POULTRY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 130, 2 May 1940, Page 5

POULTRY NOTES

(By “Brooder.”) “Anxious” has nine Black Orpington pullets just six months old and asks if her feeding is right. At present the birds are getting about a teaeupful twice a-day of the following: Boiled potato, one part pollard to two parts bran, 1 teaspoonful of meat meal, a handful of chopped greens, a pinch of salt. No mention is made about the condition of the birds. Growing birds require about 4 to 5 ozs. of wet mash each day. The birds in question may have done fairly well on the. above ration, but it is probable they! would do better if the ration were two parts pollard to one of bran; also the meat meal increased to one-tenth of the whole. The chopped greens are good, but the potatoes are of questionable food value for laying birds though they are used considerably. .The ration mentioned is not too fattening, the amount of bran preventing this. Observation teaches us if the birds have had enough. If they .clean every morsel up and look for more, be sure they need it, and the ration should be increased to the amount specified. A good handful of wheat for each bird would not be too much. Plenty of green feed is essential. If you have , a small plot to spare, sow oats. When they are about six inches high start to feed a little, chopped fine; feed it either separately or mixed with the mash. Eggs should be forthcoming soon from these pullets. Tho above question lias been answered rather fully, for it may help others who have pullets which should be laying soon. A poor layer will eat just as much as a heavy layer; that being so, why keep an indifferent layer; or why keep birds which are well past their best? There is very definite proof that after the : second or third laying season there is always an appreciable fall in the number of eggs laid by birds reaching such an age. There is this to be said of the Light Sussex fowl: It may be very prone to broodiness, but the breed makes a very quick recovery if properly treated. Owners should be kind to this very doctile bird. Size of egg (and ■with'some strains of the breed this is very small) can only be improved by careful breeding. However, the bird will always be popular, for it makes a beautiful table size. The quality of the flesh is also exceptionally good. Pullets standing around in the yards with little or nothing to do-but •wait for their meals do not come to profit very early. Roaming over a large grass run seeking out the tempting morsels would ‘ suit them better. Frosts and cold winds are very early this year. This W’ill delay the long awaited eggs. These will be delayed still more if the conditions are as described at the beginning of this prograph. Keep such birds busy in some way if possible. If necessary, underfeed the regular ration and give the difference scattered in a deep litter, thus making the birds work for it.