POULTRY-KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22661, 16 March 1939, Page 4

POULTRY-KEEPING FOR PROFIT

DISPOSAL OF OLD STOCK IBy LEGHORN] I have quite recently referred to the necessity of disposing of certain of the old birds so that the pullets may have necessary room and conditions to give the maximum egg production. Do not on any pretext be tempted to overcrowd. Overcrowding can be the cause of more trouble than any other shortcoming in poultry management. Many persons who have not experienced the losses caused by overcrowding are tempted to house more birds than the house will profitably accommodate. There appears to be a reluctance on the part of some poultry-keepers to part with their old stock, but if profit is the objective of the venture into poultry-keeping then there is little room for sentiment. The financial return on an egg farm is measured by the margin between feeding or production costs and the egg cheque. If 400 pullets give a profit of £IOO in their first year, the profit for a bird for that year is obviously ss. I use these figures to emphasise that the profit from a flock is determined by the performance of the individual birds in the flock. The higher the profit a bird the higher the profit from the Hock. If a house will comfortably accommodate 40 birds, then do not attempt to crowd 50 or 60 birds into it. If one tries to crowd too many birds into a house the certain result is that instead of having 40 contented, wellhoused birds there will be 50 or 60 uncomfortably crowded birds which will not give anything like the high individual return of the 40 birds. It is not easy to make up one’s mind to spll a number of the old hens when they arc still laying, but it must be remembered that unless additional housing accommodation is constructed, a proportionate number of old birds must bo dispensed with each year to make up for the season’s pullets. In almost every flock there are birds which could be culled with advantage, and it is an undeniable fact that the most successful poultry-keepers are the ones who always cull out the birds which are not likely to be profitable. Uniformity in Egg-laying Tests There are three officially recognised egg-laying contests in New Zealand, at Papanui, Auckland, and Massey College, and each contest htas been eonducted on a different set or conditions. The lack of uniformity has made comparisons between successful birds from each testing station practically impossible. It has long been recognised that some degree of uniformity was desirable and it is pleasing indeed to record that at s meeting held in Wellington last week, at which representatives of the Department of Agriculture. the Poultry Board, and egglaying clubs were present, certain conditions of future testing were adopted. It is not possible to incorporate all the suggestions made for this year’s contests which start in a few weeks, but the 1940 tests will definitely be on a more satisfactory basis than they have been in the past. I have previously commended these egg-laying competitions to poultrykeepers and I do without hesitation recommend any readers who desire to have birds tested to enter for the competition which will start at Papanui on March 26. Entry forms and full information will be supplied upon request. Egg Breakages Perhaps poultry-keepers do not always realise that the breakage of eggs means a serious loss to them. The loss depends largely on the number of eggs that are broken in transit. If there is a breakage of 1 or 2 per cent, on the way to the market, the poultry-keeper is not only paid for a smaller quantity. but the contents of a broken egg may spoil many sound eggs by adhering to the shells and packing material. As soon as the liquid dries, the sound eggs stick to the packing material and it cannot be removed easily at the marketing end. Furthermore, many of the sound eggs stained with egg material are unattractive and they do not sell at an enhanced price. The following suggestions may help the poultry-keeper to ensure that eggs with a good shell texture will be produced: (a) Do not breed from hens consistently laying eggs with a poor shell texture. (b) Select only oflgs with good shells for incubation, (c) Supply all laying hens with sufficient oyster shell in separate buckets. Supply of Minerals Oyster shell is superior to ordinary sea shells for feeding to improve shell texture. The egg shell contains about 94 per cent, of lime (calcium carbonate!. Since the oyster shell'contains about 93 to 94 per cent, of calcium carbonate, it is an excellent source of lime for feeding the laying hens. Bonemeal does not supply sufficient lime to a hen for egg-shell formation. Sometimes oyster shell powder can be included in the laying mash. The following mineral mixture in the mash should meet the mineral requirements of a hen for egg-shell formation: 2 to 3 per cent, oyster shell powder, 1 per cent, bonemeal, i to 1 per cent, fine common salt. This mineral mixture included in the mash is not only of great value for egg-shell formation, but also for the health of the laying flock. In addition, greenfeed and skimmed milk (the latter if available) should be supplied. It is perhaps not generally known that eggs produced during the winter and autumn have thicker and stronger shells than those produced during the summer. As a rule, eggs produced during February have poorer shells than those produced during any other month of the year. Remember that clean eggs are always worth more. By taking pride in the condition of produce a poultrykeeper increases his cash returns and builds up a good name.