POULTRY NOTES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 166, 21 June 1909, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

THE USE OF GRIT. For several years, says the "Town and Country." N.SW.% it has been contended that the common view- • that grit acts as a grinder of grain in the muscular gizzard of fowls of various kinds, is a fallacy. This contention is not wanting in support from eminent poutlry authorities in America and England. Two years ago, Drs Louis Dechmann and C. W. Sanborn, total strangers to each other and therefore without any collusion, simultaneously contributed articles taking this view, respectively to the "Reliable Poultry Journal" and to "Poultry." But to quote the former journal "a great deal that is written for the poultry press becomes tradition, is handed down from one writer to another, and is frequently accepted with no thought of original research, or of doubting the accuracy of the time honoured statements. In the early days undoubtedly the argument was based upon the fact that the fowl does not possess teeth, that it has a powerful muscular stomach, in which grit is found in rather large quantities, and because it swallows hard grains whole." But a more widely known authority has proclaimed bis disbelief in the generally accepted view, to wit, the late Mr Harrison Weir. Whatever difference of opinion there may be as to his view's of popular breed, everyone will admit that he was a close student of poultry life. In "Our Poultry," he says: "To the close observer there appears some doubt as to whether grit has not some other function besides simply pulverising any bard substance onr substances tbat have in that state passed into the stomach or viscera."

Our own opinion has always been that, even after allowing for the gritty interior coat of the gizzard and its powerful muscles, there would not be sufficient force to burst or break grains of wheat and corn. The most that might be done would be to scratch or cut the tough out material which slight action may, however, be more important than would at first appear. But it is well worth noticing that the partial or whole feeding of birds upon crack, d or ground grain does not in any v. ay reduce the necessity for grit—ir.de !, in many instances it would seem to increase the appetite for it. Thi:- i:- particularly noticeable in duck feeding. Harrision Weir had also observed this, for be says: "Take, as an instance,

the large size of this organ —the gizzard—in the goose or the duck, both * of which naturally fr-f-d mostly on vegetation, the former in particular being a grazing i.iirri. v/hilo the latter finds much of it? -übsistenco among -.vater plants, worm?, '■:.■■.. all of which art soft and can require mum pressure, or a cutting, grinding action to make them dir_rc:.-1;: >. And thus it is that, on examination, the rjr:t found in the gizard is small in six', and generally more that of either the turkey or the domestic or wild fowl." WHEN TO HATCH CHICKENS. The question is often asked when is the proper time to hatch chickens ? That there is a proper time must be patent to everyone. Some breeders will tell you one month and others another, but if you ask many of them why, they cannot give any satisfactory reason. The spring of the year is the best time to hatch your main crop of chickens. This is the time when everything is growing, when all nature is on the move, and nature does not make mistakes. The man who is breeding exhibition and breeding stock should have all his chickens hatched before the end of September. There is no reason why he cannot do this, as incubators make him independent of Biddy as a sitter, and anyone with common-sense can run an incubator. There arc plenty of reliable machines on the market to be bought cheaply. The breeder who is raising market poultry can hatch most of his chickens in June, July, August, and September, but he can hatch in any month except December, January, and February. These arc our hottest months; moreover, the old birds are moulting then and require a rest. Chickens hatched during the hot weather require more care than those hatched earlier in the "season.