POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 19664, 17 September 1927, Page 22

POULTRY NOTES

[By UTILITY-FANCY.]

“Novice” (Iloslyn).—Yours is rather a hi" older, but, I'ortuualcly, an artcile on the subject of the digestive organs by M. A, .lull, which 1 reproduce in this week’s notes, may give you all the information,y° u as h fur.

the stomach, also called glandular stomach. The stomach is not as large as the crop, but as the food enters the stomach certain actions take place which prepare the food for other organs to act upon it"so that portions of the food can be taken up by the fowl.

“D.W.” (St. Clair).—When a lien lays a yolk loss egg it is presumed that it" is the result of a temporary delay in the contribution of a yolk into the oviduct, and tho latter functioning with tho accustomed regularity. Tho yolk does not drop, but tho matter for the albumen is wailing; also the shell matter to cover it. .It may bo that there is nothing physically wrong with (ho hen. Jt is not an uncommon experience to _ find a yolkless egg when hens arc laying well and regularly. Considered To Ho Farcical.— ot the judges judging under the Victorian Poultry Association’s rules decided as to which was the champion bird of tho Footscray Show by the tossing of a com.

Gizzard.—From the stomach flic food passes into the gizzard, which is a peculiar and'important organ. .It is oval in shape, and is composed almost entirely of muscle. The chief function of tlic gizzard is to crush the hard grains. This action is assisted by grit, which is eaten by fowls in the form of stones, ami which collects in the gizzard. Duodenum and Pancreas.—When the food is'thoroughly crushed in the gizzard it passes into the first portion of the small intestine, which is called the duodenum. The duodenum is folded in a long loop, on the inside of which lies an organ called the pancreas. The food docs not enter the pancreas, but it is while it is in the duodeum that the food is acted upon by materials given off' by the pancreas. In other words, the digestion of the food is carried a step further. Liver.—The next digestive organ to bo considered is the liver, comprised of two lobes. At the same time that the material is given off by the pancreas material is also given off from the liver which aids in the digestion of the food. Intestine. —Erom the duodenum the food passes along the intestine. While the fond is passing along the intestine some of it is taken up or absorbed by the fowl.

A “ cockerel ”• is a young bird; a “ cock ” is a bird that has had one adult moult.

A “strain” is not an injury, but a term applied to certain points that have been fixed in a breed of fowls or animals by careful breeding. Take any breed of fowls noted as layers of small eggs, and let a breeder produce birds of such a breed which consistently laylargo eggs, and ho will claim that he has a strain of that breed laying largo eggs. Tho Digestive Organs of Fowls.— Fowls cat mnch tho same kind ot food that other animals oat. The sense of taste and smell in fowls all come into play in the selection of food. When a fowl gets hungry it must be fed. it must not only bo led enough food, but tho food should bo of the right kind. Different kinds ot food serve different purposes, and it would not do to feed the fowl on one kind of food all the tune.

Ceca.—Some of the food seems to get into the two blind tubes, called ceca, which branch off from tho intestine, where the rectum The ceca are usually from 4in to Oin in length, bufci it is not known definitely what purpose they serve. Kectuui, Cloaca, and Anus.—By the time the food reaches the rectum much of it has been absorbed through ducts, which line the inside of tho intestine, into tie fowl’s system. The remainder passes along the rectum to tho cloaca, ami tho cloaca leads to tho anus where the refuse passes out of the body. Early-hatched Chicks. —What special care do early-hatched chicks need—that is, chicks hatched in August. Heat and feed aro the two main factors in brooding chicks at any season, and this is just as true for early chicks as later ones. A temperature of l.OOdcg under the brooder at the start, with,a gradual reduction to about 85deg. at the fourth or fifth week, depending upon weather conditions, for a satisfactory amount of heat. As tho outside temperature is low.at this season, care must bo exercised to maintain a room temperature of 70deg, so that there will bo no difficulty in keeping’tho proper temperature under tho hover. In a small colony house no extra heat is needed besides tho stove; in long bouses, depending upon the system that is used, some auxiliary heat is generally required. With hot water pipe systems this extra beat is taken care of by the system itself. Chicks hatched early require the same kind ol feed as lalor hatched chicks. As there is usually apt to bo very little sunlighl, cod liver oil should bo” included in the ration, generally at the rate of 2 per cent, of the amount of mash fed. Green food should also bo supplied in some form. A good commercial chick feed contains tho necessary food elements, and will give satisfaction. Alan requires for his sustenance carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, .with small quantities of phosphorus and sulphur, and some mineral matter, such as common salt. The white and the yolk both provide nitrogenous matter, used especially in building up tho ( body in the case of young, or repairing waste in tho ease of fullygrown people; the yolk provides fat, which acts on the body as fuel to keep up tho heat necessary for our existence ; from the white wo derive water, sulphur, and salts, and from tho yolk water, phosphorus, and salts. Included under the general terms of salts and minerals arc iron and a number of raw minerals, which aro infinitesimal in quantity, but are always to bo found by careful chemical analysis in the yolk of the egg; and, although investigation has not yet discovered the actual use of these rare minerals, wo arc encouraged to believe that such will be made known to ns eventually by those who aro experimenting in their laboratories towards this end, because we are assured that Nature always works towards a definite object, and tho invariable presence of these minerals, although in such small quantities, indicates that they have a definite function to perform in building up and repairing animal tissue. We must not forget that two of tho five vitamines are found in comparatively large quantities in eggs. These aro fat soluble “A.” aiitiopbtbalmie, and water soluble “H” antiiieurilic —t bo first of which is a growth-promoting vitamiiie. and prevents optbalmia, while the latter is useful in preventing rickets, as well as being helpful in promoting growth.

