POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24227, 20 February 1940, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

By “ Terror ”

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT “Peg” (Pine Hill).—l cannot suggest any improvement in the diet for your fowls. The fact that six-months-old birds have not started to lay is not alarming. An iron tonic will help to bring them on to lay, and I fancy a course of Douglas Mixture would best answer the purpose. Perhaps the weather or an exposed ppsition is the cause of the delay in their coming on to lay. I would reduce the f9od supply for a few days because it is possible that you are overfeeding. Douglas Mixture is made as follows: —Put a gallon of water in a strong earthenware pot and in it dissolve Jib of pure (not commercial) sulphate of iron; then Joz of sulphuric acid should be poured in and the whole well stirred. The mixture should be left for a day or so, when it should be bottled and the bottles well corked. The correct dose is two teaspoonfuls to each pint of drinking water, this being given every third day for two or three weeks.

Early Spring Hatching Poultrykeepers will probably put their breeding pens together earlier than usual this year to meet the demand for chickens. Such being the likelihood, now is the time to mate up. It is a fact that the first chickens hatched are always the most vigorous and healthy, with mortality very low. The heaviest losses are through faulty incubation and drastic variations in the weather. It would appear that the germs in the eggs at this time are the strongest, so it is advisable to get as many chickens with this desired stamina as possible. It is the general rule that heavy or medium-weight birds are hatched out in August and the light breeds in September. It need not, however, be a hard-and-fast rule, and a month earlier is suggested as advisable under present w mid-wide conditions. In fact, it will most likely be in favour of the poultrykeeper Experience has taught chicken raisers one or two things which should be observed. Two-year-old hens are the best for breeding purposes. They are fullv developed and possess the body weight and the stamina required to produce good hatchable eggs. The chickens should also be rearable. For many years poultrymen would not breed from pullets, but the craze for number of eggs broke down the theory to a certain extent, and it was found that the progeny did produce a large number of eggs if bred from the proper strain. It. however, produced an evil that many strains are still suffering from. It produced pullets which grew into hens which laid small-size eggs. Whenever possible only hens that lay full-size eggs should be used in the breeding pen. The large-egg factor is undoubtedly hereditary.

When the smallholder finds it necessary to use pullets in the breeding pen, these pullets should be full ydeveloped, and they should be mated to a two-year-old cock. Breeders in a large way should never be in such a position that breeding from pullets is necessary because unavoidable. In the case of the two-year-old hens they should have a vigorous cockerel at the head of the pen. At this season of the year too many hens should not be given to a single male, and above all, no bird that has not concluded the moult should be utilised. Chicken Pulloritm (8.W.D.) It may interest New Zealand poultry keeners to learn that the Victoria Department of Agriculture is being urged to check the spread of the pullorum disease. It was stated at the recent quarterly meeting of the Victorian Chamber of Agriculture that so great were the demands from poultry keepers to have their birds blood-tested that officers at present engaged could not cope with them The number of requests from poultrymen for tests to be made had increased by about 100 per cent, since 1939. and as this work in the beginning had been undertaken at the instance of the chamber it was resolved to support representation being made to the Minister of Agriculture on the question of sufficient funds being made available for another officer to be appointed Bacterial Infections Bacillary white diarrhoea is explained by Dr H. P, Bayon as follows: — This bacterial disease is probably one of the most dangerous ailments which commonly endanger the life of young chicks and the well-being of adult birds. It is due to the multiplication in the intestine of a microbe which causes the chicks to scour; the microbe also invades the blood and tissues 'and brings about excessive mortality in chicks, particularly before they have had time to develop. Cause of the disease: Bacterium Salmonella pallorum Australia to Make Egg Pulp The New South Wales Marketing Board. Australia, has purchased up-to-date egg pulping equipment from America. It is also investigating egg drying plant. Beware of Poor Oats To test, put a sample in a bowl of water and leave them there-for some 26 hours. At the end of that time, all sound-kernelled grains will have sunk to the bottom, and though even in a good sample there will inevitably be a few floaters, you can judge b, the proportion shown what percentag of waste to expect. Five per cenl floaters would not be too bad. Turkeys and Lice During the growing period of a tur key’s life and especially during th summer months, special attention mas be given to see that young turkeys ar free from lice. It will mean worl and time to examine each one, but i is worth it. A good insecticide ma;

be used, but some breeders prefer a lice ointment. A dust bath should also be nrovided for young and old turkeys when this is not available on range. Abnormally Large Eggs On frequent occasions I have had abnormally large eggs sent to me, evi-, dently with a feeling of pride on the part of the sender, and on all occasions; I have explained that the production of such eggs was caused by bad man-; agement. Large as the eggs sent in, have been, in no case have they been anything approaching the size which have been recorded elsewhere. A year or two back I was able to reproduce the following from a Home paper, and as will be seen it shows how abnormally large an egg must be before it can establish a record:— “A poultry keeper in England asked whether an' Boz egg was a record for. weight, and was told that it was not a record, but certainly ‘ a hefty specimen.’ The following information was also given the inquirer:—Way back in 1923 this journal contained particulars of a three-yoked egg, weighing 9£oz. It was laid bv a Light Sussex A year later, i.e., 1924, we recorded what is, so far. the record—an llioz egg. produced by a White Leghorn. Such heavy eges. containing two, or perhaps three yolks, are due to a number of yolk-sacs ripening together, leaving the • ovary at the same time, and entering the oviduct as twins or triplets,’ keep-■ ing company all through the process of shelling, and thus entering the world as one. If you can detect the hen ] which laid that Boz egg, give her a ' plain diet and put her on short rations - —plenty of fresh green food and clean ; ' water, but little grain or mash for a few days.” Keeping Good Males If the results of a mating prove valuable it can be repeated another season, some birds last good for four successive breeding seasons, and in the meantime other birds can be tested. The pedigree of the male by. itself is no guarantee of his value for breeding, but while this should have due consideration pedigree is important when combined with vigour and conformity to standard and health points. Reilly’s report that at our weekly sale on Wednesday good table birds had a fair inquiry, with heavier supplies available. Cockerels —4 at 10s, 4 9s 4d, 8 Bs, 8 6s, 4 ss. 4 4s 6d. 5 4s 4d, 11 4s, 19 3s lOd, 19 3s. 7 2s, 8 Is Bd, 1 Is 6d, 16 Is 2d; hens—6 at 5s Bci, 15 5s 6d, 13 ss, 9 4s lOd, 6 4s Bd, 18 4s 6d, 6 4s 2d, 4 3s 6d, 18 3s 4d, 25 3s 2d, 72 3s, 147 2s Bd, 66 2s 6d, 2 2s, 12 Is 6d; ducks—l 4 at Bs, 10 7s 6d. 3 7s, 6 6s 6d; pullets—B at 13s, 6 5s 6d. All at per pair.