POULTRY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 77, 3 April 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES.

Fattening Poultry,—An excellent plan ia fco place them in fattening houses constructed specially for the purpose. Each house may be made to contain from ten to twenty fowls, and should be warm and airy, with raised earth floors, covered with a layer of gravel Btrewn slightly wifch straw. The houae musb be kepb perfecbly clean. Several troughs for food and water Bhould be placed in the house, ao thab each bird may bave easy access to them. For fattening fowls, the use of a perch is contrary to the usual practice ; bub ib may be allowed during the firsb portion of the time. For this purpose, a few perches may be placed in bhe house, bub they will nob be required for long, for as soon as fche fowls begin to fatten from feeding, they will prefer to roost in tho straw. By this method fowls may be fattened to os high a degree, and their flesh will be as delicate, as if they were fattened in a farmyard. Making Fowls Pay.—Why should we expecb poultry bo pay when they geb poor keeping and no provision is made for thoir comfort, any more than we would expect the beeb results from horses, cowa or sheep under like conditions ? While all fowls maybe made to pay woll wibh good caro, the pure breeds or their crosses, where judiciously selected and fed according to the requirements, will give the besb results ; tha heavier breeds, such as the Brahmas, Cochins and-Plymouth Rocka are boo often over fed ; bheir quieb disposibion giveß them a tendency bo lay on fab too readily when fed all they will eat, and care should be taken to avoid bhia. The lighter breeds may, with impunity, be fed aa much as thay will cab up clean. Aside from a constant supply of gravel, ground oyster sheila, etc., we all know, or ougbb to know, the value of green food for poultry bhe year round. Under bhis head may be named potatoes, cabbage, onions, turnips, hoeta, »ic. Faw know whab an excellent winter food is the mangel wurzel. . One greab point in favour of artificially hatching chickens ia thab they rarely have an maect tfpon tbem. Thia helps to reduce the lose by death, and aida in bringing them ud strong and healthy. Tho ordinary nesb ia so often foul wibh parasites thab tho chicka havo bub libtle chance to get a start in the world. . . The lime phosphate in bone yields all the necessary lime sales tor the egg shell, and the neceaiary phosphates for the interior of the ecg These substances are found in an osDecially digestible condition, more so than in food supplied from dry meat, corn or wheat; and is it any wonder we hear so much about, the advantage of feeding this new food to poultry? On fcho farm io is often a question how beat to dispose of .our and curdled mi.k, and there in sometimea a surplus cf sweet milk and buttermilk. This generally goes to the piga, if the calves are out on pasture. But why not give it fco fche poultry. Ib contains much nutriment, ana th.a in varied forms is whab our poultry need. Sour milk may be detrimental to young chicks, bub \_ certainly will not hurt the adult fowl. lblffowUhave their natural freedom and all ho green food they will eat, fchey w.l never injure themselves by the quantity of food tS consume, so long as bhab food is of the right kind.