THE POULTRY YARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 158, 24 September 1927, Page 26 (Supplement)

THE POULTRY YARD

By

Geo. H. AMBLER

HOUSING OF POULTRY

Constructional Details

The observation of certain details connected with the construction of accommodation of fowls is of considerable assistance when observed in avoiding disappointment and loss, and may also mean a saving in money in the planning: of a plant that is all extensive. Intensive houses built in ranges of half a dozen or more, according to the space and shape of the land whereon they are to be put, need not have the divisions between each house or scratching shed made of solid wood. If these partitions are of wood to a height of 18in or two feet at the bottom the rest of the space may be tilled in with wide mesh, say two inch wire netting. The framework of the partitions should be strong, however, of battens not less than 2£in square, and the uprights and framework of the connecting doors should likewise be strongly made. The lower part of the doors should be solid, to correspond with the partition. This will strengthen them also and prevent their sagging (as netting doors on a framework of wood are sure to do) after continued wear and tear. PROPER DOORS An important detail to remember in connection with the doors of intensive houses (both those giving access to the outside and those connecting one house of a range with another) is that the bottom of each door should not be nearer the actual bottom of the house than six to eight inches. This space should be boarded up. It is necessary to prevent the scratching litter from clogging and blocking the bottoms of the doors. The doors in a range of intensive houses should be all made to hinge in the one direction, so that the attendant can enter at one end of the range and go out at the other, feeding, cleaning, watering, etc., and closing the doors behind him as he goes. This not only means a considerable saving in time in the day’s work where there are several houses, but it means that only sheer carelessness, by omitting to close and fasten some door behind him, can result in the birds of two pens becoming mixed. That is the kind of thing that must inevitably happen when door fastenings are put on. the wrong side and doors are made to open in contrary directions. The attendant must then leave the doors unfastened behind him to get out of the houses when he has finished looking after the wants of the stock. KEEP FLOORS DRY Unless wooden floors are well raised above the ground they are apt to provide very excellent hiding and nesting places for mice and rats. They should be high enough above the level of the ground for a cat or a small terrier to crawl under them comfortably, and so keep the vermin under or chase them away entirely. These raised floors possess the additional advantages of keeping the scratching litter perfectly dry—and that is an important detail in the pro - duction of winter eggs—in clay land districts.

If the canvas or glass shutters to the fronts of the houses for use in inclement weather are on the sliding principle be sure that they are made to flt easily and smoothly. More than almost anywhere else in the house is it necessary that thoroughly seasoned timber should be used at this part. Unseasoned wood that readily swells after a wet day or night and prevents the shutters from being easily opened or shut as desired is not only the cause of much annoyance, but loses time when that is most precious—during the morning round. This kind of thing is obviated by the adoption of shutters hinged at the tops under the eaves of the house. But unless the house faces a sunny exposure, and the shutters can be kept fixed at a good height on dull days, the birds may have to live in a semi-darkened place during the winter months—a drawback to egg production. WATER SUPPLY The water for a range of houses can very conveniently be supplied from the outside of the houses by the si?nple expedient or having a three cornered opening, with the apex of the triangle at the top, in the lower boarded half of the front of each house about a foot from the level of the outside ground. Place a bucket or tin of water in front of this hole large enough to contain the day’s supply of water for the number of birds that the pan will accommodate. A box or shade made to fit over the bucket will serve the double purpose of keeping the water free from outside contamination and preventing half-grown birds escaping from the pen via the water hole should they, at any time, constitute the occupants of the pen. This box or shield should be high enough for the birds’ heads to move freely in and out over the water. A glassed top to it makes the water

supply more easily visible m dull weather, but it is not actually necessary when once the birds have learnt where to go for their drinking water. This system of water supply facilitates ease and thoroughness in attention to that indispensable adjunct to the wellbeing of * the fowls —clean water. HOPPER'S FOR MASH Hoppers for the supply of dry mash or grit should likewise be well out of reach of the scratching litter. One

or more slats of wood running lengthwise over the feeding trough will prevent the birds wasting very much of the mash by scratching or throwing it out with their beaks. Grit can also be s pplied in empty preserved fruit tins nailed on to the walls of the pens well above the litter.

