THE POULTRY YARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 620, 23 March 1929, Page 30

THE POULTRY YARD

(By

GEO. H. AMBLER.)

FACTORS OVERLOOKED ALTHOUGH the young stock have been all sorted and graded and the cockerels disposed of, or are rapidly approaching the stage at which they will be sold for table purposes, there still remains plenty of work for the enthusiastic poultry man. We have had a lot of hot weather lately and it has made obvious some of the defects of poultry houses and runs which might not be noticed in cooler weather.

JT is an easy matter for the small poultry-keeper to fall into the habit of throwing green stuff, bits of meat and household scraps down in the pen and leaving them for the hens to pick among, forgetting the debris which this course always leaves behind. Accumulations of cabbage stalks, food scraps, etc., are apt to become sour and set up a foul smell when the weather is really warm. This is bound to affect the health of the hens adversely, and if any of the birds happen to pick up a bit of sour food a case of poisoning is sure to result. Some of the extra leisure afforded by the Raster holidays should, therefore, be devoted to a thorough clean-up ot the house and pens, a burning of the rubbish, and late one evening drench the ground of the run with warm water in which some disinfectant has been placed. During the hot weather especially, all runs should he cleanly swept at least once a week. HENS GO OFF LAYING

Another matter might be mentioned here, since it so often seems to escape attention. A small poultrymau recently complained that his hens, which had laid fairly well, but had obviously not laid all their batch, had suddenly gone off laying. He could not account for it in any way, since the hens seemed quite healthy. A wait, round his pens soon revealed a possible explanation of the trouble. Not merely was a lot of debris thrown about the runs, but the nest boxes themselves had an smell. Pie had forgotten, as so many others appear to forget, that when hens are in full lay the nest boxes are much more frequently iu use. consequently they become fouled much sooner than in the winter months. Let your holiday tasks include a complete cliauge of the straw in nest boxes, and it will do good, too, if the new straw is liberally dusted with insect powder. The importance of fresh, green food in hot weather has frequently been emphasised in these notes. Here are a few hints for securing cheap greens, a desirable thing when the expense of the poultry-keeper is higher than usual on account of the large number of young birds which are being reared. In almost every paddock and roadside there arc dandelions and young green thistles which may be had for the gathering. These are useful additions to the diet. They should be cut

into small pieces and mixed in the mash. EGG-EATING BY HENS There appears to have been a revival of the vice of egg-eating among some flocks, judged by complaints from readers. This vice is always apt to occur in warm weather, but frequently the poultry-keeper himself is to blame. One frequent cause is too few nests, when hens are laying well. The result is that two birds will get on to the same nest, and in the struggle for position an egg is apt to get broken. Fowls are curious creatures, and, seeing the strange mess in the nest, some of them will eat it up. That, experience on one or two occasions is sufficient to teach the hens that eggs' are good to eat, and the vice of egg-eating is established. Another cause is faulty feeding. If you do not reduce the stimulating foods, meat or fish meal, and give too much maize in the hot weather the hens may be forced to lay and thiu-shelled eggs or shell-less eggs will result. These are a sore temptation to the fowls because, even though the egg may be intact within its skin, the hen finds no difficulty iu breaking through. A very frequent cause is feeding wet mash the last thing at night. Too many poultry-keepers who feed wet mash make the mash the last meal of the day and give it just before the hens retire for the night. That may be good policy in winter, but in summer time a wet mash just before the hens go to roost will almost certainly mean that some eggs will be laid from the perch and. falling on the drop-pings-board or floor, will become broken and so provide temptation to begin egg-eating practice. It requires only a little thoughtfulness to avoid all these dangers. WHEN FOWLS MOULT LATE As a general rule there arc three classes of birds which moult as late in the season as this —the very prolific hens that have been stimulated in order to keep them laying as long as possible; the late-hatched hens of last season which have proved to be the best layers of their kind, and the early-hatched pullets of this season that started laying in the early summer. The last-named will probably indulge in no more than a partial moult, whereas that of the hens will be in a more complete form. The worst of a late moult is that it

is generally a severe one, and the weather conditions introduce complications that necessitate great care and generous treatment. Among the earlier moulters quite a large proportion drop their feathers by degrees, but the average late-moulting hen that has been laying all through the summer and autumn takes it badly by dropping most of her feathers within a few days and rendering herself susceptible to the chills and searching winds of autumn, so that a cosy house, a sheltered day run and good food are absolutely essential to avoid a big drop in vitality. At this stage of the late moult it is better to tempt the hen with dainties than to put a lot of food before her, while if a tonic is needed there is nothing better than a teaspoonful of Parrish’s j Chemical Food in a pint of drinking water. PREVENTING DISEASE Most poultry disorders are prevent--1 able and to have an advantageous crop of poultry means that the breeder must recognise the signs of disease and keep it from the flock. Attention must not only be paid to feed, but also to air and sunshine. Iu addition to these is pure water, and the three —pure water, pure air and sunshine —are at the bottom of all successful efforts at raising poultry. The eggs are the starting point iu the poultry business, and these must be kept from too high or too low temperature. Then there must be care in incubation and the machine or setting hen must be supplied Avith plenty of pure air. At hatching, the chicks must not be removed until they are thoroughly dried, then they must be fed on materials that will not irirtate them. The exercise of the chickens must be looked after, and they should be allowed to get into the open air t.o prevent their growing spindly and anaemic. The chicks on range also need attention, otherwise the mortality in their ranks will be considerable. PREVENT COLDS To prevent colds, provide good ventilation, but no draughts. Draughts from cracks in the Avail at the back of the perches are disastrous. A loavl may roost in a tree all Avinter and never haA'e a cold, but let it be confined in a house in front of a little crack and it Avill most certainly become affected with a cold. ProA r ide plenty of green food and insure plenty of exercise. A dose of Epsom Salts at the rate of one pound per hundred birds, fed in a Avet mash, may do a great deal to get the affected flock back into condition. GENERAL NOTES The following is the result of the Taranaki Egg Laying Test to, and in--1 eluding, the end of the 49th Aveek: In the White Leghorn section it would seem as if the interest is being kept up into the last week of the competition. A. J. Davey's and W. Ferguson’s hens dropped back last week add. as the former bird did not lay during the present week, has lost her chp.nce of Avinning, whereas W. Ferguson’s hen, having laid only liv r c, her I chances are hoav remote. At the end | of last week only one egg divided W. j Cannon's and J. W. Carrick’s hens;

