Poultry News.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 July 1911, Page 4

Poultry News.

CULLED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. Purebred fowls do not require any 111010 liouso or yard room, food, time or labour in caring for them than mongrels. The first cost, is greater, but for that extra cost one will have a flock of fowls which, will produce carcases and oggs of a much more uniform shape, colour ami size, all of which is desirable in effecting a ready sale. Then there is the inward satisfaction of having something that makes a better appearance than the average mongrel flock. In hatching the chickens early we should avoid' the error of hatching them too early because the too early hatched pullet is hurried into prematurity l),v the effort which nature makes to reproduce the same season. Pullets from the too-early hatched flocks will come to laying in midsummer, will lay two or three dozen very small, miserable eggs, then will moult and thereafter be as slugguish layers as old fowls. TEE VALUE OF GRIT. When fowls are confined in runs it is necessary to supply them generously with grit, as otherwise they are unable to digest their food properly. Good samples of specially prepared grit can be bought cheaply, while, if one cares to go to some trouble, it can be prepared at home at practically no cost. Broken china, glass bottles, or jars answer admirably, or, if very sharp gravel can be obtained it does equally well. As a rule, however, it is advisable to buy what grit is needed, as the labour of preparing it at home rarely pays. For quite young chickens, it requires to Tie extremely fine, little larger than very coarse oatmeal, while for adult stock it should be about the size of peas, not rounded, of course, but as sharp as possible. A trough containing grit should always be kept beforo fowls in confinement, so that they can have as much as they require. VALUE OF~EPSOM SALTS. We have found (writes the Tasmaniau Mail) that no matter what ailment fowls are suffering from, necessitating different kinds of treatment, they will always recover much more quickly if they have some Epsom salts given them in addition to the medicine they are taking. It is not -difficult to see how this is, as the Epsom salts act as a mild aperient, and thus help to clear the disease out of the system. Each ordinary-sized fowl should have half a teaspoonful of Epsom salts dissolved du hot water. It does them more good if this is given to each bird with a teaspoon, but as this is a somewhat difficult matter where there are a number of ■birds, the water in which the Epsom salts has been dissolved may be used to mix the soft food with. In cases of malignant comb disease 01: enteritis, twice this quantity of Epsom salts may be given with advantage. CLASSIFICATION'OF BREEDS OF FOWLS. G. Arthur Bell, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, speaking 011 the classification of breeds of fowls, says : —For convenience, chickens may be classified as egg breeds, meat breeds, general-purpose breeds, and fancy or ornamental breeds " This is a somewhat arbitrary classification and must be understood as expressing general characteristics, for not only many of the general-purposo breeds, but also many individuals of tho meat and fancy breeds are good layers. On© person might class a certain breed as a meat breed, while pother would place the same breed in the general-purpose class. EGG BREEDS. The egg breeds include the small or medium-sized fowls which are very active, quick to mature, producers of white-shelled eggs, usually non-sitters or at most poor sitters, and rather poor mothers. The various varieties of Leghorns, and Minorcas are good representatives of this class. Because they are poor sitters, some other 'breed, or at least a few other fowls, should be kept if natural methods of incubation are to be employed. On account of their early maturity it is ' not uncommon for individuals to begin laying at the age of four and one-half months. As mentioned above, these breeds are very active and_ do not fatten as readily under ordinary conditions as the larger and less active breeds. The fowls of this class have large comb and wattles. which made them rather sensitive to low temperatures.

MEAT BREEDS. Tli© largest fowls are represented in this class', and these are especially suitable for the production of large roosters. They are slow and somewhat sluggish, in movement, with little desire for foraging, easily confined by low fences, rather slow to mature, .persistent sitters, and rather indifferent layers of large brown-shelled eggs. Many poultrymen, however, are getting very good egg yields from them. The Brahmas, Cochins, and Langshans may be mentioned as belonging to this class. GENERAL-PURPOSE BREEDS. This class includes fowls which are fair of size and which will also produce a good quantity of brownshelled eggs, making them especially adapted to the person washing a supply of both egga and meat. As one lias to make frequent sales of flesh in the shape of surplus ctockertlls and hens, the carcase as well as egg production should bo considered. The general-purpose breeds are usually good sitters and good mothers. They have medium-sized combs and wattles and endure cold weather well. They occupy a medium position between the egg arid meat breeds as to size, egg production, docility. The Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Rhode fsi and Reds are good representatives of this class. SELECTION OF A VARIETY. The choice of a variety of fowls will : depend' largely on the purpose for which they are to be kept, the market demands, and whether sitters or non-sitters are desired. If eggs are desired for the market and the market calls for eggs having white shells, one of the Mediterranean varieties will be suitable. If eggs that have brown shells are vequired one of the American or Asiatic varieties-may be chosen. Where meat is the chief object, the heavybodied fowl, such as the Asiatics, should he chosen. If fowls are to be kept for the production of both egg and meat, some variety of the general-purpose class should be chosen. While these do not attain the great size of the Asiatics, they are sufficiently large to be reared for meat and, at the same time, have the tendency for egg (production developed sufficiently to produce a large number of eggs during the year.