POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24417, 1 October 1940, Page 12

POULTRY NOTES

By Terror

Dunedin Utility Poultry Club Eileen Jarvis, acting secretary of the Dunedin Utility Poultry Club, reports that the September meeting of the club was a very successful and interesting one and was much appreciated by a good gathering of members. Mr Tibbies was the principal speaker, and his subject was “ Breed.” He said there are more breeds of poultry that; he had time to enumerate. He exhibited many pictures of birds to stress this fact. A picture of the first known fowl in 1500 B.C. was a peculiar looking bird with feathers only in the tail After dealing with points, peculiarities and value of several breeds, Mr Tibbies went into detail on Rhode Island Reds and Australorps. two popular breeds of the present day. The Rhode Island Reds, he explained, must have correct colour, which is a rich mahogany and not a chocolate, as often seen the width between legs, length and breadth of breast, length of back and thigh good head, clear eyes, and texture of wattles were all points to look for The Australorps should have tight silky feathers, length of body greater than depth, they should not be too fluffy, the eye should be clear and bold, and one should see the eye when standing behind the bird. Neat head and comb, too, are important. These birds should be kept to type and not confused with Orpingtons. Mr Hanson, president, thanked Mr Tibbies for his instructive and educational address. Beginners Only The season is just beginning when poultry pests breed and thrive —if you allow them to. The commonest pest is the bodylouse. Handle one or two. By parting the fluff around the vent the little beggars can be easily seen running hither and thither. The whitish lumps at the base of the feathers in this region are the egg-clusters. If you don’t want the trouble of giving each bird a couple of dressings with insect powder or sodium fluoride, there are several forms of perch-paint which will wipe out the crawler-colony in a single night. All you need do is to paint the perches with the liquid solution half an hour before roostingtime. and repeat in ten days’ time. — Feathered World. When Chicks Leave the Hen A safe indication that the hen is no longer required is found when .the chicks sleep on the floor of the coop away from the hen. Take the hen away at night rather than in the morning, for then she is not so likely to fight her friends in the laying house, and then the chickens will settle down quietly without too much “ weeping.” Next morning the chickens can be attended to. First of all any unsatisfactory specimens should be removed and sold for what they are worth, or eaten if in fairly good order. Then the cockerel chicks are sorten out from the pullets. The cockerels can remain in the coop if it will not be overcrowded, and if there is sufficient room for small perches to be fitted from side to side. The pullets can be taken to the house which they will occupy when they will come into lay. but they must never be mixed with adult laying fowls. If the building is not ready, then the present laying house could be divided by a wire-netting partition and one part thoroughly well cleaned and disinfected for the newly weaned chicks. The Pleasure of It The time taken up in attending to fowls is but a trivial consideration to those who keep only a few birds as a hobby and with the desire of having, with assurance, absolutely fresh eggs. Many of these people take a great delight in seeing to the various little details in connection with the management of their birds, whose comfort concerns them more than the question of profit. It is not everyone, however, who can afford to treat poultry-keeping in this fashion. Even those who are not dependent upon their birds for a living want them to pay their way, and others, who have business interests which take up the greater portion of their time, are anxious to cut the work down to the minimum amount really necessary. What is needed is a system of management which is simple and workable—one which covers all the essential details, and cuts out everything which is really unnecessary. For instance, it may be more Irksome to feed mash in the morning when all is bustle to get away to one’s ordinary occupation. If so, feed the grain food in the morning and the mash at night. Keep Only the Healthiest The pullets must be kept growing. Any that suffer a check should be disposed of. They should not be forced in any way, but be given time to make up their bodily weight. Those that are not well fleshed will not show much profit this year, and will consume a lot of valuable food and give little or no return. Precocious pullets cannot be profitable. They may lay early, but at another two months they may break away in moult, which is usually a protracted one. These earlylaying' pullets also lay very small eggs and will continue to do so for a very lons time. Do not overlook, when culling, to mark these early producers, so that, if not disposed of at once, they will not be bred from. Breed only from the best birds, the best from every point of view. Onions for Chickens Chickens of all ages appreciate finely-minced raw onions and their green tips, and this food is a fine tonic and appetiser. Now and again one can add the chopped onions to grated bread and give it as a separate mash to both chickens and growers, or to an adult hen which is off colour. Of course, we must not give an excess of onions to layers, or there is a risk that their eggs will be tainted. Because of the risk from crop troubles, we should chop the green tips into quite small pieces, as with all other green food Those who keep a stock pot will find that the inclusion of one or two onions will add flavour and make it more appetising. This is a favourite dodge of the table chicken specialist, Reillv’s report fairly heavy supplies of poultry to hand, consisting principally of cockerels, for which there was a limited enquiry- Cockerels—2 at 7s Bd. 2 7s 6d, 2 5s 6d 2 4s, 5 3s 6d. 3 2s 6d, 6 2s 4d, 72s 2d.'51 2s. 32 Is lOd, 25 Is Bd. 47 Is 6d, 7 is - hens —5 at 10s 6d, 5 9s, 4 8s Bd, 2 8s 2d, 4 Bs, 2 7s 6d. 8 6s lOd, 11 6s Bd, 21 6s 6d. 14 6s 2d: pullets—lo at 12s 6d. 4 11s 2 9s 6d. 9 6s 6d, 11 6s, 2 4s 6d, 5 3s 6d'; drakes—4 at 12s (all at per pair).