the latter hen, however, laid eight eggs for the Aveek and the former seven, so that they enter-on the last Aveek Avitli a total of 262 eggs each. Although D. Waddell’s hen in the Black Orpington section did not lay an egg, she is Aveli above her nearest competitor and must therefore win. In the Light Sussex section there is just a possibility of H. Kirkwood’s hen being overtaken by W. Cannon's bird. C. C. Cleaver’s Rhode Island Red, Avhich has been close on the heels of the leading White Wyandotte belonging to A. „Gibbons, has fallen back in the running for the leadership of the heavy breed section. In the Fawn and White Runner section the leading duck IJid only three eggs, her total now being 321. J. W. Garrick’s duck is still Aveli ahead in the White Runner section and cannot be overtaken. Mr. Fred. Brown, the chief Government poultry instructor, speaking in Christchurch, is reported to have said that the prospects for the coming season are not too bright for poultrykeepers. Mr. Brown stated that there are 100,000 pounds of pulp in cool store in New Zealand. If this be correct poultry-keepers should make GA r ery effort to assist in the exporting of next season's surplus. I understand, hOAvever, that the GoA'ernnieut lias promised the New Zealand Poultry Association it will increase the guarantee on export to £IO,OOO. This is Avelcome ugavs to producers and should be an incentive to rcneAved activity on the part of every producer of eggs in the Dominion. The New Zealand Poultry Association has done Avonderful Avork in the past and should have the support of every one of our poultry-keepers. The Auckland Egg Producers’ Association, Avhich is affiliated with the NeAV Zealand Poultry Association, is also doing good work in the interest of local producers. The membership fee is loav and Ave commend it to e\ ery produce* in the Auckland Province. Unless Ave haA'e co-operation among breeders, the Government subsidy will be of little use. This and other problems need tackling.

To increase consumption some advocate an “Eat More Eggs” campaign. That may be good in its Avay but, in

our opinion, the easiest way to increase consumption is by marketing a fresh egg. If all eggs Avere marketed not more than two or three days old, producers Avould benefit by the innovation and there would be no need for an “Eat More Eggs” campaign.

The North Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association has received a notification from its printers in Dunedin stating that the championship certificates would be aA r ailable by March 27. At the last meeting of the association it Avas decided that, in future, the certificates, Avhcn available, would be sent to the respective clubs ahead of the shOAvs so as to enable them to be issued Avith as little delay as possible.

During the past week several poultry breeders have A r isited Auckland and the Mount Albert laying test. Mr. Fred. Brown, chief Government expert, has been up, and assisted by Mr. Jarrett, judged the birds at Mount Albert. Mr. Willoughby Knight, breeder of the Avorld’s record duck, also spent seA r eral daj r s in Auckland.

Mr. Walter Green (of Green Bros., Christchurch), president' of the New Zealand Poultry Association, is another A'isitor to the Queen City and Mount Albert.

Mr. Don SteAvart’S (Normanby) services are evidently sought after in other directions than judging poultry and ducks. At the Marton show, held during the last week, Mr. SteAvart officiated as judge of the pigs.

Owing to the number of revisions which have taken place during the past three years in the rules of the North Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association, clubs Avere at a loss in mauy instances to kuoAv their position and were continually having to refer to the association for information. The association has, however, decided to have 500 copies of the revised rules printed and on the receipt of same copies will be distributed to the affiliated clubs.

Mr. Curuow, Pukekohe, says that the last meeting of the Pukekohe Poultry Society was of a most enthusiastic nature and the members are looking forAvard to a record shoAA r . The Pukekohe show is ah\*ays a popular one with Auckland fanciers.

Fanciers will regret to hear that Mr. Carl Cussen, South Island Government poultry instructor, who returned to Christchurch after his recent operation in Auckland, is again indisposed.

Mr. Walter Wilson, Mornlngside, the A\ r ell-known Modern Game specialist, Avho recently interested himself in English White Leghorns, lias some grand pullets which he considers will be hard to beat in the shoAv pen. It is pleasing to see that interest in this once popular breed is increasing. July 11. 12 and 13 haA'e been granted the Stratford Club for its show dates. The executive of the Waikato Winter Show has decided not to run a poultry section in conjunction with its coming slioav. There is. however, a probability of the Hamilton Poultry Society running a show.