The Poultry Yard

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1076, 13 September 1930, Page 30

The Poultry Yard

(By

GEO. H AMBLER.

WORK FOR SEPTEMBER

FIS is the popular month for hatching heavy breed pullets for egg production, and in varieties like the Black Orpington, Silver Wyandotte, or Rhode Island Reds, it may be calculated that from eggs set in the first week in September the pullets, if well reared, should come iuto lay about the beginning of April, and carry 7 on right through the winter.

The end of September is late enough for hatching the main body of the pullet stock, though if we were short we would not hesitate to set eggs until the end of the month. A start should also be made with light breeds, and from eggs set about the third week in September some good pullets, iu breeds like Leghorns and Ancouas, should be reared for laying in April. September is the best month for hatching ducks for laying purposes, and one may allow approximately six months for growth and maturity before they come to lay. Although days are lengthening, September is usually stormy and wet. Great care will therefore be required with hatching operations, as temperatures vary so considerably. Incubating hens should be well fed and attended to daily. On gusty, winter days a very short time off the nest will be sufficient to cool the eggs. Incubator work should be rapidly done, and after the drawer Is shut the normal temperature should be reached within half an hour. Less ventilation must be given on days ot high winds, as draughts will then be stronger; as a rule give more ventilation as hatching time is approached. ARTIFICIAL BROODERS Artificial brooders must be carefully watched to see the lamp does not get too high, nor yet is blown out. Those rearing chickens in an artificially-heated brooder should make themselves acquainted with its workings. It is useless expecting to rojr chickens successfully if experience does not begin until the chickens are inside the brooder. It is better to leave this side of rearing alone unless you are prepared (1) to buy a reliable appliance; (2) master its ins and outs before hatching time and devote reasonable care and attention to its working. Most of the mishaps with brooders come under one or other of the following headings:—The lamp goes out in the night, or smokes, or set fire to the brooder. This is due to poor quality oil, neglect in trimming and filling, turning the flame too high, or a cheap and badlymade machine. More often than not the latter is the cause of the trouble, as a good many chicken rearers in New Zealand seem to think that anything will do to rear chicks. Although 1 have not seen the familiar kerosene tin brought into use, I have seen scores of brooders made out of kerosene cases. One of the best methods (In my ideal is the use of eauopy brooders. These give the maximum amount of fresh air so necessary if chickens are to be reared successfully. Buying a brooder is just as important as buying an incubator. You must get the best; even if it costs a little more it

will be cheaper in the end. If your chickens do not appear lively or their feathers seem too heavy and long for them to carry, there is something wrong. These symptoms may be due to overheating, not enough heat, bad ventilation, brooder not being kept clean enough, insufficient exercise, or improper feeding. The first and second mav be avoided by experience, by following the makers’ directions, and by the intelligent use of the thermometer. The third can be remedied if the interior smells unpleasantly on being opened. KEEP CHICKENS MOVING Regarding exercise, chickens must be kept in a constant state of activity, never wholly satisfied, and always on the look out for more food. In order

to best promote this desirable state of things, it is advisable to litter at least one compartment of their house with chaff to a depth of not less than two inches. In this should be buried their day’s chick feed. The latter must be of a reliable brand Feed little and often. It is really a simple matter to tell, after a very brief experience. whether you are giving enough, too much, or too little at a time. Underfed chickens will naturally look a trifle pinched and peaky, while handling one here and there, just prior to feeding, will reveal what quantity of food there is still in the crop, which, by the way, should generally be not less than one-third full at such a time. Over-fed chicks are, of course, lazy, disinclined to emerge from the warm compartment, and leave some of their food until the next round When such a case of things is noticed withhold one meal altogether, and cut down rations accordingly thereafter. Fine grit should always be iu front of the chicks. Cleanliness is also

another important item, but is purely a personal matter. SICKLY CHICKENS A sickly chicken is, as a rule, not worth the saving. If all chickens were marked that have ailed it would be found that nearly 100 per cent, of them die off before reaching the adult stage. It happens, however, sometimes that a whole brood gets upset through eating something that disagreed with them. In such a case it is often quite enough to give each chick a dose of olive oil. This is best administered by means of a clean, ordinary fountain pen filler. The oil should be taken into the tube, the chicks’ mouths gently opened, the point of the filler carefully poked a little way down the gullet, and the blub slowly squeezed until all the oil has been assimilated. When the whole lot of the youngsters seems to be moping, and it is too tedious to treat them all as above, much the same effect will be served by dissolving an ounce packet of Epsom salts in two gallons of water and filling the drinkers with the mixture. If there should be signs that diarrhoea is becoming prevalent, place a few drops of chlorodyne in the drinking water and withhold all soft food for a few days, while, should you notice any chicks at any time running about very dirty at the vent they are best put out of the way at once, unless the mass of clotted droppings can very easily be removed. See the chickens are not suffering from lice and other such vermin. If so, du3t gently with a good insect powder, but do not overdo it. In a large brood (a dozen or more) there Is usually one under-sized specimen, which can be brought on better by removing him from his fellows and putting him in with a younger brood not so numerous, if there happens to be such with a motherly hen in charge. If of a different colour fiom the ones she is already brooding it will not be much use trying it, as she will be certain to kill it. A hen may not have a head for numbers, but she usually has an eye for colour. There is no reason, however, why your chickens should be iu any way but the best of health and condition if you manage them on commonsense lines such as have been indicated. Of course, deformities such as sometimes hatch out in incubators, with crooked feet, crossed beaks, hump backs, etc., should be given the happy dispatch forthwith. Overcrowding must be strictly guarded against; in a brooder made for fifty chickens not more than half that number should be kept after they are three weeks old.