POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 263, 31 July 1920, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

;■ (By ."Ohanlicleer.") Mr. O. Cusson, Government Poultry Instructor, recently delivered a lecture on the hatching and rearing of chickens at , Mr. E. Geddes's poultry yards, flouth Dunedln. The lecture was arranged by the Otago Eire Circle, Mr Cussen opcnel with the remark that more failures could fee attributed to the failure of poultry keepers to properly handlo their young stock thap to anything elßo. Everything depended, of course, upon the selection and oare of the parent stock, which mutt be vigorous, of sound constitution, and properly fed. Th'ay should not get inach at any rate not more than twice weekly, and preferably once a woek only. Ilie^ , must.have exercise either in litter or on raases, and all the green stuff t':ay inn get. _ Mr. Cussen pointed ■ ut that' poor fertility was often due-to insect pestß, consequently cleanriness was imperative, particularly as the male bird. Animal food should bo kept away lrom the breeding birds, as they must not he forced for eecs. What was. wanted for settings was not quantity- but quality. In light breedß, the breeding pens Bhonld be composed of 12 or 14 nens to the male, and in the heavy breeds no more than eight or ten, presuming that they were in limited quarters, but, if on range, more hens might bo allowed to the male. It was a great deal a,' question of vigour and constitution of the male, and in some cases the breeding pens might be larger than ho had suegested. It was. wrong to have too ' many hens in the pen, and'equally so lo have too few for. reasons which he exflained. Mr. Cussen referred to the quesion of controlling sex, and declared that 'Micro was no way known of doing so, nor was there of testing fertility until some days after incubation had commenced. The size of the offspring .was influenced, he said, more by the female than bv the male, and if the flock was getting down f in .size it was better to introduce larger females than larger males! Mr. Cussen here made a note of warning, especially. to Leghorn breeders, relative to this,question, saying that they should look ahead and do everything to maintain tho size and stamina of their birds. The lecturer then gave some very useful hintß respecting the selection and treatment of the sitting hen. Ambnzst other warnings given was one against using a hen with . scaly less, as she would be sure to transmit the dlseaso to the chickens. Scaly- " leg could be cured, he said, br dipping thi legs in two-partß raw linseed oil and one-part of kerosene. • Dip the shanks into the mixture Bay. three times in a. fortnight until thero was a cure. The sitting hen should not be treated in this way because the kerosene, etc., would be sure to • effect the eggs. Scaly-legged br not, however, the sitting hen must have every facility for dusting herself, and she should, be dusted with insect powder at least twice during the 21 days of incubation, as more chickens were ruined by the .ravages of parasites than any other causes. Mr. Cussen recommended orain rather than mash lor the sitting hen. Economical Feeding of Chickens. In these times of high cost of feeding every economy is necessary. The writer has had-experience of feeding chickens on the most simple rations, and has successfully raised hundreds of thousands on nothing" more than crushed wheat and maize, together with pollard and bran, the last two forming three-fourths, of the • total daily ration, with, of course, the usual green feed. .