POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21961, 9 December 1936, Page 3

POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT “Enquirer.”—The best way of feeding skim milk to poultry is undoubtedly by using it in the mash. If milk is given to poujtry as a drink, it is apj to clog the nostrils of the bird, unless, of course, they have fresh water to drink as well as the milk. Used for mixing the mash, milk is a valuable asset in poultry keeping. GREEN RUNS [By "LEGHORN."] The need for an ample supply of green food for all kinds of poultry is generally recognised. Those poultry keepers who rear young stock in large numbers usually provide a green run for the pullets. If the stock is numerous and the run small, the green run will not last long. It is a good plap to have a division in the run so that each half can be spelled regularly. If the w;hole run is already bare it is well worth while to erect a division and replant with oats or Italian ryegrass. Feather Pulling It is surprising to note the extent of the outbreak of pernicious feather pulling which appears to be almost universal in some districts this spring, says a writer in “Organised Marketing.” Many poultrjjmen are quite wrongly associating the outbreak with an early and premature moult, and are justifiably regarding it with some alarm, for the extent of the vice, if it might be so termed, has already developed to a far more serious condition than a natural or seasonal moult. Many opinions have been expressed abdut the, cause of this excessive feather picking or puMing, and many alterations to feeding formulas have been made, almost invariably with unsatisfactory results. Any alteration in the regular feeding system is not adr visable in order to try to counteract the trouble, neither is it advisable either to decrease or to increase the protein content of thp food. In nine cases out of 10. however, the owners of the birds are to bjame for allowing the trouble to extend, as feather pulling, like many other things, is easier to prevent than to cure. The Cause There are many causes,of this habit, and before deciding what can be done to cure it, we must look for the cause. Insects are sometimes the cause, but we can quite reasonably discount the possibility of body vermin being respons'ble during the present outbreak, for feather plucking is mostly confined to the neck hackles and abdomens of the hens which are vermininfested. In normal seasons fowls in confinement are frequently addicted to the habit of feather pulling, and it may arise either from improper feeding, lack of employment, or lack of insects. Feeding on heating feods, such as barley meal or maize (especially if a liberal supply of green food is not forthcoming), is liable to produce an epidemic or craving for something that is not in the menu, and as the fowl is unable to obtain a supply of what it most needs, it takes the nearest approach to such, in the shape of a feather. Fowls housed .intensively, with free access to dry mash, and with an insufficient supply of scratching material, which promotes and encourages exercise, will often cultivate and develop the feather pulling vice. On the other hand, fowls at liberty have contracted the pernicious habit this spring far more than ever noticed amongst hens intensively confined, and we cannot, therefore, attach the blame for the trouble to the intensive system of housing. We must, then, find some other cause. The 'lack of insect life, succulent green food, and cool fresh earth to scratch in sets up the craving for what is lacking in the ordinary menu, and herein lies the whole reason why feather plucking and eating begins and develops. Dirty roosting quarters cannot be blamed for the trouble, but sameness of diet can be a contributory cause. Fowls fe’d constantly on the same food day after day get tired of their food, and an unnatural craving for blood comes over them, and almost invariably this happens in prolonged dry weatner. Where feather pulling has been allowed to develop to the stage where the hens have been deprived of most of the/r body and neck feathers, with, in many cases, only the quills of the flights and tails remaining, cannibalism will be found to be prevalent, and whether the weather is dry or wet, there is bound to be a fairly substantial mortality percentage. If new feather growth begins—and this ■ls a strong possibility—any hens so affected will provide easy prey for others, and few hens will be able to stand up to the continuous loss of blood caused by the 1 pulling of new feathers. A Cure In the early stages of the vice an ointment composed of two parts lard, one part vaseline, one part sulphur (black preferred), and a few drops of creosote added to the whole (which can be mixed on a plate with an ordinary table knife, and is little trouble to prepare), is an effective remedy, and should be applied to the bare patches on the fowl, and also on the feathers close to the bare patches. In advanced cases the same ointment can be used. A little trouble taken in applying the remedy will not only make the birds look better, but will make them feel better; besides, the ointment is unpleasant to the taste, and will greatly minimise, if not entirely prevent, one bird from attacking another.

A Sequence Ended

The Khaki Campbell duck competing at Papanui, which has been previously referred to in these columns, has at last broken its remarkable sequence of egg production. This .duck laid 236 eggs in 236 days, it did not lay on the two hundred and thirty-seventh day. but started again on the following day, and is now again producing seven eggs weekly. This is truly a notable performance, and it speaks well for the value of this particular breed as an egg producer.