POULTRY YARD.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17167, 25 March 1927, Page 3

POULTRY YARD.

NOTES AND GOMMENTS. | To make a success of poultrykeeping every labour saving device must be studied. Roomy houses, good feeding, and plenty of fresh water are the main essentials if the egg basket is to be kept well filled. v? ^ # At the meeting of the Waimate Winter and Poultry Show, the following judges were appointed sub- 1 ject to their consent being received: Fancy poultry, Mr A, Gapes or Mr Tindall; utility classes, Mr J. D. Gobbe or Mr Green; pigeons, Mr A. Stevenson, Dunedin. * ¥ « Cull the laying stock in the early autumn and dispose of hens of two-and-a-half years old, young hens which have proved poor layers, and pullets which have been slow to mature. The poultry-keeper should learn to cull his birds by observation and by handling. Poor layers occupy valuahle space and absorb the profit from good layers. t & « & The number of fowls,- _ ducks, geese, etc., in New Zealand in 1921 was greater than in 1926, when the last census was taken. In a report to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. R. F. Bollard), the Government Statistician (Mr Malcolm Fr.aser), gives the following interesting return: —

V * The World's Poultry Congress, to I be held in Ottawa, July 27 to Aug- | ust 4 next, is to be a big afi'air in : every sense. Floor space will be I more than 200,000 square feet; the i national education exhibits utilise ; 55,000 of that footage. There will be i approximately 10,000 liva birds on ! exhibit, of every breed and variety. i Commercial exhibits will be a main i attraction, and one firm making in- ! cubators has already contracted for ; 7000ft. Amongst the European coun- ! tries that have decided to take part : in the congress are: Germany, Ruj mania, Italy, Russia, Denmark, Pol- • and, Belgium, Holland, Spain and ■ Latira. I # ^ & ' Birds of all ages and sizes should i not be allowed to run together; the j younger ones are sure to suffer. | Nothing looks better than a pen of j birds of uniform size and colour. ! Nearly all diseases of fowls are i caused by neglect, ignorance, or j carelessness. In these days of up- | to-date literature and poultry in- | formation, fowl sickness should be I very occasional indeed. The usual time required lo properly fatten a fpwl is about three weeks. But gbod-sized, well conditioned pullets often make up in a fortnight, whereas very large framed cockerels will take four, and sometimes as much as five weeks before they are fully fattened. '> V & & Crop binding is often caused by ! the birds picldng up long pieces of j straw or other litter, or it may be i caused by a large piece of hard food that blocks the passage from the crop. This prevents the birds J from passing the crop substances. , and soon they are in distress and will stand. moping about most of the day. If an affected hird is taken in haiid, and in tfie early stages it can well be c.ured. Warm olive oil should be poured into the crop. This should >be worked into the contents until the whole mass appears well disturbed. If such treatment fails, the crop should be onened with a sharp knife and the contents removed, the "cut then ffie'ing sewn up again. Care should be taken, but it is not a difficult operation in Iceeping the incision clean, and in washing out the crop. After the bird- has been cured it should be fed very sparingly for a day or two.

1926. . 1921 Fowls . . . 3,308,384 3,491,567 Ducks . . 352,030 379,988 Geese . .. • 43,879 46,234 Turkeys . . 76,852 73,220 Total . . 3,781,145 3,991,009 Decrease. 209,864.