W.L.' .;. .31 860 Hokowhitu Poultry Co.,'W.L. „,21 680 Oalder Bros., W.L 34' 864 J. B. Mcrrett (No.'l), W.L '31 ' 811 Jack Green, W.L ; ; .32 594 Totals 1,447 38,282 HE'AVr BREED TEST. ,: .Votal Total for to week. date. T. Kennedy, W.W: . ...14 515 Green Bros.. W.W 16 634 W. Knight, W-P.lt. 28 725 A. S. Cooper. R.I.R 24 724 Miss E. Willis, 8.0. 25 . 763 0. J. Norton, 8.0 25 766 T. E. Conway, 8.0. 19 £66 J. Nancarrow, 8.0. 21 795 Miss J. James, 8.0 :... 17 769 T. Dowthwaitc, S.W.' 20 742 A. W. Adams, B.W. ......1............ 23 631 . Totals ...... 232 7,921 SINGLE'PEN TEST. Total Total lor to week. date. A. S. Oooper, R.I.R. 4 139 A. 8. Cooper, R.I.R. • 6 165 R. H. James, W.L. .; 6 .168 T. L. Wright, W.L; : 5 - • ; -J.llZ Rahgiuru Egg Ranch, W.'L. ...... 3 ! 131 Green Bros., W.L 5 • '158 Caldcr Bros., W.L 7. 167 W. Davey, W.L 1 5 159 J. B. Morrett, W.L.' :.... 3 91 A. E. Wilson, W.L. - 41 Mrs. J. Mills, W.L ; - 6 1 169 Atkinson Bros., W.L 6 141 B. P. L. Olayson, W.li 6 141 J. Wordsworth, W.L 7 97 Totals 68 1,879 , FOR DUCKS. The Now Zealand Utility Poultry Club's seventh egg-laying test Ipr ducks. Returns for the thirty-first week nre as follow:— Total Total , for to wook. date. W*. Knight, J.ll 31 778 Horotaunga Poultry Co., I.R. . 30 922 H. W. Bowor, I.R 27 1,059 Totals 88 • 2,759 Tho letters after each entry denote tho breed, as under:—B.L., Brown Leghorn; W.L., WhitA Leghorn; 8.W.. Silver Wyandotte: R.1.R.. Rhode Island Red; W.W., White Wyandotte; 8.0., Black Orpington; W.P.R., White Plymouth Rock; 1.R., Indian Runner.