POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 30

POULTRY NOTES

|By “New-Laid”) USE OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING. During the 1927-2 S season, the National Institute of Poultry Husbandry at Newport (England) conducted the first of a series of studies in artificial lighting. The object was to get more detailed information on the use of electric lights for increasing egg production: from late-hatched White Leghorn pullets during the winter months. The study has included the cost of feed and electricity, as well as production. The additional observations made ineluded the influence on health, body weight, consumption of food, size of eggs, and moulting. Two pens, each 20 ft. square, were used, similarly ventilated and equipped, except that No. 2 pen was not equipped witli electric light. The run lor each pen was 100 ft, by 200 ft. Pen No. 1 was equipped with two 40-watt gas-filled electric lights. 10ft. apart, and 6ft. from the floor. The light switch consisted of an alarm clock, so arranged that when the alarm went off its winding arm threw over a tumbler switch, and made contact at the desired time.

The lights in No. 1 pen were started four weeks after the test began, and were gradually increased so that the fowls did not receive . the maximum amount of light until the end of the first week.

Artificial light was used from 4 o’clock in the morning until daylight. The object was to give as near as possible a 12-bour day the year round. The lights were gradually eliminated from March 16 to 27. Each pen contained 120 White Leghorn pullets, selected from May 10 hatched chickens. The late hatched pullets were purposely selected to study the effect of lighting on stock that was rather immature.

May iii England would correspond with November in New Zealand. The feeding of both pens was the same. Half' an ounce of grain was raked into the litter last thing at night for the early morning feed. For the winter months. October 28. 1927. to March 27. 1928. the 120 pullets under lights laid 950 more eggs than nn eminl number of pullets without lights. For the 48 weeks the lighted non laid 1086 more ergs than the iinlishted nen. The size of the egg was not satista”tory in either pen. It was not until February that the number of firstgrade eggs in either nen. equalled the number of second-grade. r pbA srzo of egg was slightly in favour of the nnlirhted pen during the winter months, and for th° 48 weeks, the result wns similar. At +he start of the tnef +ho nullcfs woi-hod on an aver.'i"' 1 0111 lOnz. peril. At the end of the winter neriod they "vernrad J lh. .ley. ppob for both "«n«. The margin a bird over feed am 1 Halit was l-’s. Bd. in No. 1 pen. .and lo a . fid. in No. 2 non.

penlfrv Mnnn’c. A mature fowl drops about 4«lb. or manure a vear—lJoz. in daytime and 2oz. at night daily. This manure contains. Moisture 41.00. ammonia salts and organic matter 38.19, phosphate of lime 5.13. magnesium, etc./ 3.13. sand and insoluble matter 12.49. Lime must on no account be used in tlie runs or houses, as lime liberates the ammonia. and. when such is the <? se - * lO value of the manure is practically gone. The collected manure must be stored in an old barrel, kept dry and mixed nith a little sand, wood ashes or soot. 1 nis tends to prevent the loss of ammonia inc manure mn.v also be placed in a tub with water and allowed to stand overnight, then stir and use the liquid for watering. Throw away the spent manure. Aeget'ab’es. flowers and plants grow well when fed on poultry manure. The growth ot onions and tomatoes-is largely increased in- its use. In 1001 b. of poultry manure there are over 4'lll. of ammonia. Poultrymen Should Avoid.

I. Low-lying ground. It Js -difficult to much grain. It causes liver troubles. ■ . . , 3. Feeding whole gram to sick birds. 4. Feeding tainted meat. 5. Packing eggs in, musty straw. it taints them. 0. Carbolic powders or doped aiilt <ml eggs in nest boxes. The eggs are afteeted 7. Damp ami ill ventilated houses. They Induce colds and roup. , 8. Narrow porches. They put a crook in the breast bone. 9. Keeping the male birds with hens after the brooding season Is over. 10. Not having a good supply or the two G's—green food, and grit. 11. Exciting laying lions. This often causes death. . , . ' ~ 12. Too ninny fowls in a small jaru. 13 Glass ns grit. Cinders ’ nre better. Crushed rock is best. , , . 14. Keeping market cockerels bej onu five months. 15 Feeding late in the morning. 10. Leaving diseased carcasses around. Burn or bury them. 17 Tainted soil. Plough and use luneor cleanse first with a crop of dwarf sex rape. Fresh rape is the best green f °lK Starving fowls during the moulting sea/on. Very poor policy. 19. High poultry houses. Cost too much ami are hard to limewash.

Simple Scale Cure. The scaly leg disease is not only an unsightly one to have among one’s fowls, hut it is a disagreeable one likely to be of considerable damage in a flock. At first it apparently lias no serious effect, but if it appears long enough before the time when the head is naturally cut oil. till* fowl will droop and finally die an unnatural death. The disease is caused by a parasite which is not hard to control, but it should be taken in hand-early, and (lie scales should not bo allowed to accumulate until the bird feels the evil effects. Various methods of treatment are used in which petroleum products largely figure. kerosene applied in various ways and in combination with lard nnd other substances are much used by those who use anything. An extremely simple remedy which we have used with success even where there was much scale, is vase.lnc rubbed on generously a few times, t ase ; line is a very valuable!remedy which may be used for’many purposes. This is one of them. Scaly leg is undoubtedly communicable from one fowl to another, and if not attended to is likely to run through a flock, with bad effects. General Notes.

When a mini has tn start, with limited capital, it makes him all the more careful of losing his “nest egg." Perhaps this explains why most of the largo poultry farms of to-day have sprung from small beginnings. It is the experience of poultry raisers the world over that hens past two years old seldom are profitable. To be a persistent layer.-a pullet must have strong coiistitutional vigour ami a capacity for assimilating large quantities of food. , , Waler is the principal const’ ■ til ol the flesh, bone. featlicrS. and egg- of fowls, and ncccssarllv large emintities of it are consumed daily. Therefore, it should be seen to that the water supply Is not only pure but fresh. In breeding for exhibition purposes remember that as a general rule, the male bird affects the colour, whilst the female governs to a hirg" extent the ,size. You may lie able to palm off inferior stock on a beginner for a good price, but it will eonie up against you when you least expect it. ____________