POULTRY NOTES.

Shannon News, 31 December 1925, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

. , FEEDING THE YOUNG STOCK. There is no law of general average fior the feeding of growing birds, but one of the most essential things is to encourage them to,, ea<t as maidh as possible. Unless this is done they cannot build up the necessary stamina and body, but there i s a strong demarcation between natural and forced growing. .The latter, is brought about by an .over-plus' of animal food, a very undesirable condition as by undue forcing the birds attain matur- ■ ity before the body has become fully developed t the ideal growth ' being manifest where all the organs are growing uniformly with the remainder of the body. There are some poul-try-raisers who pride themselves upon the fact of their White Leghorn pullets laying at from four to four-and- i a-half months, but they have to pay dearly for this abnormal development. Speaking generally, the eggs are small and rarely increase in size until tlie bird takes its rest in a moult, and if it be an early-hatched pullet it vvill moult at the ■ time when eggs are/at their peak price! In addition, the bird's constitution has already undergone a heavy strain, ovary troubles may commence and one is lucky if a few birds are not lost before the remedy has been introduced. Birds which have been subjected prematurely to this strain invariably prove faulty breeders. For the foregoing reasons alone one needs to exercise every care and caution, allowing the birds to fully' develop before they commence to lay. In this way they will be given an encouragement to lay throughout the season. If your pul-lets-are on free-range, fresh ground of a light soil and niqt overcrowded, the birds will get about all the animal food they require until they are about three to four months old. They wall then be fed a little meat-meal at the start, gradually increasing the quantity till the meat-meal represents 10 per cent, of the morning mash. BIRDS IN CONFINEMENT.

Pullets in confinement should have some sort of meat, ahout SJ per cent, until they are tXvo months old, then gradually increasing the quantity until at four months they are receiving about 10 per cent, meat in their mash. With regard to the other feeds it cannot be over stressed that the best quality food will prove the, most profitable. Feed a mash comprising one part of scalded bran and two of pollard in the morning, giving them just as much as they will clear up. If more than 20 or 30 youngsters are manning together it would be as well toi insta! a hopper containing a dry mash comprising one part of bran and two of pollard. Give them as much green feed as they will eat, and if you can procure watercress, so much' the better. - An excellent preventive and cure of bowel troubles is clean charcoal. This should be ground and a pinch or twio mixed with the mash. A good , safeguard against scouring in chickens, is bodied, rice. Oats are the best substitute for wheat as an egg-producing food.