POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1926, Page 10

POULTRY YARD

By

G. H. Ambler

ADVANTAGES OF SHELTER. PROTECTION FOR YOUNG STOCK. It is inviting trouble to fail to provide shade and shelter for growing stock, especially when the stock is hatched late. Too few poultrymen provide the necessary shade, trees, and live hedges on their plants, and half the failures of late-hatched stock to do any good are because the young, growing things have not the protection from the heat of the sun and from other extremes of weather that they .should have at such a time. Just as winter eggproduction is greatly stimulated —indeed, is only made profitable—by providing summer conditions as far as possible in the winter season, so the conditions of spring must be copied as far as is leasable for the late-hatched bird. The winter layer must have the deep, open-fronted house, the absolutely dry floor, and as much sunlight as possible —it even being demonstrated that lengthening the day by means of artifieal light is a further encouragement to egg-production—and the late-hatched chicken must have an abundance of shade, cold water, and ample green food if she is to make up for the disadvantage placed upon her of being hatched at such a time of the year. Again, apart from the question of shade, late-hatched chickens are frequently handicapped by being reared on stale ground. There is nothing worse for young stock than this. Every effort should be made to reserve fresh ground and grass for late ones, and, of course, this should be in the most shady part of the property. No chicken should ever be reared on stale grass; to do so is to handicap it from the jump.' It all comes back to the position that cleanliness is the secret of success in poultry-keepiag. The dean incubator, the clean brooder, the clean run, the clean grass, the clean water, the clean Bleeping quarters as they get older are all primary essentials to sound and vigourous development. Treat the chickens as you would treat yourself. The man who really loves poultry will naturally attend to these things, .but he is apt to grow careless at imes, and must be reminded of these simple essentials. LEG WEAKNESS. Leg weakness in a trouble that I usually attacks chickens at any age , when they begin to look after them- I selves. The affected chick first begins to "wobble'’ when running, then probably staggers ,about with his claws ! twisted, up and finally totters round mainly on his hooks. 1 use the masculine pronoun because : the weakness is seldom found in pullet : chicks. Should only one, or even two, of the flock be affected in this way, it is pro- I bably nothing more than an individual ■ weakness, a mere out-growing of ’ strength; but when more than this number goes down (literally) one or other of the predisposing causes may be suspected—a very inbred strain, a constitutional weakness, too great * length of limb, or a general tendency to rheumatism owing to continued bad weather and very unsuitable conditions, the last-named cause being the most unlikely. THE TREATMENT. The first thing to be done Is to see that th© housing in clean and dry. Douglas Mixture is a very good' iron

.tonic to be mixed in with the drinking i water. If heating and fattening food© I are omitted from the menu for a while I this is all that can be done in the way !of protecting the remaining healthy I chicks. Those actually affected should be brought indoors, housed warmly, and, after being starved at a couple of their usual meal-times, given a liberal feed (and drinkl on the above lines. Three times a day camphorated oil should be well rubbed in all up the legs with the hand, and the limbs exercised by working them backwards and forwards. Any chicks that do not show decided improvement after a week or 10 days of this treatment may as well be “necked” forthwith, for they will never do much good. j Of such deadly maladies as enteritis j and fowl cholera, space will not permit jof my writing. Luckily, they are not at all common, and sinee it is practically impossible to check an outbreak once started save by inoculation of the remaining healthy birds, the beginner is advised, should he have reason to believe either is breaking out in his yard, to call in the services of a bacteriologist. If you have any old hens you want to clear, move them out before the very hot weather. These should go as soon as possible they will not have lost much flesh from laying, and they do not look ragged in plumage. A good pries is now being offered for poultry, therefore, sell off all surplus stock; it will I keep down expense and provide a better chance of making profit. HAVE YOUR FOWLS INSECTS? Every care must to taken to prevent insects in poultry houses, on perches, on broody hens, and chickens of all ages, during this month. I wonder how many of my readers catch their fowls once a month, and turn up the feathers to see if they have i any insects —I know some people do—but there are certainly people who think fowls have them, while others never trouble themselves to examine a bird properly to see whether it is covered with various kinds of insects or is free from these pests. As we are now expecting hot weather, it is well to look I out for these pests, and I advise everyone to catch their fowls, hold their heads downwards, gripping the body between the two knees, and separating the feathers around the abdomen; then, if a fowl has insects at all, they will be located around this particular spot. Insect powder should, of course, be dusted next to the skin. I have actually seen people scattering powder on the top of the feathers, but in all cases it is necessary to open up the feathers, so that the insect powder goes next to and on to the flesh.

