POULTRY-KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4922, 6 January 1926, Page 1

POULTRY-KEEPING.

(By

F. C. Brown,

Chief Poultry In-

Instructor.)

GUARDING AGAINST VERM LN.

Thcse enemies of poultry breed and multiply at an alarming rate during hot weather. It is therefore of importance that every precaution be taken at the present time to guard against vermin getting a foothold- It is a good plan to give the whole of the Interior of the house ia coating of tar. Tar thoroughly applied not oniy acts as. a good disinfectant, but, in addition, covers up every crack and crevice, the common harbouring places <-f vermin, especially of that little night marauder the red mite. As to vermin that are found on the body of the fowl at all times, the best way of dealing with these is to provide a good dusting place. I have lately seen a flock badly infested with vermin, but without a soft piece of giound for them to dust in. It would have taken the owner only half an hour to have spaded up a corner in each of the sun-baked runs and provided the du'sting places the birds were craving for, and as there were shrubs in every run.-'conditions were ideal for this-purpose. It is not generally known that feather-pulling is frequently caused, by birds being badly infested with vermin. As, with the majority of troubles affecting poultry, the best of all means of dealing with vermin is by prevention. The great esential is to free 'the quarters as well as .the birds from these pests, and provide ample space for exercise; It will generally be found that male birds, especially old ones, will, not make use of ducting places. As a result they become infested with parasitic life and gradually get into, a weakened state, making them susceptible .to every passing ailment. Therefore male birds should be frequently examined, and if found .to be infested they should be given a good dusting with a reliable insecticide, care being taken that the powder reaches the skin. EARLY MATURITY QUESTION. While meat in some form is a most valuable item in the dieting of the growing bird, it should be used with the greatest care, for meat may do as much harm when used at the wrongtime as good when employed at the right time. The most harmful effect of overfeeding meat is often seen amongst the young stock, which, instead of growing into good-sized and vigorous birds, have been forced to maturity before they have attained anything like the standard weight requirements of the particular breed they represent. This does not mean that size alone is everything, but, without going to the extreme often aimed at in the fancy show-pen. we should aim at securing birds -which, while true to breed-type, possess weight requirements and laying and constitutional p°i»ts as laid down in tiie Dominion utility-poultry standards. There is nothing in these standards in a general way which is antagonistic to the best utility type and the possession of the necessary stamina. While the fancier in many cases makes the mistake of breeding for exceptional development of some fancy point, the utility breeder frequently makes an equally fatal error in aiming at early maturity by improperly developed (undersized) stock. In both cases the best interests of the breeds concerned are being injured. To confirm this one has only to observe the large number of undersized and weedy specimemns in many of the utility classes at poultry shows. A happy mean must be the objective. There is nothing to prevent the development of valuable laying strains of all our popular breeds of poultry without destroying their breed character, size, and stamina.. It is to be regretted that not only arc many strains of White Leghorns becoming weak in breed type and undersized, but also birds of the heavy breeds, such as Orpingtons, Rocks, and Wyandottes, are commonly seen not much larger than the desired size of White Leghorn If such breeds are to be refined down to being merely egg-laying machines like the White Leghorn they will no longer hold their valuable general purpose character. There is at the present time a keen demand for table poultry, and the consuming public are prepared to pay high prices for choice quality, but .they are looking for something better than diminutive specimens. So scarce has choice table poultry suitable for the high-class trade been of late .that certain poulterers have intimated to me that unless more and better-quality birds come to hand they will be compelled to- resort to importation for supplies.

Reverting to the question of early maturity, it is now generally agreed that early maturity is not necessarily an indication of laying power, nor premature laying a sign of a. desirable breeding specimen. Early laying by the well developed bird is, of course, not a mistake. The foregoing remarks apply in particular to the pullet which commences toi lay when little more than half grown.