THE FARM,

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 164, 11 July 1906, Page 11

THE FARM,

WRAK-SHELCED EGGS.

Weak-ahelled eggs are very trouhla- j some, particularly if they are desired for hatching. Some eggs are very thin at the sharp end, others have such a thin shell all over that the least extra pressure breaks it, and some eggs are laid without any shell at aIL These are a bad lot, and often entice the hen to eas. the eggs and become one of the greatest nuisances in the poultry yard. When eggs are laid without shells it is clearly indicated matters are not going on right internally. It should be found out which hen lays these egg 3, then isolate her, feed on soft food only for a week, and on every alternate day give nearly a teaspoonful of Epsom salts. Thinshelled eggs need not always be taken as suggesting disorder, as the general cause is a want of lime to form the shell. Fowls in confinement lay more weakshelled eggs than those afield, as the latter can always find shell-forming ma terials, but the former have to depend on what is given them, and if this is deficient then thin shells follow. It will be noticed that manufacturers of noted poultry meals include oyster shell in their mixtures. Some say, "Why should we pay for this; it is only put in to make up weight V That is not so, and such shell plays as important a part as the actual meal in assuring firm-shelled eggs, which are so desirable. Ashes are often thrown to fowls. They eat some, too, but they are not great in shell-forming. More lime is needed, and wherever thin shelled eggs occur get some old lime rubbish and put it down for there JPounded fish shells, particularly those of the oyster, are excellent egg-shell formers, and they are always obtainable at the fish shops at a cheap rate. Lime in some form or other is as of as much imnortanee as any of their foods. It will be understood that when hens are laying four or five eggs a week, there must be a great call for shellforming material, and it is at this season that it is in greatest request by the fowls. We are all familiar with having eggs broken in the nest by the sitting hen in process of incubating. Nothing is more upsetting, and all eggs should be closely looked to before setting, with the object of rejecting those with weak shells. Breakages by post and rail. too. are often traceable to the weak shells, and it is quite evident that a firm shell is a prominent requirement in a perfect egg. DISINFECTING POULTRY RUNS. Poultry suffer more from tainted surroundings than any other kind of stock on the farm, and the majority of the diseases that interfere with them can be traced to this cause. Poultry are generally the most healthy in the summer season. It is said that dryness and warmth suit them better than winter conditions, but dry weather disinfectant, and I attribute their better health in summer to this as much a* anything else. Some delicate breeds will not succeed, on heavy soils, because of the stagnation, and we hear often and often of fowls failing owing to the srround" being tainted. Tt implies a drooping state and unproductiveness. It is experienced with the small poultry keepers and their confined runs, but oddly enough it is almost as common on many farms where the runs are practically unlimited in extent, but such runs are not preventive. as it is the coming home to roost in the very centre of the most tainted area that plays sad havoc with them, and' places them on a level with the suburban fowl. Tonics and physics are advised as remedies, but none are half so satisfactory as preventive measures. It is these I depend on and urge, and wherever fowls are listless and lay indifferently, let their immediate surroundings be subjected to purifiers. This works wonders, and well it may, considering the craving of poultry for sweet surfaces. One of the best that can be used is fresh lime. Ii a thin layer of this is put on the run floor in the bottom of the nests, and over the surface of the ground which the fowls use most, the transformation will be great. It is inexpensive, and should be far more used than it is. No one need have polluted runs for their poultry if a practice were made of giving a dressing of lime twice a year, spring ana autumn, and the compensation in condition and eggs would be most gratifying. It is imperative that the lime be fresh. Do not throw a shovelful here and there, but distribute it" evenly. Dry ashes are a good deodoriser, but not a Listing disinfectant like the lime. Distributing liquid or powder disinfectants only give temporary effects, but the lime lasts and acts for long, and after a few dressings the surface becomes so impregnated with it that it becomes permanently healthy. It is truly invaluable on stale runs.—A Farmer's Wife.