POULTRY KEEPING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5347, 5 November 1928, Page 4

POULTRY KEEPING.

late-hatched chicks.

(By F. C. Br.O)WA, Chief Poultry Instructor, in the Journal of Agriculture.)

The .eijd of October brings to a close the correct season for. hatching out chicks of any breed. It is recognised, fac.t that the late-hatched bird ne ( ver gives a high annual egg yield, nor does it produce! an ,egg. of desired, size ifqr. the export Grade. Not only this, it is usually more susceptible to, disease and! parasitic, infection than the early-hatched: bird. Of course, where the majority of the hens ,in the flock are old, any the hatching of young stock has be;e.n delayed owing, to inability to secure broody hens, poultry keepers may certainly be advised, to hatch out some chic,ks to replace the old and unprofitable birds, even if they are brought out on. the late side. But, z while it is a mistake in the ordinary course to have late-hatched chickens on the plamt, it is a greater mistake to hold on to old hens that have pa.ssed their profitable period of production. Where; the hatching period' is to be extended, the young birds must receive the best possible attention if they are .to make satisfactory development. This invcjlveb. c.le;an fresh ground, shelter, good nourishing food, and, abqve all,. a plentiful supply of gre,en. material The adoption of incubators and brooders, or the securing of day-old chicks, is the only safe means 0;f having the full complement of chicks brought out at the right seasop qf the year. THE GROWING STOCK. With the advqnt of summer it is important that special care be given to tjhei young stock. Every effort should be made t.o provide conditions as ideal as possible, in order, to guard the birds against a set-back during the trying hot months. After drafting, chicks from the brooder to the colony-housq special care should be taken to prevent them huddling in corners by night. The colony-house should be rounded off with 1 inch mesh wire netting; then, in the event of t,he chicks piling up they have an opportunity of securing fresh air. It is a mistake to try and harden the chi ks off too rapidly after leaving the brooder. to remove the young birds from a cosy secluded corner to an ordinary colony-hquse is only encouraging them tc : huddle in their; ejndeavour to secure the warmth and seclusion they have been .accustomed to. While the hardening-off precess should 1 be carried out by degrees, the chicks should! at the same time be encouraged to perch as soon as possible. It is all against the birds making development. to allow them to huddle together when, hot-weather conditions prevail.

.. It is ecjmmonjy believed, and rightly so, that perching will cause crooked breast-bones. This trouble, however, will be reduced to a miwmum if wide perches are provided. A board abc>ut 4in wide will serve for the; purpose. Do not allow the chickens tp sleep on a hard flepr, as probably this is the most common c,ause of crooked 'breast-hones. The floor should be well bedded down with, perfectly dry straw. Grass hay shouldl never be used for this purpose, as it .is apt to. heat and bring on a sweated condition of the chickens, with serious results. The chief trouble caused in this way is an; inflammation Cjf the veins. It first makes its ■ appearance in the hockjpints, which bec'ome discoloured. Then a gangrenous swelling, follows. In a fe,w days the wings become affected. ;in a similar manner, and later the 'neck and head swell. At this stage death is usually near a,t 'hand. Theire is no.cuxe for this trouble.; it is only a question of prevention;' Do not overcrowd, provide ample veptilar tion, keep the floors clean and dry, and check everything that tends to crease; a moist atmosphere. EGGSHELL QUALITY. At this period of the year, when thq great majority of the; birds arc laying to their full capacity, weakshelled or shell-less eggs are apt to be ■produced. These not only mean, a direct loss, but they also encourage; the birds to acquire; the habit of eggbating. Such eggs are easily broken, and once the hens, ha,ve tasted the substance it will probably.not be long before they learn to break the shells of the normal eggs for themselves.

Weak-shelled or shell-less eggs are usually caused through the bird’s inabilitv to secure the necessary lime as a shell-formipg material. Losses through thin-shelled egg ( s, etc,, can be considerably reduced by keeping the birds well supplied with fresh crushend oyster or Ojther sea-shell, while broken burnt bone is also valuable for ,th.is purpose. Bleached, shell, such as is often collected from the seashore-,. is not sc; good, as it does not contain the necessary lime to produce the desired strength of egg-shell. It is a mistake to provide the shall — or, indeed, any kind ofi grit—in a Marrow- receptacle. The best plan is to place it in. a shallow box at least Ift square. In this way the birds are given an opportunity of scratching it about and secure pieces they like best.

The lack of lime, is not always the cause of. weak or soft-shelled eggs. The c-ver-feejiing of rich foods, such as meat and meatmeal, are often re,sponsible. Thus, where a liberal supply of eggrshell-tforming material is available to the birds, and eggs with poc ; r quality shells are produced, it i,t will be found* a wise course tc ; re-, dticc the amounts of fencing diet. Of c.ourse, even on. the best-managed plants an odd bird may lay imperfectly shelled eggs, owing to an bverfat condition preventing the reproductive; organs from ftunctioaiing in a normal way. Obviously, such birds should not be letained on the plant.