POULTRY-KEEPING.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1921, Page 5

POULTRY-KEEPING.

AN INSTRUCTOR’S ADVIOE. The subject of “Breeding, rearing and hatching” ‘was dealt with by Mr. E. C. Jarrett (Government poultry instructor)' in an address given at the Soldiers’ Club laet night. Mr. Walter Scott (president of the Taranaki Egg Circle) presided over a good attendance. Speaking from observations made in« this travels round the district, Mr. JarI rett urged poultrymen particularly • to look after the layers, the birds that; j were producing the eggs. Thia was j busy time of the year, and the «tten* 1 tion necessary to chick-rearing might re-< i suit in the others being overlooked. * the present period, too, plenty of littea should be put in the houses; neats] should be made up with good straw, ancE| j attention to this detail prevented egg-j j eating, which was apt to be pnmdeatt j about now. Particular i should be paid to broody bens, and in ■ order to avoid loss in egg produetimi, i the hen should be thrown off this etaflte ' right away, if she was not needed for. ! brooding. It was important to keepj I out parasites, and poultry-keepers, in- ■ stead of waiting till troubled with thitfj I pest, should use washes as a preventive. Petroleum was very effective for this-' purpose. He was an advocate of housing fowls in the winter time for egg production, and some people in the dfetriot followed this practice. Floeka which had been housed, however, should be turned out on to green runs as soon as the weather took up.

Breeding, hatching, and rearing was one of the most difficult problems, andone which required really practical experience. Two years was probably tha age of the fowls for real utility purposes,. ’ and the flock had to be replaced every' 1 year to the extent of about one-thirdf i to one-half, in order to keep the producI tion going As the average number oF ' cockerels was about fifty per cent., vhq I breeder had to make allowance by rear--mg double the number of chicks, and should also have a few over in to this, to provide for culls. As many ehicks as possible should be got out dur-* ing .September ns it was about the best' month. Grain, such as wheat and oats, would be found the beat diet for thoi breeding fowls, with plenty of green' stuff.