The Uses of Food .-—The foods given a fowl arc used for different purposes. Part of the food is used to build up new tissue to replace the old tissue which is continually being worn, away. _ Every time the fowl moves some tissue is worn away, and it must be replaced. Some of the food goes to support the life of the fowl—that is to. keep such organs as the Ijpart in action. Some of the food is also used to produce fat in the fowl or to form eggs. The Pawl Manufacturer. —The fowl may ho considered as a nianiilaeturcr. ft takes the nVW materials like grain and g"ass, and converts them into finished produets, poultry llesh and eggs. The fowl oats various kinds of food, and these arc all mixed together, and the mixture is passed through a set of organs called the digestive tract. As the food passes along the digestive tract it undergoes many changes, enabling the fowl to take up various portions into her body. The iood materials which she lias absorbed aro made into flesh and eggs. Not all of the food is absorbed into the fowl’s body, for some of it cannot ho used, and this is passed out ol the digestive tract as useless.

Mouth Parts.—The food is picked up by the use of the beak, with its upper and lower mandibles. The lood is received by the mouth, to which the beak is attached, and next the tongue forces the food backwards to the opening of the gullet. Gullet, Crop, and Stomach. The food is next swallowed, and passes down the gullet, which is a muscular tube running along the throat. The gullet conducts the food from the mouth to the body cavity of the fowl._ The lowl is able to cat large quantities of food because the gullet expands easily. .Down about two-thirds of its length the gullet is enlarged to form the crop. The food is held in the crop for some time till it is softened, and thus is easier to digest. 'When the food in the crop lias been softened enough it passes down the rest of the gullet, and enters

Alas! For the Good Old Times!—At a recent dinner of tho Poulters’ Company the upper warden said their guild dated back to LIS-I. At one time tho officers of tho company went round the poultry dealers to find out if any were selling goods unfit for consumption. If they did find any they burnt the goods underneath the man who was selling them.—Captain Allen, in the ‘ Yorkshire Herald.’ PAPANUf EGG-LAYING COM PETITION. Loading pens. 1 wenlv-secoiid week, ended September ,’i (lot days). FLOCK TEAMS CONTEST. Light and Heavy Breeds. —White Leghorns.— Week’s Weight,

SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. Light and Heavy Breeds. —Black Orpingtons.—

SINGLE DUCK CONTEST. Owner Enters Three Birds. -—lndian Runners.— Week’s

Contributions and questions for answering should bo addressed to . “ Utility-Fancy, | Poultry Editor, ‘ Star ’ Office, and recurred not later than Tuesday of each week. “ Utility-Fancy ” ■will only answer communications through this column. Adrcrtisemcnts for this column must be banded in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday.

SINGLE HEN CONTEST. Owner Enters Tlirco Birds. —A.O.V Heavy Breeds.— Week’s

WHITE LEGHORN SINGLE HEN CONTEST. Owner Enters d Birds. Week’s

Eizcis. on. dr. Tl. •T. a. Vcrriiii ... ;i;i 00 111 071 J. LiKgins ... ... ;n on 0 052 A. Wnollcv ... ... 02 70 2 0-17 II West ... ;u 77 ] 015 fh cm Urns. ... 09 0 T. FT. Wilco ... :l2 71 15 017 V. Hawes ... ... ;i-‘j 09 9 017

Week’s Eggs. Weight, oz. dr. TI. II. W. Beck . 7 10 n 126 Mrs Hellaby . 6 12 9 125 A. M. Espie . 5 HI 12 112 H. ,T. Ball in . . 5 10 7 100 J. Kingsland . 4 7 Id 103 —White Leghorns.— E. Hawes ... . 4 9 .3 124 W. E. Ward . (5 id n 119 H. C. West 6 it ;s 116 S. E. Davey (I id 9 115 A. C. Goodieb .. 6 id I 112 G. H. Chambers ... 6 12 id’ 108

Eggs. Tl. F. I?. Colton, No. 1 ... 7 151 A. Ci. F. Hoss No 2 . v 6 .149 Mi s Gee, No. .'3 7 lit A. Adsett, No T 7 m F. It, Cotton, No. 2” !!! 7 141 Mrs Gee, No. 2 lien No. I 7 :ui

Eggs. Tl, V. ISailey, IfNo. .1. G l.'i A p. A. Cornish, L.S., No 1 o 121 V. Hailey, K.I.JC, No. 2 G J 11.1 — Black Oiling 10)16. — a A Grainger, No. 1 (> l.'M T. .1). Dalziel, No. 2 G i 24? 1!. M. Cook son, No. .'! (i I2G T. Jl. Dal/iel, No. 1 (i ;i2o (}. A. Grainger, No. 2 7 11!) Kingsland, No. 2 •1 118 J. Kingsland, No. 1 4 ' 117

Tl. ,11. AViiliitniy, No, 1 ... G A. ]|. Browne, No. 1 ... G i;::i W. II. West, No. 1 ... 7 1.T2 W. H. West, No. 2 ... G .127 11. NVilHams. No. U ... G 12G G. H. Mite-hell, No. 1 ... G 12G A. K. Browne, No. 2 ... 7 125