In arranging the nest-boxes see that they face away from the light, and are as private as possible, i.e., that the laying bird is not likely to be frightened off the nest by the sudden appearance of a human being in or out - side of the pen, or by other birds’ pecking and scratching in the near vicinity. Usually the best plan is to arrange the boxes in a row on legs about ISin. high, standing the range of boxes with their faces tc the wall and about a foot from it. The nest-boxos should be about 14in. square, and the wooden part at the bottom of the front, to keep in the straw of the nest, should be fairly high, say 6in., to allow the bird to snuggle down comfortabiy. A comfortable and secluded nest has more to do with a regular egg supply than many beginners think. Take every care of the chicks that are out, especially to keep the litter dry, more particularly in brooders. L>o not imagine the lamp will dry the litter. Of course, it will —in time; but by that time the chickens have gope to the hap — hunting grounds. Damp litter will start many leg-weak cases, colds, crowding, and all sort of ills. See the chicks are well provided with water vessels. Also remember not to be without a tin or two of insect powder, which will come in useful for the broodies. THE HIGH PRODUCING HEN MR. AMBLER REPLIES Last week’s issue contained a long letter from Mr. J. N. McLean in defence of using the high-producing hen as a breeder, and at the same time challenging my article of September 3. In reply I would first of all point out that the article in question was not intended as an attack upon any section of poultry breeders. Truth and strengih are generally found midway, and it was with the view of stimulating attention to what may be termed the middle course, and also to strike a note of warning to those who are breeding from pullets or the 300-egg bird that the article was written.

Mr. McLean also takes exception to my statement that it rarely pays the utility man to begin hatching operations before September, and goes on to say that utility breeders who know their business aim to finish hatching by the end of September. With the latter I agree, and would not think of advocating the commercial poultry breeder to continue hatching later than the end of September. It is. however, well-known that if light breeds, especially, are hatched before the beginning of September, a good many birds begin laying too early, and then go into a moult. Most poultry breeders who cater for the day-old chick business sell all their August and October chickens, keeping only September hatched chickens for their own use. Mr. McLean further states that my condemnation of the high record hen sounds like an echo of the sentiments expressed by Mr. C. A. House. It might interest Mr. McLean to know that I wrote a similar article in the Christchurch SUN some three or four years before ever Mr. House visited New Zealand. If Mr. McLean has ever read articles on the same subject by Mr. E. Brown, president of the World’s Poultry Congress, and the greatest student of utility poultry culture ever known. Professor Crew, Professor Willard, director of British National Poultry Institute, Professor Card (America) of that well-known English authority, Mr. Powell-Owen, he will have seen that Mr. House and myself are not alone in our condemnation. NOT FANCY ONLY

Mr. McLean goes on to say he does not question my authority on matters relating to the Fancy, nor does he accept my theories (as he terms them) put forward as facts that heavy production is conducive to weak constit «- tion. As my articles are written fo 1 * the utility poultry-keeper, Mr. McLean’s statement is likely to convey the impression to my readers that my experience and knowledge has been confined tc the Fancy side only. I would, therefore, like to take this op-

portunity of stating that it is 30 years since 1 first started k 0v *’ utility poultry. Some 15 < imported into England a 1 well-known strain of White iL? f thand for several years prior i.n ins England I made dL“ “yJ*»vthe utility side of poultry-k^p"I*s' 1 * 5 ' ot since my coming to the Domw question if any one has made .a" 1 study of the utility sn e than* * t;ir ' sa '■ without fear of co2" I '' diction, that, with the exception Government poultry expert, » *"® mrds hand,ed ° r selectEd U

