POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3100, 2 June 1917, Page 13

POULTRY NOTES

• (By Chanticleer.)

Dropping Boards. ... . Tlicro is a (lifl'crciico of opinion as lo tho utility of 'dropping boards. Sonio contend that they ..aro insanitary and" harbour vermin. 'J'hat allowing tho droppings to fall the floor and becom'o jiiixod with tho litter takes better caro of tho manure, does aiviiy with the, labour of.frequent cleaning, and is generally more sanitary. In favour of the'.drop-' ping-board, it cau be'urged that two-' .thirds of tho manure produced falls on tho dropping-board, and can be carried out,-'iiiakinjf it-necessary to olefin the housß less frequently'.. Where hens are run in largo iloeks and confined to fhc house much of tho time the ..droppingboard is an advantage, if it can bo cleaned every day, as ft great deal of tilth, is thus taken out. They arc an advantage.where litter has to te"pur- ', chased, as it effects a great eaviug hero. In a small house tho birds have more floor space. Whero one has plenty _of , : litter, labour can be saved by dispensing with droppinij-boards. In this caso the floor of tho house should be cleaned at least once'a. month." and oftener where tli6 flock ia>large. All now litter should be used thus often. This plan is best • adapted for tho farm where straw is plentiful, as it makes more and better manure, and the daily routine of cleaning the dropping-board is done away with. Conditions and individual preference must determine . whether to use dropping boards or not. Eacli plan has advantages' . aricl disadvantages. ' Egg Qualities. •■•' ' The quality of egga depends not altogether ; upon the length of time they have been kept, but quite as much upon the conditions to which. they have been subjected between the time of laying and. ■ of their final use. Moreover, the duality of an egg may be affected to some extent by the foods eaten by tho hen . which lays ii, and possibly, by the season of the yeai when it is laid. • Careful experiments indicate that tho foods „ oaten by hens may affect egg quality. For example, green foods and yellow corn seem to cause a deep colour in tho yolk, while the use of white corn, wheat, and buck-wheat results in, pale yolks. Birds on free range, lay eggs that have more colour than those from hens kept yarded without ' exercise. Excessivo amounts of green food are thought to produce eggs of marked colour and flavour; onions and cabbage have a direct influence in this respect. The season of the year may also havo its effect, Ithose eggs produced in summer seeming _to have a more watery albumen or white, than those., produced in winter. These watery eggs are likely to be of lower quality, and are, therefore, less desirable for cold storage or long holding. Moulting Hens. Wo have found it very difficult to make some poultrymen : understand that a hen cannot make eggs and feathers at the same tinie. She can lay. while sho is shedding her feathers, becauee there is then no drain on her system for any other purpose.. But when the new coat of feathers is started, she quits, simply because she cannot do double duty—make feathers and eggs at the same time. When people loam thia fact, they, will not expect eggs from a hen , that is growing a coat of feathers. And then they may also learn ihow to manago their hatching and feeding so as to get esgs in the late autumn and winter. That learnt, there will not be so many asking: "Why don't my hens lay?" Don't Overcrowd. If a man's temperature gets too high, from exercise or extra clothing, Nature sends out a persniration on to tho surfaeo and by evaporation the heat units are taken np and the body is cooled. A hen's temperature is not reduced in this way, for she has no sweat glands, in her skin. The moisture in the hen's case is carried out through tho breath, so 4 for this reason, if a hen is very warm, she, will havo her mouth open bellowing' the air in and out to take out the moisture and not to get an extra supply of oxygen into her lungs, as many think. If the birds are crowded at night, they become very warm, then, coming out into tho cold, frosty morning air, the breathing organs are 60 chilled that a cold is the result, which paves the way for roup.