POULTRY-KEEPING FOR PROFIT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22796, 23 August 1939, Page 13

POULTRY-KEEPING FOR PROFIT

CARE AND SELECTION Of} HATCHING EGGS CBy LEGHORN! The hatching season is now in fulIJ swing, and it is anundoubted facfi that the capacity of - next year’s layers? will depend almost.wholly upon, three* points. First,- that the breeders havef been wisely selected. Second, thati the breeders possess that robust constitution which is to-day so Third, that the breeders’ eggs are care-j fully examined before being selected! lor incubation.

The selection of breeders and thei necessity for recognising the need for? sleeting breeding birds of good consti-j tution have been explained fully in; this column. The selection of hatching eggs is also of paramount importance, and the danger of breedingfroraany class of egg just because fertile? eggs are in short supply is just storing up trouble and expense lor, the future. Hatching eggs' p should be of good shape and good fine shell texture, and they should also be quiteclean. Do not select very large or very small eggs. Eggs of a uniform two ounce weight are the best for hatching. _lt is a fallacy to imagine that an extra large egg will produce;an extra large chick; usually those outsize eggs either fail to hatch or else they produce a weak chicken. . , There axe some breeds which unger normal .conditions produce a larger egg than ‘others, in which case an efeg of 2J ounces is suitable. After all, a two-ounce egg is a standard first grade egg and it has been proved time and timp again that this normal-sized egg produces the best chicken. Be on guard against using small, undersized eggs. Small eggs always reproduce themselves —from a small egg one wail get a chicken which when, in turn becomes a layer will produce, a small egg. Small eggs do not realise fine same market .price as standard size eggs, yet they cost just as much to produce.. As is the case when selecting breeders, be Just as careful m selecting the eggs from those breeders.

The Value of Sulphur Recent' information received from England and America indicates that‘ordinary flowers of sulphur, which is inexpensive and is procurable from any chemist’s shop, has proved to .be . a valuable protection against coccidiosis. For the benefit of readers who do not recognise this • disease I may mention that coccidiosis, except for chilis, causes more losses among, young poultry stock than any other disease. In England about 2 per cent, of sulphur is incorporated in the pullet masn twice a week. iThe feeding of sulphur to very young chickens is not recom*\ mended, but from six weeks of age until maturity the inclusion of tins small percentage of sulphur has definitely been proved to be beneficial.

Danger of Chills Chills cause more deaths among young chicks than any . other disease. The general rule is for mortality to rise between the seventh and tenth day, while dead chicks are found-under thp hover each morning. When chilling has been severe, the whole'batch appears rough and the wing feathers long. The youngsters press against the heat, their appetite is poor, and diarrhoea is often present. . After the tenth day the number of deaths decreases. A good many of the survivors, however, ■ are never likely to be profitable, and, should be killed. If not, they may develop coccidlosis at a later stage through having their resistance to disease weakened. As soon as something appears amiss with the chicks, two or three should at once be sent away for post-mortem examination. Little can be done once the chicks have started to die. Frequent feeds of wet mash, however, are helpful in keeping up condition- The main effort, however, should be to find the cause of the trouble with a view to avoiding further losses from the same cause'in the' next batch, ■ Chilling may take place in the incubator because of too low a temperature at hatching, or when removing the chicks from the machine to the brooder house. This can easily happen when, taking them out of a warm incubator on a bitterly cold day. The brooder house should be well built and free from floor draughts. It is a sure sigh of draughts when the chicks huddle up to ode side of the. hover. Good ventilation is essential, and'if the hover temperature is maintained it does not mat ter'how cold the house Is: > Overcrowding, which must mean bad ventilation under the hover, will also cause; high . mortality from congestion of the lungs, which is brought about from chilling. It should be remembered that chicks'spend a large-part of their lives under. the hover, especially in. wmter and., early spring when the days axe ahcjst i. . 'Care should be taken to see.that'the chicks do not stray any great distance from the heat for the first few days. They should be restricted t9 a small space in front of the hover.

Overheating, for even a short time, especially at night, has disastrous suits. In my opinion, indeed, chills are more often caused by too much heat than.by tpolittle. Hovers should be looked at as late as possible when the weather is col<£ to make certain that the lamp is keeping the heat up. Warm days, followed by frbsty nights,call,for all one’s skill, as at such times the wide flame needs several adjustments during toe 24 hours. During the first seven days the chicks should not .be allowed to cluster in the sun. At this age it does them no good, while on A cold day it may ‘do a lot of harm. To expose freshly-hatched chicks to the elements, in the belief that by so doing it will increase their stamina, is asking for trouble. When chicks are attacked by fungal pneumonia, they show symptoms similar to, those of the common chill. The disease is caused by a. fungus which is found in musty and stale litter, and in stale mash. There is.no known cure for this disease, but given a clean brooder house and-.fresh food it is not ; likely to occur. Chicks suffering from it. should ,be culled ruthlessly, and those left ishould be removed to a fresh hover. j ' . Egg Export 1939 Prospects for x the present export [season appear to berbright and arrangements are now being made to start packing. It is expected that the first shipment: willleave Canterbury about the middle of September.