THE POULTRY YARD

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 32

THE POULTRY YARD

(By

GEO. H. AMBLER.)

FERTILITY AND HATCHABILITY

FERTILE eggs do not always hatch. A very large percentage of poultry-keepers is now learning that fertile eggs and those capable of producing strong chickens are two different things. Every egg from a hen, or pen of fowls, may be strongly fertilised, yet not composed of the proper material to furnish a chick.

It should not be difficult to find the reason for this defect, but hundreds of poultry-keepers are puzzled, and think that the trouble is due to improper incubation. In 99 out of 100 cases, the trouble is in the feeding, the feed used being too fattening and lacking in bulk. Feeding determines hatchability. A pen of fowls purchased from a man who has paid but little attention may serve as an illustration. The first eggs laid after the birds came to the new owner were fertile, but the chicks died in the shell about the tenth day. The next lot did better, but did not hatch. However, after these hens had been fed on coarse, bulky food, including lucerne, for about three weeks, their eggs hatched well and have done so ever since. The progress made in their improvement along this line has been steady, and before the close of the season we should expect to produce chickens which will leave the shell with a bound, and grow from a tiny ball to a matured hen in the shortest possible space of time. SUITABLE FOODS Foods which furnish good results for the benefit of those having trouble along this line are: Whole oats, wheat, bran, sweet milk, lean beef and green food, either cut lucerne or sprouted oats or wheat. Dry whole oats and wheat bran should always be kept in hoppers, as hens will never overeat of these, which furnish some of the best food properties that can be had. Good results may be obtained without the use of either lean beef or milk when plenty of bran, green feed and sprouted oats are provided. INCUBATION HINTS Those who have already begun putting eggs down should see that their incubators are clean and in good order. If broody hens are being used, provide the broody with a dust bath. Test all eggs on the seventh and 14th days. The fresher the eggs when set. the better the results. Remove any eggs that are addled or unfertile. When setting a

broody, mark the eggs entrusted to her. Should she take it into her head to add more on her own accord, these can easily be detected and removed. The chick comes from the egg, so give plenty of grit and fresh water. Always allow eggs to settle down for 12 hours or so before entrusting them to the broody. Far too many beginners do not trouble to test the eggs for fertility, as they are afraid lest the broody hen be disturbed. In handling a sitting hen, let the novice remember that confidence in what he is doing will more often than not mean success. There are several reasons why eggs should be tested. In the first place, if two or three eggs have to be removed from the nest as “clears,” the hens will have a better chance of attending to and covering the remainder. In the second place, each hen can be given a full complement of “good” eggs. KEEPING EXTRA MALE BIRDS It is a mistake, when strong chickens are required, to have the male bird serving one lot of hens for half the year or more. To keep an extra cock or cockerel does not appear profitable on the face of it. For that reason alone many poultrybreeders keep only one male bird for each pen. Admittedly this plan answers well enough for a short season, but it is a mistake otherwise. Far worse than close inbreeding is a long-breeding season with the same male bird in the pen from beginning to end. If the breeding season has to be a long one, more than one male bird will bfe required for the pen to keep up a satisfactory percentage of fertility. Hens should prove good breeders for some months; they cannot fail to do so if they are properly fed and not forced to become record-breaking layers. Cocks, how ever, are apt to crack up. With a season, therefore, extending over six months, it is a wise plan to put a fresh male bird into the pen after a two months’ or a three months’ spell; in fact, in some circumstances, even a change each month is advisable. AT A GLANCE Watch the “head” of the breeding pens. Above all, see that he gets plenty of food to keep him lit. Half-starved and bad-tempered cocks seldom make good breeders. During incubation, test the eggs for fertility on the seventh or tenth day. If the eggs are well starred on the

20th day, do not interfere with them. Remove chickens at the usual airing time, and refrain from opening the drawer every hour when the chickens are due. Do not take the chickens from the “drying box” until they are thoroughly dry. Avoid forcing them to eat as soon as they are hatched. Chickens can spend the first 24 hours at least of their life without food or drink, since the yolk they absorb just before liberating themselves will keep them going for a long time. The chief points to be observed with a brooder are the proper heating and ventilating of the sleeping compartment, and these must be assured before the chicks are put in a rearer. Brooder chickens require care in rearing; inattention is fatal to good results. However, chicks properly reared artifically grow and develop just as well as those reared naturally.

