THE POULTRY' INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1634, 28 December 1912, Page 15

THE POULTRY' INDUSTRY.

Whitewash Houses. Now is a good tima to clean out tho poultry houses, and free use of tho_whitewash brush is one of: the best aids towards fjwcctoning them and giving them a clean and wholesome appearance. /.

Preparing Whitewash. • It.is claimed that whitewash, prepared according to the following formula, will stick better and retain its brilliantly longer than any other, and that it is not easily affected by rain or' weather." Of course it is necessary to obtain the material carefully before applying it through a pump, else more or less trouble will result from' clogging at the nozzle; but with ordinary-care at the start no inconvenience will be experienced. Take half a bushel of unslacked lime, slack with warm water and cover it during the process to keep in the steam. Strain the liquid through a tine sieve or strainer; add a peck of salt, previously well dissolved in warm water, three pounds of ground rice boiled to a thin paste and stirred in boiling hot, half a pound of powdered Spanish whiting (plaster Paris), and a pound of glue, which has beenpreviously dissolved over a slow fire. Add live gallons of hot water to the mixture, stir well, and let it stand for a few days, covered well. Strain carefully and apply with a spray pump. It should be put on hot.' Colouring matter may be put in to make the wash any shade required;

Notes for tlio Novice. Separate the cockerels from the pullets. Don't delay. The pullets will then get their full sharo of food.

'Cull your stock early; pick out all deformed and backward clucks, and fatten off for market -while the prices are good. : Cock birds don't lay eggs, nor do they assist the hens to do so. They only eat food with which it -would pay you better to feed the hens. Therefore, pass them out to' the l/utcher, except those required for breeding. This is whero the profits come in.

Green food, and plenty of it, chopped up and mixed with the morning mash is good for the birds during the summer. If you have the water laid on, why. not, plant some maize this afternoon, near to tha tap? It grows g-uickly, and poultry relish it. '

Have you examined your birds closely of latoP If not, do so at once, and it will surprise you to see the vermin on them. Poultry and vermin are not a good mixture. If you want your birds to do well you must get Tid of the vermin; other-, wise the vermin will get rid' of your birds. Get to work and clean out your fowlhouses, and Spray them well with a good' disinfectant. Kerol and phenytas are both good for this purpose. : lf you keep your poultry, yards and houses clean you will seldom have any sick fowls. Clean quarters, pure, fresh water, and wholesome, sweet food are sure to save' you many losse3.. . Good grain commands a higher price because it is. good, .and. cheaper, stuff- is always '.the most" expensive' iu the long run. : : 1 . -V

' He who stints the/ grain bill by using poor quality grain, or too little, is a'per-, fec't example: of the "Penny : wise and; pound foolishi". type. A chicken that is stunted at any stage in its growth by improper or insufficient feeding will never make a first-class bird, oven if properly, fed after reaching maturity. . i If you've got a good thing, dont keep it to yourself; let others know. It helps them, and. will help you. . . ' The iman who does not advertise is like the fellow who threw.;his girl a, kiss in -tha. dark—"Ho knows he did, but-i.-she ,dbes. not."" '- "Early to . bed, and early to rise, work hard'every, .day, and advertise," should,, •be a;"ppultry : breeder's ma'am'.

Lice and Mites. Fighting. insect pests is a part of tlie regular summer work. There are a good many varieties of lice,which affect domestic poultry. They breed very rapidly in warm weather, and if neglected your poultry are liable to become infested withvermin. Lice feed chiefly upon the plumage and scales of the skin, and on young chicks may do a great deal of harm. They aro found in couiiderable numbers around tho nest, where they undoubtedly obtain fluids, and sometimes germs of disease, which, when lice are eaten by a fowl, as commonly happens, may develop, tho disease-in it. They cause great discomfort to adult' fowls, and may .. kill young chicks. Sick or dumpish fowls, are. usually extensively lousy. Lico breed oil the fowl.'in the plumage,, and cause extensive irritation- through scratching and r ' biting. It does not pay to feed poultry and lico at tho same time, and lice, and young birds are a combination which invite disaster. You can't keep chicks comfortable thoy are. lousy, and if you can't keep them comfortablo you will havo poor luck in rearing them. Tho lice, however, will thrive, without encouragement.