Under a fowl’s wings, on the thighs, and under the neck hackle, are other haunts for insects, which are usually found there during the warmer weather. If, in examining a bird, around the abdomen, one finds clusters of white growths attached to th© feathers near the skin these should be carefully pulled out and burped, as they are the eggs laid and deposited by the insects, and, during the hot months, will hatch in thousands. These live on the blood of th© fowl, and spread to every crevice in the poultry house. Some people are v.nder the impression that fowl’s insects will get on and worry people, but this is not so, and even if the house is infested with insects one may get them on the hand, but they w’ill not live long on a human body. This has been proved over and over again, and I have heard people say 'that they were afraid of having insects in their gardens in ease they got on their children and tiiemselh-es

come overcrowded and th© rcsalting blooms ar© unsatisfactory. Sweet peae should bo kept fastened to their supports. Remove all spent blooms at once before they have time to form seed. At the first sign of mildew, spray the plants with lime sulphur or sulphide of potassium. Th© spray spoils existing blooms, but if done early will save the plants. CHESHUNT COMPOUND. Seedlings of annuals of all kinds may still be planted. All vacant corners should be filled up with summer-flower-ing annuals to keep the garden gay. Asters should be planted now. These are indispensable for autumn-flowering, And are general favourites both for garden display and for house decoration. Tn some gardens these plants are very subject to the disease known as collar rot, the plants suddenly wilting off at the ground level. To obviate this trouble the ground, before planting, should be treated with Cheshunt Compound, and the plants watered with the same at intervals during growth. This preparation will not cure plants already affected, but will destroy any organisms there may be in the soil. Cheshunt Compound is made as follows: 3 ounces of bluestone (copper sul-j phate) and 11 ounces of ammoniumcarbonate, powdered and well-mixed together. Place in a screw-topped jar or other airtight container, and allow to stand for at least tweny-four hours. One ounce of. the mixture should be used to th© gallon of water. This compound is claimed to destroy the organisms which cause the damping off of asters, sweet sultans, aiitirilhinums stocks, etc. The chemicals are apt to corrode any metal container, so it is better to use a glass or earthen ware jar, and the watering can should be washed out after use.

Planting out annuals during dry weather is apt to be attended by many casualties imless the plants are shaded. The best method to adopt during dry spells is to puddle th© plants in. This is done by making the hales with a trowel and filling with water, inserting -the plants in the resulting puddle. This will give the young plant all the moisture required until they have taken hold. Frequently during very dry spells it is noticed that plants droop, even established plants. This is not a sign of lack of moisture, but is caused through there being a greater amount of evaporation from th© leaves than can be drawn up by the roots. The remedy is to shade the plants.

LIQUID MANURING

For all growing crops of vegetables as well as for flowers when they commence to throw up flowering spikes, the judicious use of liquid manure is invaluable. This may be made by placing half a benzine tinful of horse or cow manure in a piece or scrim and immersing it in a barrel of water. Should the bag refuse to sink, insert half a brick with th© Manure. The solution should be diluted to the colour of weak tea.

Soot water is made in the same way, and is also a valuable manurial agent intensifying the colour of flowers as well as improving the growth. Liquid manure should not be applied to newly-planted subjects; always wait until the roots have become active before giving it and never apply to the plants while th© ground is dry. As far as possible the manure should be kept off the foliage, but where this is impossible the plants should be watered with clean water after the application. Liquid manuring is better done at frequent intervals, say every two weeks, with a weak solution rather than at longer periods with a strong dose. —“Practical” in Wellington Post.