POULTRY KEEPING

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21534, 25 July 1935, Page 8

POULTRY KEEPING

PIGEONS,- CANARIES, AND CAGE BIRDS NOTES (By Advance.) By reports received, the sexing of chicks is going to be taken on very extensively and should prove of great benefit to poultry farmers. The class for learners is being well attended. The mating of pigeons and budgerigars is taking place now, tind providing they are in warm and comfortable quarters, they are quite safe to rear their young, and one must always remember it is the earliest youngsters, once Ihey arc reared, lhat thrive tmd "row the best. In fact, they are no trouble at all, and always appear to have the strongest constitution, whereas later youngsters may appear to do better in the nest with the warmer weather, but are more apt to take up any disease that is going about and do not thrivo the same. Artificial Incubation As this is the time to be putting down incubators, the following ere few points that will help in a successful hatching:—Use a lever on your machine to test and prove that it is perfectly level and firm everywhere. Have one of the thermometers tested, so as to know that the heat It registers is cither correct or whether it registers high or low. After you havcone tested you can test the rest yourself against it. If using kerosene for heat, put st new wick in for each hatch. See that the thermostat or capsule is in perfect working order. You can test this by holding a lighted match under it and moving it round Blowly for a few seconds. If it atarts to expand quickly you will know it is in good order. If it remains stationary, U is no use. See that the connecting rod or wire is perfectly straight, end free from rust, and that the regulating rod works freely and answers correctly to the slightest variation in heat. Looking Over Breeders

Having removed the culls from the flock lor your breeders, always remember that you should keep as close to the Standard of excellence as possible. Male: Good headpiece, not too large a comb, bright face, and smooth, with a good, bold eye standing well out from the head, big, stout beak, good, broad back and shoulders, b?ck being of medium length, with good depth of body, and tail carried at a good angle from 45 to 50 degrees. The legs should be powerful and well apart. A good sign to' look for is plenty of red colour mixed with yellow, in the case of Leghorns, down to the legs and between the toes.

I Female: Do not have too big a, hen, : or, on the other- hand, one too small. I Take the happy medium, .because it is the average-sized hen that is the i worker. From 4 to 4slb is a good j weight for a breeder. Small bead, good comb, nice and soft In texture, big, bold, protruding eye, stout beak, fine neck, deep body, with plenty of length between neck and tail, and body wedge-shaped, with wings nicely tucked up and tight in feather. Management of Breeders After picking the breeders, the next important matter is the way you care for them, and t>;o food you give them. First, you should not try to get a lot of eggs from them and you should feed for quality of eggs in place of quantity. Wherever possible, it is desirable to give the breeders free range where they will have access to plenty of green food, as this is most important for a healthy chick. Feed on j plenty of good, hard grain, consisting of wheat, oats, »nd maize, very little mash, and no forcing food.