POULTRY NOTES.

Shannon News, 7 February 1928, Page 4

POULTRY NOTES.

KEEPING AN EYE ON THE WORKERS.

The successful commercial egg farmer owes much of his success to his observation. of his flock. He must be closely intimate with the workers and more so ; with the drones and laggards on the farm, The latter he must get rid of—they are a menace to his flock. It is only "by strict culling following accurate observation that a high average flock can be built up. It is, of course, a matter of time before this high average is fixed in a strain. When this is done, the returns wili go up with leaps and bounds, and success is then assured. Not only will the egg output be satisfactory, but there will be competition by other farmers to secure stock and hatching eggs, end adequate prices will-be got for anything sold. There is no doubt that the selling of eggs for hatching is one of the host profitable lines in the industry. Settings ranging from one to two guineas show' a handsome profit and are tv ell worth the money when the strain is reliable.

Pigmentation is a reliable index of the laying quality of a fow'l and shouldbe carefully noted as it will be an invaluable help in spotting the poor layers, that are not to assist in the building up of a strain. lIOW TO OBSERVE PIGMENTATION. Pigmentation shows how' a hen is laying and many keen observers can roughly guess the number of eggs a hen has laid when he notes how the pigment is.vanishing from the various parts of the body. When a fowl matures it has stored up a certain amount of fat to be drawn upon when it begins egg production. "With this fat there is a yellow pigment known as Zanthophyll. Much of the fat is stored where it cannot be observed, but some of it is stored just underneath the skin Avlicre it can be noted in such places as the beak, vent, and shanks. The fat from these parts is drawn on

first and that around the abdominal parts last. This loss of pigment or bleaches occurs in certain rotation. Thus we find the vent is the first to lose its pigment and shows a bleached appearance after three eggs have been laid. Then follows the eye ring, ear lobes, beak, and lastly the shanks. Prom this rotation the observer can judge after experience how' far the bird lias advanced in its egg production. Enthusiasts have in this way built up a system of guessing the number of eggs a hen has produced. The shanks lose the pigment gradually. It disappears from the front first, from the sides, and then the back. .Just below' the hocks is the lagt part to become bleached. THE SHANKS.

The shanks or legs of a fowl can convey a very great deal to the observer, and they are an absolutely reliable index as to the character of the fowl. The formation and outline of the bone must be noted. It must, be fine in quality, straight in the centre part, especially in the front, but to be symmetrical the lines of the shank must curve gradually 4'om the straight line of the middle towards either end.

Spindle shanks arc the sure sign of a poorly grown bird, and it is seldom that it possesses the necessary vitality to make a good layer. A very coarse shank showing ridges near the hock with a flat-thick swollen appearance just above tiie foot is far from an ideal leg. and is invariably a sign that the fowl is a poor layer. Both these types should be avoided.

A little experience in observing these points will soon, give the fanner a very fair idea of the class of the bird that lie is handling. SPROUTED OATS. Some years ago there was a rage for sprouted* oats and almost every small poultry-keeper kept a supply ready against his being unable to get other green food.. They Were a novelty, and everyone likes•novclt.es, but, when, they require regular attention novelties begin to pall, so sprouted oats died out. They are, however, an excellent food, and only require a few' minutes’ attention once, or perhaps tv-ice a day. A shallow box, such as florists use, is all that is required, or for a few’ shillings a tier of boxes can be made. The boxes should be about, Bin. dep and should have small holes pierced in the bottoms.

The method of preparing the oats is

quite simple, and is as-follows:—Take enough oats to well cover the bottom of the box, put them into a basin or pan and fill up with hot water and cover with a doth. On the following day drain off the water and spread the oats on the bottom of the box, which they will cover to the thickness of an inch. Give them a sprinkling of water night and morning and they will soon begin to sprout up and appear like a turf oi grass. Each grain, however, will only give a shoot of a certain length, and w'hen they are all about level with the top of the box they must be used or they will wither and become useless. They meed only a slight sprinkling of water every day and about the seventh day are ready for use. The whole, mass can now' be cut out from the bot L toms of the box in squares and can bt given to the birds in. this form. They will peck them to pieces and devour them readily.