Guard against over-feeding brooderreared chickens; little and often is the rule; and never leave soft food in the brooder from one meal to another. Scrupulous attention must be paid to cleanliness. The litter (good chaff) must be raked over every morning—and as much as possible of the droppings removed —and renewed when necessary. Chickens of a month old and upward will also be benefited by an occasion"! run in the vegetable garden during dry weather. A surfeit of worms is undesirable for such small birds, but there are many small insects which are picked up, and if the quarters and run are of limited extent the change of ground will have a good effect, and the birds will respond with better growth. If a goodsized grass run is available, this privilege will not be necessary for chickens, but for adult fowls a weekend run on the garden during digging operations is beneficial, even when they are running on free range. | TESTING EGGS IN WATER Eggs that have live chicks in two or three days prior to hatching, if placed in a bowl of warm water will bob about or make sudden movements after they have once settled on the surface of the water, for, of course, when you place an egg in water it will make movements for a minute or two until the surface of the water becomes smooth and settled. If the egg contains a dead chick it will float the same, but once it has stopped moving with the moving water, it will not move or jump about the same as one containing a live chick. You must not allow the eggs to remain in the water more than two or three minutes. PERSONAL NOTES Fanciers will regret to hear of the I death of that well-known Game fan- ! cier, Mr. E. Rowe, who died after a | very short illness. Mr. Rowe, better

known as “Teddy Rowe,” was one of the most successful Old English Game breeders and exhibitors in the Dominion and was always ready to assist the amateur section of the fancy. He was ah f a most enthusiastic member of the Christchurch Poultry Club. At one time Mr. Rowe was a keen Homing Pigeon fancier, and judge, and during the war a big consignment of Flying Homers were sent from Christchurch to the British Government, these birds being under the care of Mr. Rowe on the voyage to England. The position he occupied in the Old English Game Fancy will be a hard one to fill.

Mrs. Comyns-Lewer, editor of “Feathered World,” writing on her recent visit to South Africa, gives an interesting description of her visit to Mr. Porritt’s farm at Natal, where Mr. Porritt has 3.500 fowls on three acres of ground. Most of the birds are kept on the intensive system and are trapnested for records. Mr. Porritt uses only one incubator, a sectional one of 10,200-egg capacity. For green food thousand-headed kale is grown on one section of the farm. All stock are fed on wet mash in the morning, mixed with milk, and dry mash is also kept in hoppers before the birds all day. At 4 p.m. the birds receive equal proportions of wheat and crushed yellow mealies, about 2oz. a bird. Mrs. Lewer says that, despite the absence of fresh and free range, eggs prove wonderfully fertile and stock healthy and vigorous. Mr. Porritt belongs to the Natal Egg Circle, where his eggs are sent after being cleaned and stamped with his number. The circle does the grading and handling. Mr Porritt is well-known to New Zealanders, as some time ago Mrs. Porritt and he spent some three months touring the Dominion, and he took back with him some New Zealand stock. The majority of his birds has. however, descended from the well-known yards of Mr. H. B. James, Australia, and Mr. Tom Barron, England.

GENERAL NOTES

The following are the results of the Taranaki Egg Laying Competition to and including the 17th week: In the White Leghorn section, M.: Scanlon’s hen is leading with a total! of 106, followed by R. Cannon’s hen, with W. L. Conway’s and F. E. Allen’s hens tying for 3rd place. In the Rhode Island Red section, A. J. Lacey’s No. 2 hen is leading, with his No. 4 hen occupying 2nd place. In the Golden Wyandotte section, Gibbons Bros.’ No. 1 and 3 hens tie for Ist place. In the Black Orpington section, D. M. Waddell’s hen is still putting up a wonderful performance, having laid 120 eggs in the 119 days the competition has been running. Gibbons Bros.' hens are leading in the White Wyandotte and Langshau sections. H. Kirkwood’s hen occupies Ist place in the Light Sussex section, as does F. W. Walker’s No. 1 hen in Brown Leghorns. In the 3-bird team test (light breeds), R. Cannon’s White Leghorns are an easy first, as are Gibbons Bros.’ Golden Wyandottes in the (heavy breeds) team test. In the duck section, only 2 eggs divide D. Riley’s duck and that of V. L. Gane’s. White Runners which were a long time in commencing to lay are now doing well, the majority having laid 7 eggs for the 'week. In the A.O.V. Duck section, J. W. Carrick’s Khaki Campbell duck occupies a strong position, in fact, is ahead of all ducks in the competition. The South Island Old English Game Club is making preparations for next season’s annual show, having already decided to hold the show in conjunc-1 tion with the Oamaru club. The New Zealand Leghorn Club is another club which is looking ahead. This club has decided to hold its next annual show in conjunction with the Wellington Winter Show. The Timaru Show, which was held a couple of weeks ago, had an increased entry of 200 over that of the previous show. Evidently the fancy is booming in the South Island, as practically every show held this year has had increased entries. The Waimate Show Society had a profit of £4O on its 1920 show. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS D.S.C., Penrose.—Your method of feeding is apparently unorthodox, and although it may seem entirely different from anything else, it conforms to certain fundamental principles of feeding. I do I not advise you to change it. The results j appear to have been good, and 1 see no need at present to alter the combination !in any way. I would point that if we i had a hot, dry summer, or even a dry ! one, this method of feeding may not give i quite the same results as it has done, j When such time comes the mash can i easily he altered