POULTRY INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 October 1939, Page 3

POULTRY INDUSTRY

CULLING OF PULLETS. SOME USEFUL HINTS. It is not possible to determine the laying capacity of young, immature pullets, but it is a very poor type of young bird which would not justify her keep for at least one season. The normal maturing pullet will commence to lay at from five to- seven months of age, according to breed, treatment, and the month in which it was hatched. In most flocks there is some variation, and a number do not turn out to be as good as the others, and under the best of conditions there are always a few backward ones that take considerably longer to mature. It is inevitable that a small percentage—usually about 5 per cent—of even wellreared stock will be obviously unthrifty or unsatisfactory, and these are not worth persevering with in the hope that they may turn into good layers. When the production from first-sea-son stock is not satisfactory, a checkup should be made on general management as well as. on the stock used to breed them. Many consider that heavy feeding will cause the birds to become overfat, and that they will not lay satisfactorily if given their full requirements. To give just as much as the birds can eat at each meal is the first lesson in the management of layers. The next is to ensure that the ration is palatable and suitably balanced. A good layer is essentially a heavy consumer, and to restrict the ration in order that the weight, of a few excessively fat culls may be reduced is to court disaster. It is a common experience that in cases where the birds are not given their full requirements the best layers are the first to cease laying. This rather peculiar result may be explained by the fact that the consistent laying fowl has not the reserve of a coarse or fat specimen to withstand any short rationing of food.

WHEN PARALYSIS OCCURS. WHAT TO DO. As yet the poultry scientists have failed to agree on what is the real cause of fowl paralysis; as yet there is no cure. What is the poultrykeeper to do should an outbreak of this serious complaint occur? It is fairly well established that the virus of fowl paralysis is found in certain strains of birds. Because there is no cure there is nothing we can do to clear these strains of the disease. Obviously, then,'if our farm is to be free of the disease we must get rid of birds of these infected strains. Put in another way, the virus seems to remain and be bred into blood lines. We know a farm which lost 242 White Wyandottes from fowl paralysis in one year, and yet Rhodes kept on the same farm and reared on the same ground showed no losses from this disease. From this information we can therefore plan out a means of getting rid of the disease. It is first of all necessary to find out which of our breeds or varieties have lost birds. We then find out of what strains these/ birds consist or from what breeders they were bought. When you look into the matter you will be surprised how the disease keeps in these strains. Having discovered the infected blood lines, make all precautions to keep the living birds by themselves and away from the houses and ground of birds of healthy blood lines. The birds of these infected lines should be collected together and put into a laying house by themselves.

We do nut know for certain yet whether the disease is contagious or infectious, but it is best to be on the safe side. The birds of the infected strains are then kept under careful observation. As soon as a bird is seen to be showing symptoms, it should be killed and burnt. It should not be left on to linger in the hospital pen. There is no need to get rid of the healthy birds because they are still in profit, but it is absolutely essential' to leg-band all birds of the infected strain so that none of them, either male or female, shall ever be used for breeding. Of course, no more birds will be bought either direct from the breeder of from-other breeders who have the original breeder’s infected strains. This is an important point to bear in mind. In no case is it safe to try a further lot of birds of the same blood lines. Houses which have contained infected birds should be thoroughly well cleaned and swabbed out with a powerful disinfectant. Runs should be heavily limed, and, if possible, be left vacant for a period of 12 months. THE POULTRY HOUSE. CERTAIN POINTS NECESSARY. It is generally agreed that certain points are necessary if the house is to be suitable for fowls. In the first place it is essential that it should be constructed of sufficiently stout material to stand a considerable amount of wear and tear and to prevent the wet penetrating to the interior. Ventilation must, of course, be good, and there must also be freedom from draughts if the birds are to keep free from colds. Plenty of light is another point often rieglected. and the house must be of such a height at its lowest point—the back of the house in the case of the lean-to type —that there is a failamount of room above the heads of the birds when they are on the perches. There should be a minimum amount of space for each bird, and the floor must be of a suitable character. The actual type of house can, to some extent, depend upon the individual fancy of the person concerned, on the situation, the purpose for which it is intended, whether it is to be a portable one, and to be used as a scratching shed in addition. Whether it is to be a span, three-quarter span, or a lean-to does not matter so much so long as the points mentioned above are kept in mind. DAY OF SEXED CHICKEN. THE COCKEREL PROBLEM. This is the day of the sexed chicken, and a good many of the best cockerels are discarded. Unless you have a really good stud of any breed, the

question of the cockerel is serious from a breeding point. You cannot be certain of cockerel until it is full grown. It costs a lot of money to breed good cockerels. By this is not meant just retaining 30 or 40 and finally retaining all but the absolute culls. Breed and rear a thousand and you may find 120 worthy of putting aside, and from which you may find 20 or 30 as good as -you can breed. Unless these are from a rigidly selected flock you may have a further test in hand next year in a progeny test. As long as poultrymen fail in the proper methods of culling, rearing, selection, and breeding, so long will they find that they do not get results. No system is any good in the world without rigid culling and the close mating that is found in Nature. The male bird is still a K most important element in success. Breeding pedigrees are not worth paper unless they are true and are found on fact, not carelessness.