POULTRY NOTES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4883, 28 September 1925, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES.

SANITATION. (“Moorfowl, in the Waikato Times.) One of the most successful poultry raisers of our acquaintance said the. other day: “There is hardly a w'eek passes that some part of our plant dees not receive a good dose of disinfectant. Houses, coops, incubators, and brooders, all get their share. That man realises that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the best way of getting rid of mites. lice, and the germs of the many diseases, that the fowl is heir to. is not to let them get in.

The idea that the presence of lice and parasites on poultry 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 . varding coops. Because of their conditions we have baby chicks starting life handicapped by a choice assortment of blood-sucking, life sapping pests.

There is no better way to successfully combat germs and parasites than through the use of a good strong 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 the market three to five times stronger than carbolic acid, besides being safer and less expensive.

No poultry plant, whether it consists of 6 birds or 6000, should be . without a sanitary schedule. At stated intervals., preferably once a week, houses and coops should be cleaned thoroughly and sprayed with disinfectant. Care should be taaen to reach all corners, cracks and crevices, for these are the breeding places and harbours of the red mite. An excellent plan is to . have perches and . 7 dropping boards removable, so 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 whitewash.

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 is hardly practical where there are a great many birds. - QUALITY OF EGGS. The egg as laid is a finished product, its food material being sealed inside the shell, wihch is made airtight by a coating of albumen. As long as this coating retains its bloom and remains unbroken the egg will sell for more than at any other time. The egg must be kept away from dangers that accompany exposure to heat, moisture, and rapid temperature changes. The degree of freshness of an egg may be judged from its appearance, the bloom disappearing from the shell and the interior-of the egg becoming more or less shrunken With age.

Freshness alone, however, is not a guarantee of quality. Newly laid eggs may be unsavoury because of the consumption of tainted food by the fowls that laid (hem. and newly laid egg& are often condemned as stale when the only defect is poor flavour. Of all the qualities desirable in > market eggs cleanliness is one of the most important. To have this quality in eggs it is necessary that strict attention be given to the sanitary conditions of the dwellings, outbuildings, barns, stock-pens,' barnyards, and . poultry houses at the plant in which the eggs’ are produced. If filth is anywhere, in evidence the hens will find • it, .and, unfortunately, they, do not hesitate to eat and drink in unsanitary places. If the food and water consumed by the hens are taken from barnyards and pig-pens the feet and shanks of the hens become filthy and in time they will soil the nests and eggs, thereby injuring the appearance and market value of the eggs. Bacteria that cause decomposition multiply rapidly in filthy nests, and if - from any cause the shell of the egg: becomes moist it is easy for the bacteria to enter the eggs before they are gathered from the nests. It is even possible for injurious bacteria to enter the egg before it is laid, infection in such cases being caused by tainted food or polluted water. Eggs that are perfectly clean, and have the bloom of freshness-on their shells, are practically certain to be free from bac- / teria. Eggs that are dirty, damp, or effected with stains of any kind have deteriorated and will decompose rapidly if exposed to heat and damp air.

Cleanliness and flavour of eggs are very intimately associated, and cleanliness about the poultry plant and the proper feeding of the hens will assure eggs of fine flavour. Such eggs, when fresh, can be guaranteed to be of first quality, and will sell freely at all times at prices in advance of ' the market price of ordinary eggs.' Notwithstanding the fact that the . eggs of hens vary in shape and in colour of shell or yolk, there is little difference in their flavour; provided they are cooked in the same manner.' T'he eggs of Turkeys and geese have naturally, a more pronounced flavour - r than eggs of other fowl, their flavour; being even stronger- than that of duck 8 - ; eggs. •’ - ‘/j '.J-