Lice Breed all the Year Round. These pests breed all the year round, but are most .troublesome in warm weather. Though they- breed on the fowl, they can .live for a long time off tho bird's body,, and, may remain for some time on a nest freguented by lousy fowls. Red mites aro, the poultry, bedbugs, and breed in cracks and crevices about the fowlhouse, particularly about the poultry perches and among accumulations of poultry dropping. Tliey can live and thrive for weeks without the chauce to feed on the blood of fowls or chicks. "red" mite is red only when filled with blood, and if empty is pale or grey in colour. These night-prowling pests are equipped with .piercing and sucking • organs, and 1 they ieast on the blood of the fowl. They, will 'prove a great/lra-in- on the vitality of the flock. They are found in the creeks and 'other hiding places of the poultry houses, and'at night swarm over the fowls, disturbing their rest and sucking their blood. They may quickly kill. hewly-hatchejd .chicks. Constant warfare -must, do waged to keep the lies' down. . Insect powders must be used, and disinfectants sprayed about the houses and roosts. . Plump chickens are wanted in tho market, and good prices'are being obtained for' them. Remember chickens infested with vermin will not fatten, therefore keep a check on them. , '

Hedgehogs. . • A great many poultrymen aro under the beliet tbat hedgehogs are harmless, but from a letter appearing in the Christchurch "Press" it would appear they can do much damage. The letter is as follows:— ,• Sir,—Some time ago there was a discussion in your columns as to whether hedgehogs cat chickens and eggs, or not. There oan be no shadow of doubt that, whatever they do ; elsewhere, they certainly eat them here. Mr. C. R. Clark told me of a case that occurred at Thorrington. Several chickens had been found dead and half-eaten. A trap, baited with half a dead-chicken, caught a hedgehog, ajid.tho deaths ceased. Two days ago, at Strowan, a dead chicken was found with all its entrails eaten. A cage-trap was set, baited with the remains,, and the next morning a hedgehog was found in it alivo, and the chicken all gone except the wing feathers. ■. This, r think, conclusively proves that tho hedgehog does ont chickens, and from what I heard from the gamekeepors I met in • England last year, it certainly takes eggs when it gets the chance. It is interesting'to noto that while a stoat or weasel or rat almost invariably attacks its victim's head or throat, tho hedgehog apparently eats tho stomach first. From this it should bo easy to toll if dead chickens liavo been killed _by hedgehogs or not.—l am, etc., ; . EDGAR F. STEAD.

(By Chantecler.)

INTERNATIONAL EGG CONTEST

- •RESULT OF THE FIRST TEST. ' The first international egg-laying contest at the Connecticut Agricultural College was won. by a flock of five singlecomb White Leghorns, with a total of 1071 eggs. This contest began on November 1, 1911, and terminated on October 31, 1912. The plant consisted of fifty houses 12 x 12 feet, divided into two pens, each pen being G x 12 feet. Each pen contained five birds, and there were 500 birds in the wholo contest. Hens in this contest were entered by breeders from all parts of the United States, England, and Canada. Each pen of five birds had a yard- 20 x 50 feet, covered with green, grass.

Each pen was furnished with an automatic feed hopper containing a mixture of 1 grains. Besides this grain mixture the birds had before them at all times a pan of dry mash, grit, oyster shells, charcoal and clean fresh spring water. The litter in each house was composed of oat straw, as also was the nesting material. Several vexing problems have, says the "Breeders' Gazette," been solved during this competition. It was proved that some hens do lay two eggs in one day as has been shown by trap-nesting leg-banded hens. -

Another much discussed point among poultrymen has been settled, for the present at least. That is that the Leghorn is the greatest egg producer anion;? fowls. To provo this there is the following list, which gives the scores of the highest pens, of which., seven were 6ingle-comb White Leghorns, one Buff Leghorns, and the other , two White Wyandottes:—Pennsylvania Leghorns; 1071 eggs: Ontario Wyandottes, 1069 eggs i Pennsylvania Leghorns, 1042 eggs-; English Leghorns,- 982 eggs; New Jersey Leghorns, 973 eggs; Connecticut Leghorns 970 eggs; New York Leghorns, 970 eggs; New York Wyandottes, 955 eggs; Illinois Buff Leghorns, 947 eggs, and Pennsylvania Leghorns, 942 eggs. The hens from four breeders averaged over 212 eggs each day. The highest scoring individual was a single-comb Rhode Island Red, owned in Kentucky which laid 254 eggs during the year. The largest egg laid during the year weighed .26 of a pound and the smallest .01 of a 'pound.. The total number of eggs laid during the year was 75,230. /