THE POULTRY YARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 614, 16 March 1929, Page 28

THE POULTRY YARD

(By

GEO. H. AMBLER.)

GRADING THE PULLETS

IT is time to look round amo decision as to their clispo is likely to have only a small s is naturally desirous of keepii will be safe in choosing th exception of those birds whi others.

ng’ the pullets to make a final •sal. The small breeder, who surplus of pui lets to part with, lg- the best for himself, and lie e earliest hatched, with the icli have not done so well as

QNE generally finds one or two

pullets of that class in every brood, and it is sound policy to weed them out, either for killing or fen* selling at a low price. Most poultrykeepers are sufficiently educated to detect the uudesirable and those birds that are likely to prove unprofitable. Most of us agree as to the most, desirable characteristics to look for in the selection of the layers. Those that are deficient in these characteristics, and are lacking in vitality and constitution, should be consigned to the sale yards. With every bird gone that can be got rid of there will remain eight to 10 feet more sleeping room, the ground will remain sweet longer, the food bill will be diminished, and in every way work and anxiety are both reduced considerably.

To make up the full complement of pullets, supposing there are not enough from the earliest hatches, it will be advisable to select the more forward and vigorous of those from the later broods. All birds that are (o be housed together for the season i should now be brought into their peri manent quarters to settle down and, i provided they are well developed and j are beginning to spring their combs, I the diet can be strengthened by the j addition of a small quantity, say, five j per cent, of meat meal to the. mash, j the quantity to be increased to 10 per | cent, when the birds are in full lay. HANDLE THE BIRDS i The amateur should not be afraid to : handle his fowls. It is best to do it | in the evening, when they are cn (he | perches, and not chase them all over the run to catch them. With some j practice, the poultry-keeper mav be | able to pick out the best layers bv the handling test, and he will hud'that fineness of bone and feather is more : reliable than width of pelvis and disi tance between pelvic and breast bones, i which merely indicate whether or not a bird is in lay. Moreover, by handling pullets, one can tell whether (hey are in tit condition for laying, for a bird that handles light is in need of better feeding.

A pullet in ideal condition for laying immediately handles firm and hard. She is well fleshed, but not fat; her abdomen is well rounded and feels firm; her crop will be filled to capacity every evening; her comb and face j will be bright red; she writ have that ; keen alert look that betokens the | businesslike condition.

I When you have handled such a bird, | pick up one of the backward ones, whose comb is still dull, and vou will

l realise the difference. Moreover, if J tlie two birds are of the same age, and j have been brought up under the same ! conditions, you have an excellent object-lesson in how to select the most likely-looking layers. When March is in, the pullets that are expected to lay in April should receive special treatment. Up to the present they have been treated as growing chickens; now they are grown-up and they should receive the same kind of food that they are to have during the winter. This is a valuable wrinkle. The managers of laying competitions do not make drastic changes In diet In March and April—they know bettei*. They do not try dry mash for a week, then soft mash, and then something else the following week. STOCK DIET Get the birds accustomed to a stock diet, and stick to it. What animal is more healthy than the horse, yet it has very little change of diet. The birds must have enough food; this is most important. Make all as comfortable as possible—not too crowded on the perches—and once the pen is made up make no changes. Cooler weather, with refreshing showers, will revive the laying stock, aud in that case there is a probability that some of the hens which looked like moulting early will continue laying well into the autumn. It should be remembered, however, that feeding is the deciding factor just now, and whereas a w ell-balanced stimulating diet, containing a fair proportion of proteid elements, such as are found in meat meal, etc., will maintain production for some weeks to come, a low diet that is lacking in those same elements will lead to cessation of laying, and a general moult within a short time. The amateur should therefore study the question of feeding, and try the effects of a well-balanced diet. CARE OF OLD STOCK Nearly all last year’s birds will be moulting now, and these should be well j cared for. The price of food has made the feeder more careful, and the old hens which are not laying have been docked in their food, which has been the ideal treatment for the old stock, because fowls fall into moult more easily and more quickly when they are fed sparingly than if kept on a fattening diet. When the new feathers begin to grow, weed more liberally and work for egg production, which is to pay for the increased cost of food. If any old birds are wanted for

show, let them be kept shaded, because, though just now shows are off, they will be held later. There is nothing to be nervous about during the moulting season, and beyond a temporary stoppage of the egg supply the results are not serious as a rule. So long as the birds are healthy and vigorous, tlie natural process of changing the feathers will be got through without complications. When the moult takes place early in the

season —say, before mid-March—no more serious effect need be anticipated than the stoppage of the egg supply.

Moulting proceeds in various forms, some hens dropping their feathers by degrees, while others become almost bare within a few days. The beginner must take things as they come, and in the former case the hens may continue laying for some time, since the gradual moult entails comparatively little strain, and the birds may be left pretty much to themselves. Keep plenty of green food before the birds prior to and during tile moult, and rake up tlie feathers In tlie house and run. There will be a tendency to kill off all male birds, but before doing this think of what your wants will be next season. How many pens will you need, and what chance will you have of buying birds? If everyone starts to reduce and kill off all male stock, prices will be at a premium next season, so think whether the cock you have Is good enough to run on. Did you use him this season, and was he a good stock-getter? If you wish to make your poultry pay there must not be a wastage of eggs In the breeding season, for all will be wasted which do not provide a chicken. RISK OF SMALL RUNS

The chifef difficulty in the way of keeping fowls healthy in small runs is tainted ground, which predisposes to diseases of various kinds sooner or later. Where the ground allotted to the fowls covers but a small space, it is perhaps best, to divide it into two runs, changing the birds from one to the other occasionally, so that the unoccupied one may have an opportunity of regaining some of its former freshness.

There is no perfect food for fowls; all foods must be taken together to balance correctly. Soft food should never be thrown

on th.e ground. It should always be supplied in troughs. Do not force hens to lay while they are in the moult. Feather development is a heavy strain and must be completed before egg production can commence.

One of the most important lessons that the poultrykeeper has to learn is that neglect to do things at the right time is a sure forerunner of failure.