Although I have only on one entered birds into a laving enn?£r a . Sxo the performance of mv Khaki duck, which laid 31 8 , !KS YJ®W*U at the Mount Albert test. "houirt' W! J* sufficient evidence in support of knowledge of a layer lam surf Mr. McLean will admit th« the * " :t bers of the New Zealand Utility p' r ?' try; Club are a body of practical who know their work and vet t. n “ a left Christchurch. I was chS'rm Wr 1 the educational committee a" club. Were he to see mv flip taining hundreds of letters from .J 01 ?' try keepers, in all parts of \vL?2)' land, who have written me t'ellL 1 ' of the benefit derived from reartin. articles, also my book. Farming in New Zealand." he realise that, after all, a fancier can ff of some little benefit to that e- er ing body of utility poultry keernmf"’' Dominion. P€rs 1Q I apologise for taking mv re,... through i soliliquy of this descrinu!? but I wished to explain that mv lr ledge of utility poultry is not thmr tical or obtained by inquiry, bat' thi result ol years of practical experiene. and personal observation. COMPETITION NO IMPROVEMENT This lias convinced me that « matter what Mr. McLean may sav hen which has laid 300 eggs or'mcvr* in a laying competition or the immiT ture pullet, is absolutely unfit for itl following season’s breeding n e n I, therefore, adhere to every syllable T wrote on the matter. I admit the 300egg hen has had a strong constitmtior so has the man who swims the Enclu'' Channel, but what is his condition the end of his swim? at Competition records do not indicate the value of a hen for breeding Physiological factors have to be re garded. It is well-known and within the experience of all breeders that a prolonged period of heavy laving in. volves a heavy tax and lowers the vitality of the hen which is indicated in appearance, notably in roughness and the loss of feathers, in reduction of flesh, in dullness of comb, face and legs, and in general want of condition. There is little need to enlarge upon what is here stated. A great amount of harm has been done in using these exhausted layers as breeding stock before there has been time to affect a restoration of their powers. We have no right to expect the impossible from stock, and nature will refuse to permit of this being done. We are all the time up against “thus far and no farther.” It is obvious that the regular, almost daily, production of an egg must be a severe strain upon the tiny organism, weighing, on the average, between 41b. and 51b.. and when we take into consideration the wonderfully high nutritive value of the egg one marvels how it is done. How can a bird, turning out 300 eggs per annum, give vigorous life to its offspring? Apart from the production of the egg we have to remember that the hen has to do her share of the fertilisation of the egg, and there is the act of copulation which is, as pointed out in my previous article, an unnatural strain upon the generative organs. Mr. McLean says I must have been thinking of the fancy bird when I mentioned 200 eggs. The number wa* a misprint and should have been 280. (See Christchurch "Sun.”) ENERGY ESSENTIAL . I agree with Mr. McLean that it is absolutely necessary that the birds in the breeding pen should be bubbling over with energy and. as previously stated, I have yet to be convinced that a bird that has; laid over 300 eggs in a laying test has the necessary vitality to go into the following season's breeding pen.

Regarding laying competitions. They have certainly done a great amount of good, as they have been the means of educating the poultry-breeder in tiie selection of his layers. Their usefulness will, however, be outrun if breeders use the high record layers for breeding purposes before they have had time to recuperate. Mr. McLean quotes the dairy cow. but this cannot, by any means, be classed alongside the laying hen, as she is not giving milk for some time prior to her calf being born. Agaim she has a period of recuperation between the birth of each calf, whereas the hen has to propagate her species all the time. Mr. McLean’s statement that sheep were intended to carry only sufficient wool to keep themselves warm is a futile argument, as this entails little or no extra strain on the sheep. Regarding the vegetable kingdom, I was, to-day. discussing the matter with a weil-known nurseryman, aha he was most emphatic on the that the blooms on the most prolific plants were the smallest. To take the human race it rerw happens that the children of a mother who lias had a large family, follow on with large families. One could write pages on this subject, but I am afraid I have gone be* yond the space allotted me.