POULTRY NOTES
'By "Ohanticleor."! ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "E.H.W."—Thero ie no danger in feeding eggshells if they arc crushed up in email pieces. They are useful too for chickens. The beet time of year to eell your hens is after the laying is dono in March. If there arc any dronea or uulln they should bo fold now, as the prices are high, dud the few eggs they lay will not compensate for loss in feed. "Eeturned Soldier."—The poultry settle incut scheme for returned men would have been a great bucccsb. Opportunity has been lost. In New South Wales, over 400 soldiers have been started, ana arc doing well. In Kciv Zealand thej have a far better chance. The Government seen) to be against the tclienn and that's the end of it. Every poultrykeeper I know of any note is doubling his plant, and praying for others to keep out, eo that the present high Hrices may continue. "Inquirer."—The best green feed Iβ lucerne. It ie easily grown, and may be chaffed and need in the mash. If you have water crosß, lawn dippings, or vegetables, they are all of great value as green feed. Green fed is a purifier of the blood, and gives colour to the egg. It ehould be fed daily. Parasites of Chiokens A sharp lookout should now be kept for the appearance of suck louse on the heads of chickens. When chickens appear to be dull mid peaky, with dropping winga, for no apparent reason, the pretence of this parasite may be eußpected, and a thorough examination of the head, throat, and neck should be made, particularly the top of the head. If the infestation "is in the early stages, probably nothing hut what appears to be a uinas of nits'will lie found, but the more mature- insects rarely exceeding a sixteenth of an iuch in length, and eomewliaL narrow, are of a dark grey colour, and may be mistaken fur the eheaths and "budu" of small feathers. They are not easily detected, but a ready -way of showing them lip is to moisten a piece of flannel very slightly with kerosene and hold it on the head of one of the chickens fur a- second or two, when the lice will withdraw and show themselves!' If one chicken in ; t lot is found to be Infested, it may safely he assumed that all arc more or less t>o. I'o destroy this parasite, all that. i~ is a Mule salad oil applied to the head and throat of the chicken; but this should In; done as lightly as possible, heuiihi! if oil or en-use of any kiii'l is applied heavily to the •■down" on .■hieken.H it is calculated lo cause more deaths than the parasite. H will prohaljly be nccesiU-y to repeat the apoiioation in eight or ten days' time. Kerosene or uicruiiri.il ointments are dangerous to nee, and there is no necessity to employ them _ for this parasite. The salad oil is ijuile effective by ifselr. Food and Quality of Eggs.
food has u great ilcul of itillucuce 0:1 the taste and quality of eggs, and so hits tile health of Cue fowls. Tainted feed and foods with strong odours will otton spoil the taste <it eggs. Ail abundance of green food help- tn offset the effect of utrong-tlayoured foodstuffs and to improve the quality of the eggs. The use of medicines m food or drinking water will often spoil the taste of eggs, and nxiy affect the colour of the yolk. Eggs from hens affected with roupy colds, or with vent gleet are almost certain to havo a- foul or fishy odour and taste. Firstquality eggs can only be hatlj from healthy, well-kept, well-fed hens, uiul such eggs must bo kept in a clean, cool place, away from all strong odours, if they are to keep their iiualily and good taste. There are many- people, to whom an egg is an egg, and who believe that if an egg is fresh laid that that fact alone means that the egg is of first quality. The only way that tlie.v will over find oiit the difference in taste and quality of new-laiu eggs is by being shown, and the best way is to give them a chance to compare the taste and flavour of real quality eggs with the sort, to which they have been accustomed. There aro many poullrymcn who fail to understand that, there is a, ivide difference between a well-made, well-fed freßh egg and a poorlymade, poorly-fed fresh egg. Every ripe orange isn't a good, sweet-flavoured orange, as, no doubt, you have found out before this. Some oranges sell for 2s. pel' l dozen, and are not worth any more than that, and some sell for ss. a dozen that are worth five times as much as the cheaper sort. Some new-laid eggs are dear at 10(1. a. dozen, and tome are cheap at 2s. 6d. a dozen. It is a. matter of purity, quality, and good flavour.
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 56, 29 November 1919, Page 16
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836POULTRY NOTES Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 56, 29 November 1919, Page 16
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