POULTRY-KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4496, 27 November 1922, Page 4

POULTRY-KEEPING.

(By F. C. Brown, Chief 1 Poultry Instructor, in the Journal of agri- / culture.) Where heavy-producing stock is the object aimed at. the end of October should see the full complement of chickens hatched out for the season. Chicken? brought out later will in most cases’ prove disappointing. Nevertheless, in many cases where poultry are kept in small, numbers and wher.e bropdyliehs were not previously available, hatching operations will probably be continued for some tijpe yet, .as In the circumstances it means late-batched chickens or none at all. where the majority of the adult stock kept'are old, and have probably passed their best peripd of usefulness,, the question of hatching <Kit some chickens during next month is worthy of consideration. It is true that ! the late-hatched chicken is always more or less undesirable as compared with the early-hatched bird, but the® late-hatched infilet, if given proper care and attention, can be depended upon to return a better profit than could an old woriit-put hen.

Where hatching has been-delayed till this late season the necessity for dbing the young ones well from’ first to last, In order that they shall not be subjected to any check in development, cannot be too strongly urged. The first thing- necessary is to see that they are not tprtured with insect pests. If these are to be kept at bay the quarters must be maintained in a thoroughly clean state, while the mother hen should fie given an occasional dusting with insect powder. See that the powder reaches the skin. Db not dust the hen just before the chicks hatch or when they are very young, as the powder may get into their eyes and.cause blindness. From the first give gopd whblesojne /food, and if the chickens' are to make the best growth the greater proportion of this should' be provided in a moisc form ; this applies to the early hatch;-, ed birds’ as well as the late ones.. If must be always remembered that t'ob much, hard- dry food tends towards retarding; rather than advancing growth. . Even where a prepared commercial food is being used the chickens will, do better if this is moistened with' milk or hot watei*| and left to swell befpre .being fed. Probably there Is n'o better food for promoting healthy development in the growing chicken than a good grade -'of hulled oats, but even with these, except perhaps for the evening meal, better results wisl be obtained by feeding in a moist condition. Do not forget to provide an ample supply of green stuff, such as finely chaffed succulen? grass, clover, lucerne, water-ciess, etc. Another important matter is to provide plenty of shade, and wherever possible place the young ones on a piece of dean fresh ‘ground. The late hatched chicken is always at a decided disadvantage as compared with the early hatched bird, and this 1 involves the necessity of giving it the best possible care and attention during all stages of its development, .

' A' HEART TROUBLE IN HENS. Many complaints have reached me of 'late regarding- hens in full laying condition suddenly dropping dead from no apparent cause. «In almost every ease where opportunity ' Jias been afforded me pf making a postmortem examination -the heart was found to be in a badly ruptured and enlarged condition. In some birds the gizzard was, found to be packed with fibrous matter, such as ;oat husks’, grass, etc., and little or no grit. In, other cases the gizzards were normal i and contained a fair amount of grit, j but whe'niopenihg up the digestive tract intestinal parasites were found in large numbers. Thus it would appear that the heart, owing to the digestive system becoming deranged by gizzard compaction or the presence of round worms, became weak, and the excitement engendered by the birds rushing for their food caused Heart rupture and consequent death without the slightest warning. Referring again to grit, some people merely supply their fowls with more or less decayed brbken sea-shells collected front the seashore. This is a mistake, for while such will usually ,act aw an eggshell-forming material, they are nevertheless next to useless for assisting a bird to digest its food and for the prevention! of gizzard compaction. For the manufacture of eggshells the heavy layed must be provided with lime in some form or other, but for this purpose freshly broken 1 oystershell, etc., is always preferable to shell in a bleached, decaying condition. But even where the former is l available to the birds sharp gravel grit should be provided as well. The latter acts as tetethi to a bird, and where deprived of it digestive and other troubles are apt to follow as a consequence.