POULTRY KEEPING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 23 June 1923, Page 20

POULTRY KEEPING.

(By It. J. TERIIY.) TO CORRESPONDENTS. J.C. has n White Leghorn pullet which is believed to be eBK-bound, hits not talien nuy food for several diiys and looks sick. tlnfortunntely this article is written, and this portion of the paper rocs to press some few days before you receive It, but for your future guidance, a lieu or a pullet which is esg-bouml walks with 1 lie abdomen nearly touching the ground, thfl legs wide apart, and the tail drooping. There is more or less frequent straintni?. In very mild cases an aperient will lv-!;>. If the bird Is a valuable one try the following:—Steam the vent over a UK of hot water, aud if this has no effect, oil the flniter and insert into the passage, using plenty of oil. If this does not bring about tho desired result more drastic measures must lie taken, on tho linger, insert into egs-pass'ifv , , und, having made certain Unit you can feel the egg shell (don't make a mistake, and with your linger in the intestine feel the ens tlironirli tho wall of tin- same) slip a packing needle or some similar instrument upwards along The flnu'or, and scratch the shell of the cgu. If you can pierce the shell the strength of the shell is ttroken, and it will, in most cases, collapse and pass away. AMATKUIt changed a Black Orpington rooster with another breeder. Arter two days the bird refused Its food. Just stood in a corner .with his head drawn into the breast—the next day the comb started to go black, and then tho whole of the head became a dark purple. Tho bird died. In the meantime one of the pullets commenced to show slmllur symptoms, but this was killed to prevent the contagion, if any, spreading. The excreta was loose mid yellow. My curies jiondent did quite right in killing oIT ■ lio second bird. The birds were evidently suffering from contagious enteritis, which disease is spread through germs In the dropplugs of the bird. If you hay iy further trouble write mc fit once, an 1 I will send you some!hill).' which will prevent the disease spreading. P.P. has three Black Orpington pullets, two frequently lay soft-shelled eggs, and the other one. v thick-shelled ecg, lint it is frequently double-yolk >d. The birds have plenty of grit. Tho feeding is at fault, being of a too fattening nature. A yolk is largely composed of fat or oil. Yolks develop too rapidly, ami when a yolk is ripe or developed It dr.ins olf Into the cup-shaped top of ttie oviduct, which would unduly stimulate th- oviduct and the egg further down is expelled before it has been properly coated with the shell-forming material. I would advise practically starving the birds for a few days, just Klvlnj; them water and green stuff, so that the laying Is checked. It would probably recommence c]iiite normal. HANOATACA has a number of White Leghorn pullets, some of whli h started to lay fairly well, but they have liuw practically ceased, and my correspondent Is incllnoi to think that the trouble Is due to llco or mites, as the birds arc alwn.va picking .'nemselves, especially at time. The matter can easily ; c settle!. If tho birds have lice they will easily he seen on the bodies of the birds, especially under the tail and on the abdomen. Give them a dust bath in which there is a handful of lime aud some powdered sulphur. It is very seldom that lice prevent birds laylnc if the fowls have, access to a dust bath. Mites area more ditllcult matter, und they will if in sufficient numbers not only prevent laying but cause the death of the birds. They are on the birds only at nisiht. ami hide In Uie crevices of the wood work during the day time. You will see near the crevices a greyish powder or specks. If you can do so, remove the present perches aud replace them by fresh ones. Do this during the midday. If tho new porches touch nnv portion of the building or wood work thoroughly grease the portion in contact. Spray the house with a. good sheep dip, one, which contains arsenic is best. WHY DOES A FOWL LAY? Well, I am going to admit that I cannot myself answer the question as thoroughly as I would like to do. Tho more one goes into research work as regards egg production the more one is impressed with the wonderful provision of Nature, especially in the .direction of

■that which secins Nature's outstanding law regarding production. Man lias improved upon Nature with the modern dairy cow, but the improvement is as nothing to what has been done with the modern laying hen. Yet with all our success and research work, ono only realises how little we really know. • k About a week ago there appeared in the "Star" the remarks of a gentleman who was present at a meeting of farmers who were at the time discussing the advisability of paying for the destruction of certain wild birde' egg:*. This gentleman mentioned that he had paid some attention to the habits of those birds when nesting, and that a blackbird, in the ordinary way, laid five eggs in a nest, and then sat upon the eggs, but if you remove the eggs the bird would lay a further number of eggs, and by removing the eggs he had known a blackbird to lay 23 eggs before sitting. It is well known to those who keep game birds, such as pheasants, in captivity, that the number of eggs laid is greatly increased above what would be the case if the bird were in its wild state and under natural conditions. A pheasant will seldom lay more than 17 eggs in its wild state . yet if it is penned and the eggs removed daily it will lay GO or more. But a very striking illustration of ibis trait is the common muttonbird. Whilst I was an I oflicer of the Tasmanian Government I was deputed to inquire into the muttonbird industry and its value to the natives on tlio islands in Bass Strait. The muttonbird makes a burrow of about .15 or IS inches deep, and there is never •more than one egg in a burrow. The bird, during each season, lays only the one egsr, that is when she is allowed to sit. and hatch it out; but it you remove that epg she will lay another one. Remove the second egg and a third is laid. Now, just think of the wonderful provision of Nature. The bird lays an egg. and then it is twelve months before it lavs another one, but by simply stealing that cjrjr the bird is induced to produce another, egg in a few days Steal that one and there is still another. Say three years' egg production is accomplished in two weeks. Xow 1 have not. brought these facts under my readers' notice without a reason. It must be apparent that surrounding circumstances have a j;reat effect for or against egg production. Tt is a. question which the more thinking class of poultry-keepers might witli profit study and discuss—there is a big field of research work in this direction. INCUBATOR VERSUS HEN. Hatching season will shortly be starting, and poultry-keepers, especially beginners, should think out their plans lor the future. It is a puzzle to a great many to know whether to hatch with incubators or hens. It is a question somewhat .difficult for mc to advise on where the advice has to be giien to numbers of breeders, t lie surrounding conditions and requirements varying to such an c.-cteiit as they do. But, briefly, if you are hatching not more than JoO chicks, and your poultry consists of the heavier breeds, then use hens. I will go into the subject more fully later. If, on the other hand, a larger number of chicks is required, and your fowls are of the light or non-sitting varieties, then an incubator, or incubators, are absolutely essential. The chicks are raised at less cost and can more easily be raised free from vermin. I will deal with both sides of the question more fully in subsequent articles.