POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 247, 12 July 1919, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

About Broody Hens. Every broody hen is not a, koo<l sitter, and all Bitting- hens do not incubate the eggs equally well. Ab a rule, the nervous, fussy broody hen will not sit well, but thoro aro exceptions to the rule. Usually the best sitter is the tot, quiet, motherly hen, that hugs the nest closely. In preparing tho nest All in the bottom with a little moist loam, or an inverted sod, first clipping the grass close. Pack the earth well into the corners and <iish out the centre of the nest a little, just enough so that tho eggs -will not roll away from under the hen. On the earth scatter a little tobacco dust, or a few tobacco stems, and on top of this rlace a thin layer of soft hay or soft cut straw. I prefer hay to straw, as it is Icsb liable to harbour vermin. When a hen first becomes broody allow lier to remain a, few nights on tho nest of her own selection, then move her at night to her new nest, and give lier a few nest eggs to make her happy. Make Bure 'that si"? is going to stick to the new nest before you let her have ,thc hatching eggs. Take her off at a regular hour each day for food, ivater, exercise, and a dust but do not let her remain off too long. Usually she will return to the nest or her own accord aft«r being shown the way once. If sho won't, and is disposed to fuss or have her own way, don't re l mad about it. It ivon't do yon any good, and broody hens are not to be coerced by arguments or strong language. Patience and ncrscvereucc, combined with gentle persuasion, will win out more often than a display of force. Before she jroes on the now nest tho lien should have a thorough dusting all over -with insect powder (Pyrothrum)—it must l,c fresh ground and unadulterated to be effective—and another dusting about the seventeenth day. Work the powder well into the plumage all over the bird. Do not give tho lien more eggs than she can cover comfortably. If any should be broken in tho nest, change the nesting material, and wash the remaining eggs with lukewarm water. Sitters should have a quiet' place, and should not bo disturbed except to feed and water, or for such caro as may be necessary. Ill© best food for sitters is whole corn, but he sure to supply them with water, shellgnt, a.nd charcoal. Have a dust bath where they can use it when off the nest. When hatching time cornea don't disturb the sitters. If any ' hen should 'provo particularly uneasy at hatching time. Biich of her chicks as aro dry can be given to a quieter lien, should one be available. Watoh them to see that they do not kill the chicks, as some hene are likely to do. When 36 hours old, remove tho hen and chicks to a broad coop, which in favourable seasons in best run jn an orchard or on grass land. If the weather is cold and wet, place tho cood under Bhclter, which has an open front. Notos for the Novice. To do well, fowls must have small, sharp stone grit (for the purposes of- digestion), charcoal (as an internal cleanser, absorbent, and antiseptic), and green food (to supply mineral and vegetable salts that the system requires, and whicli are not found in wheat, bran, or poilard). '~,,, There is no better method of keeping fowls than to have a good big shed (7ft. high at tho front and 6ft. at tho. back), with a run in front of it. In tho cola, wet weather tho birds may be kept shut up in the houses, and do well with plenty of litter on the iloor for exercising puiposes. Tliero will bo more eggs-tho warmer conditions will cause them to be produced-tho eggs will be cleaner, andthey will look better and should sell better; the hens will keep cleaner and look nicer, and will increase in selling value to the extent of, say, 10 per cent, lhe birds may be kept in tho shed right through the cold weather. Some of the closed house men keep the birds m the shod-all the time, and never let them out into tho open. I like a bit of both myself, and would keep them m the sheds for the three or four winter monthß, with a run outsido on dry, sunny days. . With the advent of warm weather I would havo them in the open yard, taking care to shut them up on wet days, and on those days when the weather changed from warm to cold, as it so often does in tho summer months. The shed method ib in strong operation in New South w ales and Victoria, and is coming into favour in South Australia, whero several men have adopted the syptem, which kaß so many .points in its favour that it may bo expected to be in general operation within the next few years. When fowls .bogin feather picking, thcro are but two effective-cures, so far as my cxperienco goes. One is to give them free range, and feed so that they are always on the hungry side, and consequently always busy. . Tho freo range exercise gets tho birds into better physical condition, to that they forget about feather picking. If you can't turn the birds loose, tho only certain cure that I know of is to watch out for the offenders, and when found to kill, and eat them. The habit is usually sot up in small yards, where the birds have nothing to do, become fat in consequence, and get into a generally unhealthy condition. In a fight with another bird, they pull out a mouthful of feathers, find blood in the butts, like the taste of it-probably because of the salty tlavour supplying the craving which is set up' by tho, diseased bodily oondition-and tho habit is established. In a small yard, where the habit is well established. I know of.no effectivo remedy for tho feather-picking vice other than to kill tho offending bird and havo done with it. You may reduce the food, feed plenty of green stuff, and generally get the birds into a thinner, tougher, and healthier bodily condition, and so make lots of difference, but during a long experience I havo never seen any bird cured of the habit once it was thoroughly established— except by killing it, It is a disgusting vice, anyway, and the birdß that aro denuded'of their feathcrs-usually on the breast and around the vent—are sorrylookir.g objects. The feather picking is usup'ly done by .another bird. I havo heard of a fowl plucking its own feathers, but have never seen it done, and as just stated, tho way to remove tho trouble is to find this bird and kill it. •