POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22072, 21 April 1937, Page 7

POULTRY KEEPING FOR PROFIT

LOWERED PRODUCTION [By “LEGHORN.”] At present eggs are in very short supply, and in spite of the high prices, egg production is so low that the increased price does not mean that poultry keepers are reaping a harvest. Apart altogether from high egg prices and lowered production, it must be remembered that feeding .costs have substantially increased during the last three or four months. I.think it is generally recognised that production is unusually low this year and it is somewhat difficult to define thd cause. The pullets this year have been laying spasmodically and the market supply has fluctuated considerably Whether the cause of the trouble has been climatic or whether it is the result of a mild epidemic among the flocks is hard to say; but probably both, these suggested causes are to some extent responsible. . ... In other countries great emphasis is being laid on the increase in disease among poultry flocks and nearly every poultry journalapublished to-day is advocating the need for combating the trouble by breeding from stock which possess constitutional vigour. I have m the past emphasised the need for discarding as breeders all birds which irrespective of good body points, do not possess that constitution which is essential if disease is to be kept at bay. South Island poultry keepers are fortunate in that there is less disease here than in other parts of the world but we should take heed of the experience of poultry keepers in other countries and make the first consideration in breeding the maintenance of constitution, ■, , •- The following article written by Mr A. F. Tooey, an English authority/ on management and disease, is full of interest. and though some of the arguments he used may not be accepted by all, it will be recognised, I think, that the article is informative and well worthy of consideration. Management and Disease “In studying the. diseases of poultry, I have always found it most helpful to compare the ills and complaints of the fowl with those of human beings Many of them, and their cause and effect, have a great similarity. “In humans it ■ is generally agreed that most diseases are brought about either directly or indirectly by themselves; or, in other words, by their own mismanagement of their bodies. Malnutrition is responsible for most of our bodily troubles, and this condition is more or less under our control if we take the trouble to appreciate it. “Take indigestion, which is our commonest complaint. Its causes can be attributed to some mistake in the management of our lives. We may fly to the doctor or the chemist to patch us up temporarily, but we cannot hope for a permanent cure until we learn the rules of hygiene or personal management. “Now let us apply this little moralising to the fowl. We Cannot ask the hen to indulge in self-management, because we have planted her in unnatural conditions which are directly opposed to nil her natural instincts.

Her food, water, housing, her coming and going are subservient to the will of the poultry farmer, and it is up to him to put things right. Troubles Not New “The troubles among poultry to-day are due very largely to ignorance and the failure to realise modern condir tions. The diseases which have come into promnence during the last five years are not new. Their existence has been known for'many years, but the death rate has been so small as to pass almost unnoticed. “To-day from these same diseases, we have, in a few cases, mortality up to even 75 per cent., and therefore something vitally important to the bird has taken place. It is obvious that some factor has caused the gradual decline in stamina and its consequent power of resistance to “First, let us examine the cause of attacks of minute tapeworms. We know that the brown slug is a carrier of the eggs of this worm, and therefore when a fowl eats this slug she is making herself liable to attaek. The slug dissolves in the bird’s intestines, thus releasing the worm egg, and if conditions are favourable'the attack begins. The poultryman is frequently mystified as to why, after putting his birds on to new land, they should be severely attacked. The explanation is simple, for the better the pasture the more likelihood of slugs. . * “Why is it that 10 years ago birds put on to fresh pastures never suffered from infestation of the minute tapeworm, yet to-day disastrous outbreaks occur on new land? The answer is obviously lack of resistance or depleted vitality, and as the fowl has had no control over its mode of living, then the owner must be the person responsible for the change. “It is up to me to point out where I think breeders have gone wrong. Take first the purchase of breeding stock. The cockerel from a dam with a record of 200 eggs only, nobody wants. It must be 250, yet the cockerel with the higher number will probably breed more ‘duds’ than the other. Like seldom begets like in egg records, but generally conforms as regards stamina. Everything has been sacrificed for the fetish of egg record. In the selection of breeding stock the record has come first, appearance second,, and the handling for physical fitness last. Test by Appearance “The handling test, as usually carried out, is a farce. Far too muqh importance is attached to head points, and, generally, if a bird cannot pass this test she is doomed. There are two head points only which need consideration. The beak should be shortish and thick, and the eyes fairly prominent. The idea that a good layer must have comb and wattles fine and silky is wrong. Most of oiir best layers are fairly rough at these two points. “Pelvic bones which are fine and pliable are a sign of, selective breeding for these points, and do not denote a good layer. Stamina is not usually allied to fine bone. In handling, . the only two points really worth considering are width of back and depth of body. I have selected many laying trial winners. I judge on the back and depth of body only, and have always found that a bird up to standard in these respects is seldom weak on head points. “Frequent handling of growing stock is a necessity to-day. .Thin, .weedy

birds are a sign that something is wrong, and the sooner the cause is found out the more easily can it be remedied. . , ~ “The first sign usually •in adult coccidiosTs or worm infestation is emaciation. If such birds are. neglected until paralytic symptoms appear, then losses are heavy. Faulty Brooding “How many cases of adult coccidiosis are induced by faulty brooding? Overheating in the hover reduces a chick’s vitality to such an extent that it has no power to resist any internal parasites. Overcrowding is frequently the first stage in adult qoccidiosis. Oxygen or fresh air is life, and growth cannot take place without it. The poultryman must realise that unless a chick or growing bird receives the essentials in food in the right amount and at the right time, and is housed so that it receives the necessary amount of air, light and warmth, then its .constitution is deprived of certain factors which would have enabled it to resist disease, A point that must be realised is that unless the body of the chick is given every consideration, the food eaten fails to be assimilated in proportion to the wrong housing, etc. In other words, food, no matter how good, can never make up for any deficiencies in housing. Use simple rations, and do not try to force chicks. Feeding Methods ‘Wet or dry feeding needs no argument; neither has any effect on the causes of disease, nor is any argument required as to the manner in which the food is given. There is a right and a wrong wgy. Whether wet or dry, the food must be eaten out of a trough and not off the floor. The ghastly mess round some food troughs is sufficient to induce any parasitical invasion. Present-day diseases are a result of avian civilisation. We have forced the bird to such a pitch; bred from unhealthy or undeveloped stock, neglected the rules of management from the incubator to the breeding pen, and, in consequence, the whole structure of the bird has been damaged. A bird in perfect health is immune to parasitical invasions. It is up to the poultryman to reduce the 'pace and to maintain his birds in hygienic conditions.”