POULTRY KEEPING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 136, 10 June 1932, Page 13

POULTRY KEEPING.

SEASONAL ADVICE. POINTS FOR BEGINNERS. THE COCCEDIOSIS SCOURGE. (By ORPINGTON.) Your pullets should now be laying well, though the older hens will etill be in the moult. If you are averaging eight eggs per bird per month for the whole flock, you will be vip to standard. Keep records and know; your flock Juno is a good month to take stock of all birds in the rim. Ring all this last season's pullcte, else in a month or two you will not be able to tell them from older hens. If you are short of greenstuff, try sprouting oats, and feeding them when the ehoots are two to three inches high Tho fowls love the tender root and leaf ehoots. Isolate any birds with colds, else roup may develop and cause havoc with egg production. Overhaul your incubators, brooders, and chicken coops. Feed milk in eonie forni to your fowls. Curds, buttermilk, dried buttermilk, or whey paste are ideal. A little cod liver oil for your breeders will improve the hatchability of their eggs this coming spring. Hatch Early. Hatch early rather than late. Make your plans now as to how many pullets you will require this season. If you arc buying day-old chicks place your order soon, so as to get them on the most suitable date. Make sure the floors of your fowl houses are quit© dry. A damp floor causes colds, breeds disease germs, and smells foully. Pack your eggs ae soon as they are collected. On froety nights they will sweat and become discoloured unless cleaned at once. • If you want early broodies feed plenty of fat-forming foods, such ae maize and barley, and leave a dozen china eggs in tho nest box. Tho early layer is usually the early broody.

Attend to Breeding Males. Give the breeding males extra attention. Examine for body lice, and dust around tho vent with insect powder. Remove long sharp spurs, and with light breeds, dub those large ficehy combs. Does your poultry yard need more natural shelter? If 60, get the ground ready now for hedge plants and fruit trees. Bo careful where you put your poultry manure; it is full of disease gernie ami should not be left about the runs. Use it in the garden, and keep it dry until wanted. Lime all yards now to sweeter, the soil. If you are a complete novice, but very interested, make a small start, and only increase your flock as your knowledge grows. Try and get acquainted with an experienced poultryman in your district and follow his advice. ■ If you find it inconvenient to have to get up early and mix a "wet" morning maeh, try feeding dry mash in hoppers and giving the birds a light midday lunch of wet mash ae well. Never make anv sudden changes in your fowls' menu or'mahagement, especially at this time of the year. Cocci tylosis. This disease is known to cause heavy losses and lowered vitality among most chickens each year, and a warning now to breeders to try and provide fresh, virgin runs for their chicks this coming season is well warranted. It is not sufficient that' thu chicken runs be dug over, but if possible "round which has not had any poultry on it for at least 12 months should be used. The chick shede should be thoroughly cleaned out and covered with about four to six inches of fresh sand or soil. Boiling water is the beet means of cleansing any woodwork, as most disinfectants do * not destroy coccidiosis germe. Short grass rune are the best for chickens, and sheep or a lawn mower should bo kept going to keep the runs in good condition. Use plenty of burnt lime in the runs as it keeps the so ; l sweet and will help to destroy disease germs, worm eggs, etc.