POULTRY NOTES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4870, 26 August 1925, Page 1

POULTRY NOTES

HATCHING RESULTS. On a commercial poultry farm the yield of chickens which constitutes successful hatching ranges around 70 per cent, of the eggs set. That is to say, where a batch of 500 eggs has been incubated between 34’0 and 400 is the desired result, although a 65 per cent, hatch would be considered quite good. The chief feature of really successful hatching is regularity and . close attention to the incubating work, including the careful handling of eggs. Some chicks, by reason of faulty mating, or through mistakes made in running the machine, are soft in constitution and lack the vigour of a healthy chick. A quite common occurrence, and one that is experienced by a good many" poultry breeders, is the weak chick resultant from direct in-breeding, bad hatching or brooding —sometimes both. On a cold day-this, class of chick Iras an inclination to pile up on top of his mates in a corner, so as to keep warm, and as the chick of low vitality has insufficient strength for getting away from the crush many losses ensue. The sight of miserable, shivering chicks should be a warning to the careless, both as to breeding and hatching. If the birds in the breeding pens are healthy and vigorous one or two. mistakes during incubation may not be deleterious, but where there is low vitality stock and the eggs have been subjected to a series of mistakes nothing but failure need be. expected. THE BREEDING PENS. Give the breeding stock plenty or green food and ample room, while milk, in any form, is to be recommended during the mating period. With regard to the number of hens that should be mated with the male bird, this varies "with'different breeds, but with the lighter varieties, such as the Leghorn, it is usual to mate from 10 to I's hens to a vigorous, young male. Stock of the Asiatic type, which includes the Orpington family, Rocks, and the other more heavy species, are usually in the proportion of from 8 to 12 hens. The larger the run ,the greater number of birds that may be mated. On free range a Leghorn male could easily run with 20 hens with good results. The most desirable quality of mating is for strong masculinity in the male. and equally evident femininity among the females. With too few hens the masculine side is likely l to prevail in the characteristics of the progeny. 2 Inversely, a mating which possesses a preponderance. of hens is likely to produce prominent female characteristics in the resultant stock, up to a point. This doesn’t mean that any number of hens, could be mated with a rooster —that would mean infertil-. Ry.

Breeders should never be overfed. Some authorities on the feeding of poultry assert that grain alone sjhould be fed. Mr F. C. Brown, the Government poultry expert, says that no meat should be fed to the breeding pens, so as not to stimulate the laying powers of the hens, and to ensure vitality in the young stock which follows. If there is over-stimulation of the breeders weakness in the progeny will follow, as if a hen lays at a rapid rate the farmer cannot reasonably expect her chicks to be as strong as, those from a hen. that lays without any stimulation. Some, fowls are closely confined in pens without a vestige of green grass in them.

As soon as the sex can be detected pullets should be separated from the cockerels —both- grow better under these circumstances. Young growing stock should be given as much space as possible, but they should not be allowed to run in wet grass. Mangolds, cut in half with a spade, are good for all stock, MORTALITY AMONG CHICKS. The chief causes of death amongst young stock may be attributed to one or more of the following;— (1) Small pens and weak breeders. Breeding stock not being, in .breeding form, for various reasons. (2) Wrong principles of ventilation in the incubators. (3) Incubator house ill-ventilated. (4) Incubator thermometer being allowed to run above 103 degrees—the higher the temperature! the more deadly the effect. (5) Thermometer considerably below the correct temperature. (6) Eggs too dry through too much air being allowed to pasjs through the machine, or through eggs being kept out too long in cooling.’ (7) Exactly the opposite to 6—eggs are not cooled long enough and the machine is closed too much. If the machine is allowed to reach a temperature of 106 degrees or more, and kept there early in the hatch, the chances of a good hatch wilj be i’uined. The incubator doors should never be opened, except when necessary.