POULTRY NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 54, 27 November 1926, Page 28

POULTRY NOTES.

(By "New-Laid ") Indications of Sex in Chickens. In some cases it is very difficult to tell the tex of chickens, particularly in breeds such as Leghorns, Orpingtons, and other breeds of all one colour. There are however, several points which may be regarded ns practically reliable in distinguishing the sex of hickens when they are from three, days to a week old. These indications are more .ertain where the chickens are from the same breeding pen. The head is the first point to compare. In the pullets the head will be neater and narrower than in the cockerel and will appear longer in comparison. In the cockerels the wattles will show out prominently, and the combs will be small and erect, while *ho=o of the pullets will be flat and lie close to the heads. The beak of the cockerels will be stronger, and the shank and wing .bones will be coarser, and heavier. As a. general tule, when the chickens are from two to three weeks old, other indications are present. The pullets generally get their plumage at once all over the body, while that of the cockerels will come in patches, the wings and portion of the body being covered, while bare spots between the wings and tail will be noticeable. The tail feathering of the pullets generally grows earlier than in the cockerels. Close attention by the observant owner and a little experience will soon enable him to detect the sex of the chickens, and the indications mentioned should ally assist him.

Quit the Loafer. Every farmer and poultryman knows the various ways in which money can be wasted in their line of business but it is important to mention one of them here, and that is, by keeping the hen that will not work. No matter what her past standing, no matter what her family history may be, if she has proved by a fair test that she cannot do the work, get rid of her. Not only is she eating up the profits and utilising room that some other bird might have, but she is, bv contributing an egg now and then producing a few chicks that will be like herself. Do not bother with that kind of fowl at all. Test them out fairly, see that you are blameless in the matter of food and cere, and if they prove to be poor layers, sell them at once for the table. Do not burden any unsuspecting poultryman with her because she is pure-bred, simply dispose of her for what she is worth—a good fowl for the table.

Uses of Disinfectant. One of the most successful poultry raisers said the other day: "There is hardly a week passes that some part of our plant does not receive a good dose of disinfectant. Houses, coops, incubators, and brooders, all get their share. ’ That man realises that an ounce of prevention ie worth a pound of cure, and t.he best way of "getting rid of mites, lice, and the geyms of the many diseases that the fowl is heir to, ; s not to let them get in. The idea that tlio presence of lico and parasites on' poultry is, in a natural condition, efficiently taken care of by nature, is a fallacy. True, they are found on very young chicks, because the mother hen often unavoidably distributes them to her brood. Every nest is a harbour, likewise perches, dropping boards, brooder houses, and yarding coops. Because of their condition, baby chicks start life handicapped by a choice assortment of blood-sucking, life-sapping There is no better way to successfully combat germs and parasites than through the use of a good, strong, safe disinfectant, one that will not only kill lice, mites, and germs, and neutralise foul odours, but, at the same time, will not stain or injure the birds in any way. Many breeders have been., using crude and refined carbolic acid for this purpose. but this is not only dangerous, but expensive. There are many excellent commercial disinfectants on tho market, three to five times stronger than carbolic acid, besides being safer and less expensive.

No poultry plant, w-hether it consists of 6 birds or 6000, should be without a sanitary schedule. At stated intervals, preferably once a week, houses and coops should bo cleaned thoroughly and sprayed with disinfectant. Care should be taken to peach all corners, cracks and crevises, for these are the breeding places and harbours of the red mite. An excellent plan is to have perches and dropping boards removable so that they can be taken out and washed in a solution of disinfectant. Houses should, of course, be well ventilated and admit plenty of sunshine. Nothing so favours the increase of lice and mites as dampness, filth and darkness. Two or three times a year, as the conditions demand, the inside of the houses should be whitewashed, mixing four or five ounces of disinfectant with the white-wash.

The birds themselves may be sprayed with a solution of disinfectant, or if the case is very acute, the bird can be dipped. The general practice of dipping ie hardly practical whore there are a great many birds. Change the material in the dust bath every two or three weeks; it will keep fowls free from lice. Healthy Hen Lays Best.

The healthy hen is a prosperous, happy hen, and pays well for her keeping. She lays and pays. But the vermininfested, tortured, tormented hen, is a loafer from necessity—not for choice. She spends her time trying to rid herself of tho tormentors that sap her vitality and leave her no power to produce eggs. The egg-producing functions of the hen tire closely connected with her nervous system, and are quickly deranged when the nerve centres are attacked or weakened in any way. To prevent this and to keep fowls healthy and contented, and in a proper condition to do their best in a natural way, keep them free from vermin. Producers and Drones.

Tho scratching hen is the ono worth keeping. The idle, lazy hen will bring no profit to its owner, and should be got rid of to save expense. Keep Fussing.

The man who thinks it foolish to make a fuss over a hen is the man who soon convinces himself that there is nothing in keeping poultry. Answer to Correspondent.

“Novice."—Without a personal inspection of the bird, it is not possible to say definitely whether the bird is purebred or a cross, but from the description given, the chances are that it is the latter. The "Utility Poultry Standard" says that the legs should be yellow or orange, and the toe-nails horn or nearly white. The eggs should be brown in