THE POULTRY RUN.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 75, 28 March 1918, Page 4

THE POULTRY RUN.

CONSTITUTIONAL DISEASES,

A constitutional disease is one that upsets the entire system of the bird, and puts it right out of gear. Take lumps (cancers and tumours) for instance. Their development is always accompanied by a loss of flesh all d general weakness. To my mind it is only wasting valuable time to tinker about with birds that are so affected because failure is practically certain to result, and even in the remote event of a recovery there is always the danger that the cured bird will be used as a breeder and pass on a constitutional weakness, or a tendency to develope disease to the progeny. The same remark applies to other diseases, such as anemia, cholera, diphtheria, drops}, paralysis, roup, tuberculosis, etc. Tabloid Reasons. 1. Once a fowl has become constitutionally weakened, it will —supposing it recovers —never be fit for breeding proposes. If you keep it on there is always the danger that it will be bred from. 2. Sick birds are a big nuisance to have about the place, and they occupy the time that could be devoted with more financial advantage, to the well birds. 3. In diseases such as dipthena, roup, and consumption, there is always the chance that may be communicated to the person who treats them. 4. Many people have a preference for lightly boiled eggs. Does the cooking effectually destroy any disease germs that may be in the eggs that are laid by th? -diseased fowls. I don’t know myself whether there are any germs there, but do know that I wouldn’t risk it. There is quite enough risk of contracting disease, as it is, without looking for it in the shape of noxous germs that may lurk (‘‘lurk” is a good word) in the eggs that are laid by diseased hens. The foregoing arc sound reasons why constitutionally diseased birds should be killed out of hand, and the man who wants to do anything, or get anywhere, in the poultry world, must do it. The keen man really hasn’t time to potter about with seriously indisposed fowls. There is always plenty for him to do among the well birds, and, knowing this he kills every sick bird as it turns up, and so saves valuable time. The other reason foi killing is that he knows that even should he effect a cure the bird will be no good to him for breeding, and of less use for egglaying than the hens that have never been sick. UNTRIED BROODIES. Untried broodies should be allowed to sit on a few pot eggs for several days before being entrusted with real ones. B'y. doing this one will be able to learn the dispositions of the sitters, whether they arc gentle with the eggs, Whether they will leave their charges to feed, and return to them of their own free will, or whether they will require handling. To set a hen in the morning and give her valuable eggs at night, as so many do, is unwise, unless one knows her particulai ways and manners. The proved sitter is worth her keep out of the hatching season irrespective of her laying abilities, and those who have satisfactory sitters will do well to keep them on for - another season or two, as such birds will, as broodies, improve with ageAs advised above, all untried broodies should be given a trial spin <3n pot eggs before being entrusted with real ones, and no real eggs should be given to any hen before she has been on the nest long enough to shape it to her body. Eggs should be given to sitting hens at night, so that the birds may have before them a long spell of quiet time to settle down on their charges. PICKING TIIE LAYERS. The hen that is a good layer will be roomy in the hind part of the body, and the reason is that the organs there are well developed. Hens that are good layers are usually very active, and always look well, the faces and combs are of a bright red colour even in ‘he moulting season. In fact, the more red that you find about the head and the face, and the fewer the feathers there, the more likely it is that you have a good layer, for the reason that the abundance of red colour shows great constitutional strength. The other indications of a good, energetic eggdropper are.—A lean, hollow, bony, face, full bright eyes, a tough, wcar-and-tear look, tight feathering, a strong, stout teak, on the short side, slightly curved, but neither hooked nor straight; strong tough legs that appear three-sided (I have never yet seen a good layer with round shanks), and in my experience the hen that is a bit on the leg is the best doer. It is not the beautiful hens that make the best layers. The tough somewhat angular, hard lookers are the ones that put up the big figures. NOTES FOR THE NOVICE. Any tendency to simple diarrhoea may usually be checked by adding powdered charcoal to the mash; sufficient to colour it, but not to make it too black or the birds won’t eat it, and it may be fed every day. Tick may be kept off fowls by giving each bird a bit of bread dipped ifl kerosene. The odour permeates the body, and is most obnoxious to tliijjj inseot pest, which, while it lasj0 £ ss) keep off the fowl. ‘ '