POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21907, 7 October 1936, Page 3

POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

[By "LEGHORN."]

OVERCROWDING OP PULLETS

As the young pullets grow sufficiently’ to be removed from the brooder houses, they shoftld be taught to perch and housed in their permanent quarters.

Frequently poultry keepers endeavour to rear and house more pullets than they have accommodation for. More often than not too many of the old birds which are laying now are retained, instead of being culled to make room for’ the pullets. Overcrowding of pullets can be the cause of endless trouble, and it is nothing but folly tp attempt to keep more birds than one has reasonable accommodation for. Better results will be obtained from 20 well-housed pullets than from 30 pullets housed in an overcrowded state in the same house. As previously mentioned, remove the cockerels as early as possible; the pullets will certainly grow better and the cockerels will also.

Green Food Needed Green fodder for poultry has many virtues which poultry keepers are apt to overlook, where domestic poultry are not given green fodder (or some substitute) deficiency disease sets in, which affects the birds’ health and production, and this constitutional irregularity may crop up in many different ways in the chickens reared from such stock. It has been proved that young stock never thrive as well when the parents, at some stage, suffered excessively from lack of natural green fodder. If the water soluble vitamin derived from green food is absent, it lowers vigour, and vigour is, to a large extent, hereditary. Green food supplies have a medicinal and hygienic value, as well as feed value. Too many think only of the feed value, and though a certain proportion has a food value and is palatable, too much creates an excess of roughage, and means that the bird is not getting as much actual solid food matter as is essential. The idea that a large proportion included in the mash will lower the cost is quite wrong; all it really does is to lower nutrition. The correct way is to allow poultry to eat what they require, by providing the greens at midday. This system then does not interfere with the other food matter, ' The present outlook for dry weather is a further reminder to ensure ample supplies of green fodder for growing stock, for if they are' deprived of this it means lowered health and vitality. This means more culls and lower production in later years, and possibly weaker chicks when the birds are finally mated. It will therefore be seen that green fodder has a definite bearing in the future years, so that any shortage has a far-reaching , effect. At present green feed is starting to make good growth, but in many cases crons such as lucerne are hardly advanced sufficiently to cut; even sb there are usually plenty of lawn clippings available. Lawn grass is a perfectly good green fdod, and it is well worth collecting for the birds.

Clean Eggs At present the Canterbury E*g Export Committee is busily engaged in packing eggs tor export to Great Britain. It is, unnecessary to elaborate on the advantages of export at this season of the year,, but . too much emphasis cannot be-laid on the need for sending eggs to the packing depot which are perfectly clean and free from stain. Grubby or stained eggs cause a great proportion of the eggs to be rejected for export If eggs are forwarded to the depot perfectly clean, the task of testing and grading is greatly siraplix tied and . much valuable time is saved. In New South Wales dirty eggs are cleaned in the packing depot by a sadd-blasting machine and . produce, s are charged one penny a dozen lor the operation. In the interests of businesslike keting, some action should be taken to place all dirty eggs in a lower grade. Most commercial poultry keepers take a pride in the condition of the eggs they send to the market, but there are exceptions to every rule, and though it is admitted that washing eggs on the farm is a tedious and monotonous job, jt is quite a necessary one and should never be neglected. When the eggs are gathered from the nests a proportion of them is soiled and stained: these eggs should be carefully washed immediately they are collected, and with a piece of damp towelling they are easily cleaned. ■: The best system of all is to renew the nesting material at least once a fortnight, and collect the eggs twice a day. If'this procedure is adopted, egg washing will never become a burden.

Export of Eggs

Last Friday the third consignment of eggs from Canterbury this season was shipped from Timaru in the Napier Star. The consignment totalled 1000 crates. The total shipments from thi? province to date this season amount to 3300 crates or 99,000 dozen. At least two further shipments will be made from Canterbury this season.