POULTRY KEEPING FOE PEOFIT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21729, 11 March 1936, Page 8

POULTRY KEEPING FOE PEOFIT

I By "LEGHORN."] Answers to Correspondents A.S. (Waimate)—Egg-eating is a vicious habit, and once it is acquired by a hen it is no easy matter lo cure her. Unless the culprit is discovered early and removed from the company of others, there is considerable danger of the habit becoming general. £he habit is frequently acquired in the first instance in consequence of a bird producing eggs without shells or dropping an egg from the perch when roosting. In either case, the hen or hens will naturally investigate the character of the contents, and having once tasted an egg they develop the habit. If the poultryman always allows his fowls ... fcea access to a good, supply at

broken- oyster shell and fresh green food, although it will not of course prevent accidents, the free use of such food and material will largely prevent the predisposition of the birds to this or other vicious habits. An additional precaution consists in the provision of a good range and some incentive to constant activity. A busy hen is seldom vicious. Personally, I consider it pays to adopt drastic measures and if I can find the hen or hens responsible for the mischief, we have poultry on the menu. L. Walker (Christchurch)—From the description of your cock bird, he must be a good sire, and I would strongly advise that he be retained for a further season. Crossbred Poultry The table poultry farmer is an ardent believer in cros*sing breeds to .ensure quick growth and good for what one breed lacks he bolsters up with another variety, caring litti* K Hm birds |uce blacks, -wiiksi *T

brindles, as long as the flesh colour and carcase are what the trade want. The average egg farmer has a marked partiality, however, to purebreds. On fully 75 per cent, of our commercial farms we find this, while a few, especially country farmers, still rely on the cross. The country farmer generally likes two strings to his bow —his eggs and his table poultry—and does not specialise so much as the close-in man, who tries to get every egg he can. Crosses, on the appearance question, are rather an untidy-looking flock, for rarely do the markings come similar, and- the tidy uniformity is lost. I cannot agree that the crossing of some of our commercial strains is an improvement, but it does afford improvement in some cases, especially where the owner wants table birds as welt' as eggs. On the egg question the colour trouble often acts as a bar. The general trade call is for the brown egg or the white, and when we mate birds laying eggs of'these colours we often get a murky or undecided colour that lacks the colour/appeal; Many who nave the old Wyandotte on their farms have provided added egg : size by crossing with some of the lighter breeds, while many of the un-

duly broody heavies have been "weaned off" by a judicious introduction of the Leghorn. I have found that both the Leghorn-Orpington, or vice versa, cross very good layers, and average table birds. The introduction of game to improve table poultry is useful, while the Plymouth Rock is a well-liked table bird: A well-known fancier said the other day that this section of poultry breeding should not be overlooked, as many of the fastdisappearing breeds had excellent characteristics that might be introduced and sustained into our laying flocks. Commercially it seems that the Leghorn and Orpington will be the only two left in the game soon, and some of the good old breeds of yesterday will be only a fancier's hobby. One thing I do like crosses for is their robustness. They are invariably hardier than purebreds and well suited for hard districts where the more delicate purebreds fare badly. Trestles for Roosts Long trestles, similar to a carpenter's in type, but wide enough to go right across a roosting shed, are very handy and firm arrangements, avoiding thei movement which many owners dlslikei

in the hanging type of perches. The trestles,are easily removed for cleaning, floor repairs, or to other houses, and cam.be placed in the open for sunray cleaning, when the house is not in use. They are greatly used by owners who brood chicks in sheds and later use the same shed for adult birds. They are a good emergency type of equipment, and can be stored and stacked in a small space. The perches are secured by a bolt or wire pin in a bored hole, to allow removal for under-oiling. Grit Containers

Methods of supplying grit to poultry vary from placing .a bag in the run and slitting the side and allowing the birds to help themselves, to elaborate hoppers, as for masn or grain. Most birds have a habit of scratching grit about when it is too open, and I recently saw a very sensible method with a butter box as the container. The lid had been hinged for bulk supply, and the four sides of the box had circular holes cut out with a small saw, quite large enough for the birds' heads to be inserted and at a conveni-' ent height for eating, while allowing

pick the grit over, yet not scatter it round, and the owner said that he found it most economical and efficient.