POULTRY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 42, 13 November 1926, Page 28

POULTRY NOTES.

(By

“New Laid."’)

Answer to Correspondent. “A.P.” writes: “I would like to ask vou how you overcome toe-picking. My chicks thoioughly enjoy having a go at each others’ toes. The feeding consists of cliick-raisor,. grit, bran,, green food, and pieces of meat to make them run about. Should the bigger ones have a mash of some kind, and should they have a little mcatmeal Toe-picking is the result of lack of exercise and suflicieiit animal food, and the provision ot these is usually followed by a cessation of the trouble. Some pieces ot raw slim of beef will attract their attention from their cannibalistic pursuits, and a good nlan is to provide a little meat meal, placed in n shallow tray, so that they Jan help themselves. From about a fortnight old a moist mash niade ol pollard and bran, with a little Meggilt’s meal added, the whole mixed with milk will be found beneficial. Uns can be fed once daily until the youngsters are old enough for the ordinary adult The Auckland Egg-laying Competition.

The published results of the first halfyear of the egg-laying competition promoted by the Auckland Poultry Keeners’ Association indicate that good work is still being done in proving the laying abilities of the chief breeds of poultry kept in the Dominion. White Leghorns are, perhaps naturally, greatest in evidence in point of numbers, followed by Black Orpingtons, and much lesser numbers of « Rhode Isluiid Beds, White Wyandottes, White Rocks, Barred Rocks Chinese Langslians, Black Le Bresse and Black Minorcas. Ducks are represented by Indian Runners, in both the white, and fawn and white varieties, and Khaki Campbells. In all there are 360 hens and 72 ducks, or a total of 432 birds, engaged in doing their best for the industry. It is early as yet to predict whether the layer of the highest number of eggs will bo one of the light breeds or ouo of the heavies. So far the records 'have been fairly even between the Leghorns and Black Orpingtons, but in .this case the contest is made more interesting by the fact that one of the top-notchers belongs to a breed of which very little is known in these parts, being no other than the Chinese Langslian. A team of three birds‘has laid 411 eggs,, as against 412 produced by Black Orpingtons and 407 b v White Leghorns. These figures are the totals for the twenty-fifth week, practically halfway through the contest, and it remains to be seen whether the Langslians have. the staying power necessary to maintain the position, or perhaps improve it. The records serve to support the assertion that has often been made that what is known as '‘strain ’ counts tar more than '.‘breed” in regard to the best fowls to keep. For instance, the leaders in tho White Leghorn section, a team of three birds, have put up a tallv of 407 eggs during the period, whilst a similar team can only be credited with 127, and the other teams have accounted for records between these two sets of figures. In regard to the birds with the lower records, it is only fair to point out that they will probably make a considerably better showing as time goes on, as some of Ujem appear to have got settled down in their work, after having made a slower start than their competitors The following interesting details of feeding, also of the amount of feed consumed during the last competition, are taken from the catalogue issued by the association. The menu being used durini’ the present test consists of a crumbly'warm mash fed in the mornings and a mixed grain feed at night, the whole being so regulated to give,,a ? oot ’ R al ' nnced ration. AV ash: Pollard, oOIo.; bran, 251 b.; wheatmeal, 151 b.; meatmeal, 101 b.; to every 1001 b. by weight. Ihe bran is scalded with liquor from the minced meat and the other ingredients thoroughly mixed and then added in to bring the mash to a crumbly condition easily digested and palatable to the birds. Salt up to half a pound for every 1001 b. of mash is dissolved in the liquor, and as the caretaker may deem fit the mashes are varied slightly by the addition of-small quantities of hnseed meal, maize meal, etc. Plenty of freshlycut green feed is also mixed with the mash. During the day further supplies of green feed are given, and also a small fe«l of good clipped oats to those birds needing it. The evening meal consists of 3 parts wheat, 1 part cracked maizo, 1 part clipped oats. Tho birds have fresh water running before them all day. and good grit oyster shell and charcoal always before them. The duck section is fed with similar feed except that mash is given morning and evening, and the grain midday, with grit and green feed according to their requirements. Feed consumed during the 1925-26 competition, during which 367 liens and 59 (lucks were tested 50 weeks and 51 hens and 12 ducks for 48 weeks, was ns follows:—Bran, 57551 b.; pollard, 15.3501 b.; wheatmeal, 65601 b.; meatmeal, 38101 b.; maizemeal, 27081 b.; barley, 30341 b.; total, 37.2171 b., or just over 3oz. per feed. Wheat. 11.4701 b.; clipped oats, 41941 b.; cracked maize, 40481 b.; total, 20,0121 b., or 2joz. per feed. Mince and green bone, 33701 b., or l-3rd oz. per bird per day, giving a ratio value of 1 to 5.3. Grit, 161 cwt.; shell, 2 loads; also small quantities of linseed meal, sulphur, salt, etc., were fed.