POULTRY NOTES.

Shannon News, 15 September 1925, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES.

EGGS FOR INCUBATION. The care of eggs, that are to be finally placed in tne incubator, starts a\ eu before they are laid, and in order lo ensure tne maximum in effici-' eiicy and satisfaction it is desirable iur alt nesis to be well supplied with either clean s.traw or hay, sawdust, sanu or some other suitable material, me day’s routine should be so arranged as to admit of gathering eggs twice a day, afterwards standing the eggs on tne smaller end and inside a brood-box Kept in the incubator nouse for dial purpose. The box itself might, with advantage, he ooveri ed witn some thick material to protect the eggs from dust, deleterious effects of a frosty mgnt or a dry atmosphere. Incubator eggs should be handled with the greatest possible care, more especially during the first week in the machine, when the embryo* is at a most critical and indefinite stage. The length of time for which the eggs may be kept in the brood-box before placing in the machine is indeterminate and dependent upon several influences, bpt the best plan to adopt is that ot placing eggs 'in the incubator as soon alter they are laid as is convenient. Speaking generally, eggs of from four to five days old give the best results, as the longer they are kept after laying, the lower will be the pereentage of fertility. INCUBATOR VENTILATION. September is a month usually given to wide extremes in temperature, and perhaps, for that reason alone hatching operations should be conducted with no little care. It is realised how really difficult it is lor the amateur to attempt the observance of every- warning and instruction that surrounds tile incubating question, but at the same time he should realise how vital in importance is the rapid assimilation of hatching lore. Rapid, untoungling movements is the requisite tor successful hatches. Firstly, because of the necessity for keeping the door closed as much as possible; secondly, so that the eggs are not unduly disturbed. Study closely the ventilation question, so that any violent change in the weather conditions will ensure prompt action and one correct in every particular. SITTING HENS. There is little room for doubt, but what the machine has to give pride of place to. the natural mother as a hatcher, more particularly where the number of eggs to be incubated is relatively small. When exercising the hen'(and it is recommended that this be done very early in the morning) do not allow her to stray, a long way from the clutch of eg'gs under her charge, and where two, three or more liens are sitting it would be as well to give each a. small run encircled by wire-netting. Never try to hatch eggs covered by a restless bigli-ly-strung hen—the experiment is likely to prove costly! Given a quiet, properly-fed bird and good fertile eggs, a high percentage hatch is well on the way to becoming a positive fact, EXERCISING CHICKENS. Did you never see an apathetic, hunched-up mob of chickens in a brooder-house or run? Did you never watch how (and liow much) they were fed? Possibly, and with misguided indulgence, the owner of these chicks decided it was better to overfeed than underfeed his stock, with the result that there was no need for the youngsters to vigorously scratch if they were anxious to* secure a full crop. The moral, then, is. to scatter Red sparingly, but often, into a good litter of clean chaff, so that chickens are obliged to exercise themselves. Active, virile cliicken-hood will do much towards active egg-organs at a later period—a most acceptable condition. Granulated grit and fine charcoal should he always in their hopper—this will assist them in balancing their ration. One oif the principal causes of leg-weakness in chicks is over-feeding, especially .of’fat-forming foods, and whereas the body may quickly develop, the growth and strength of leg is disproportionate to the body-weight and the chick becomes top-heavy. Lack of ( \ertise, too close confinement, and over-heat-ing of-the brooder-house, are contributory causes lo this weakness. FEEDING THE HENS. With some poultry-keepers, a slump in the egg-basket is an alarm-signal, one, moreover, which tells them that the hen requires more food because her egg-producing organs have become ill-nourished. That ts the type of individual who says that inns, like pigs, can live on “any old thing” and feeds accordingly. His birds, certainly, are well off insofar as mere bulk is concerned, but did he ever consider that possibly, and most probably, his hens were not receiving very much encouragement to lay proliflcally the year through? Is it remotely possible that lie wondered 'whether .his flock’s rations were cov rectly balanced? The best egg-laying records in the world have been made in New Zealand and Australia, hut they were the outcome of serious study of several salient questions, more particularly the important bearing of feeding on egg-laying propensities of the modern hen. A most useful and informative publication on poultry-raising has been compiled by the Poultry Experts attached to the New Zealand Government, and this book is commended to the careful attention of the reader desirous of adding the fruits of other poultrvmen’s labour to the results of his own observations.