POULTRY NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10609, 16 April 1912, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

(By Utilitarian.)

i A very useful, and handy, simple contrivance for catching fouls may be I quickly made out- of a round piece oi l/thin iron, a piece of wire netting and 1 tx, long .stick for a handle. The'implej men-t is used after the .fashion of a butterfly aiet, and saves a -wonderful [amount of running about. The handle can be made up ,to six feet long ; even one four tfeet long is very useful, and is <not too -clumsy to he utilised inside a fowl house. The iron, forming the (framework, /should he from 12 to 14 inches in diameter, kind the netting (of ordinary two .inch mesh, unless it as desired to use it for catching chickens, when it would need to he finer), should he fastened round the iron hoop, leaving a slight sag in the centre. -When making the iron hoqp, which should be of quarter-inch stuff allowance is nece£isary"so that the two ends can ibe brought together and inserted into the hlandle. Ordinary fencing wire would on an emergency answer, the purpose, ibut would soon get ihent out erf ishape. Anyone wishing to see one should ask, on his next visit ito the Utility Poultry Farm* to he allowed to examine its virtues for himself.

Moulting Dusks.— This is a particular grievance with .many, especially amongst beginners. Tihey cannot understand the frequency with which this occurs, and are apt to rush to all sorts of extreme measures which, gen- ' erally result in another moult. February and March are the normal moulting months for adult ducks, but . it is not at all uncomnion for them to (gfo straight in to a second and even , occasionally & third moult. Various are the causes, and they cannot always he obviated. Fright is a very common reason, amongst others. • It imay ibe a strange dog or cat wandering through tli© pens', disturbing the (birds at nigh£, or changing them from one pen to another, unless this is done very gradually; or, again, changing the food, one of the most common causes of- all. Again, should it be necessary afc any time to go amongst rtQiem to catch .some, that will sometimes put tthem right off laying, and even into a moult. Any that the owner wishes to sell Should, as far as possible, he kept in" a pen'hy 'themselves, •and- iibis v lrill-:''is4ve ; the rest. ''.' '■' -'

. It should; always Jb& 'borne in mind ,/tfoat ducks, especially Indian Runn'ers, are extremely nervous, and re- ! quire the (greatest patience and quietj ness in caring (for ulieon. It is a. very aggravating manner, just when you think, you have your flock of ducks coming on nicety to I'ay at this, time of itihe year, to find them-again moultJ ing, folius miss'ing .the higdi water mark :of goad price© ; but experience, right time of hatching, and judicious mau- ! agement, are the only Presses for ftlie (future. . j It is some years since .the writer r.ejnembers eggs rising eo steadily in ' price as ithey have done during the [tOast few.weeks'; gencralJy .there .is a I tiremendous fluctuation, rcedng perhaps fourponce per dozen in one week anil dropping hack perhaps fivepenee tor.more the next week ,and itihen another jump up again a few pence the following week. Eggs were quoted in j WeWington last "Wednesday, the 10th J inst., at Is lOd per dozen, and pre'served at Is 4d.

J It is during tlie period of cemparative3y higih prices itibat poultrymen are ;. iskimeifcLnies told they are making a ; (fortune out cf their eggs, but these • iharrackens -appear to .forget that the p©urbry.m>aai is gathering but a ismall ' prbporticai just now, and (moreover, ike hiaia to get a fair margin to .jibe I good SDmeftianes, especially just after Itlie enormous expense of rearing all Ms pullets for six inontßw.x>r .more.'

i There are various ki»d£ of rings on the markets for jblio <rf marking .birds ■with; but for «i canall :number of fowls I con.siderrthe. 7 spiral celluloid hold-their own 1 well; iTbey are estremdy easy and simple to ir^©.»n ; ibeing made in ' different/iooloiirs is uof the : least '< of their good qualities.