POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 62, 6 December 1930, Page 28

POULTRY NOTES

Precautions Against Vermin

(By

“New Laid,”

It is Important just now to keep a keen eye lifted for the presence of vermin,, which are apt to multiply at an alarming rate In the hot weather unless rigorously checked. The best method of dealing with vermin is to prevent them from making their appearance. This necessitates strict attention to cleanliness, the provision of good dusting places and periodical spraying of the house with a strong disinfectant. , Another matter which should not be overlooked Is the need for keeping the nest boxes free of brooding hens. To allow birds to sit on the nest day after day not only encourages insect pests, but It also means a loss Of eggs and reduced profits. The houses should be visited nightly, and any birds found on the nests should be removed to the broody coop. A common mistake is to starve the broody hen. If Oggs are to be produced in the shortest space of -time, ample food of the best quality should be provided. Summer Preparations.

With the completion of hatching operations, the essential work at hand is a thorough clean up all round to prepare for the summer months. Scrub all incubator trays, fumigate the Interior of the machine and foster mothers and cover up till next wanted. This having been done, turn your attention to the breeding pens and laying sheds. Remove all ttje birds from the interior of the houses to be cleaned and take outside all movable appliances such as perches and nestingboxes. Brush down the Inside of the roof and walls With a stiff broom and clean out all the old litter; then, If possible, hose thoroughly, or, falling this, wash down with buckets-of water. This being completed to your satisfaction, you can now use the spray. Spraying is much easier and quicker to apply than whitewash, but It is only equally effective if the cleaning precautions previously explained are carried out, and if you do not follow those Instructions by all means use the whitewash brush. To make a cheap and effective disinfectant for spraying purposes dissolve one pound of soft soap In a gallon of boiling water, and directly this Is removed from the fire add one gallon of kerosene and one pint of crude carbolic acid or any of the well-known carbolic disinfectants. Stir well till all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add 10 gallons of water to this" mixture to make a stock solution, and for spraying mix this solution with equal quantities of water. Use a strong spray pump and force the disinfectant Into all the nooks and crevices. The next stage is to carefully clean the nest-boxes ami perches, painting them with a lice killer. When everything has dried put In the fresh litter, having first of all sprinkled the floor heavily with slacked lime. For those who favour the use of whitewash, slack half a bushel of strong lime in just enough water to cover the lime and keep it from burning. When this process Is finished add a small quantity of water and strain the solution to remove any sand or other coarse substance. Dissolve a couple of pounds of salt in warm water and add this to the solution, mix thoroughly, and allow to stand for two days. When using, reduce the mixture, to a suitable consistency in the addition of water, and apply it hot. So much for the inside of the houses, now for the yards and runs. If these ate small rake up all rubbish and burn It, sprinkle the ground with lime or dilute sulphuric \acld, and turn over a spade’s depth. In cases of small flocks in confined space, before letting the birds back into the house it is advisable- to give them a good (lusting with an insect powder. Shake this powder well into the birds’ feathers, paying special attention to the fluff around the vent and under the wings. Having completed all these things, place the water receptacles in a shady spot and provided shell grit, the poultry keeper will be able to face the summer months without any undue anxiety, knowing that the best has been done to ensure the birds’ comfort. Fattening Cockerels.

The fattening of cockerels or any table poultry, is an art, and one not so easily picked up. Cockerels, according to Will Hooley, in “The Poultry World,” should be confined In properly made fattening coops, and fed on suitable fattening mixture, for 10 or 11 days, and then finished off with the cramming machine. If you cannot go to the trouble necessary where fattening coop's and cramming" are used, confine the birds to a small paddock and give three meals daily, which may consist of 1 part by weight good sample meat and bone meal, 1 Indian meal. 1 finely ground oats, and 2 of fine pollards. Mix this into crumbly condition with warm water or skim milk if available, and add 2dz. of melted fat to each 41b. meals, to be stirred In while In liquid-con-dition for mixing. The first ana second feed each day might consist of this, and the last feed of wheat boiled until on the

point of bursting, putting in a large lump of fat to boll with it. When the Wheat is done, roll it in a mixture of fine oatmeal and pollards, and when cool, give in troughs. The birds will need a warm shed to sleep in, and drinking water before them ail the time. You should get a useful bird in this way. although it will not have the finish of a crammed bird. General Notes.

DO not forget to give late chickens a little cod liver oil in their mash—it will work wonders. About half a piii’t to 501 b. of mash is the correct proportion to use. Mix the oil first in a small quantity of bran, and then thoroughly incorporate this in the mash.

Care must be taken when removing chickens from the foster mother or brooder house to the open that they are not subjected to sudden changes. Chickens, like seedlings, should be “hardened off.” Gradually reduce the’ heat in the foster mother, day by day, till the only heat is that produced by the birds own bodies, and keep them like this for about a week before placing them in the outside runs.

The warm weather will soon be with us, so look to your water receptacles, and see that they are placed in a nice shady spot, and are always full of clean, fresh water. These receptacles should be raised from the ground to prevent earth or litter being scratched Into them. Avoid any kind of container that cannot be easily cleaned. Defective water supply is often the cause of many poultry troubles.

When a hen has completed her second laying season, she is j(ast her best as a producer, and, if not wanted for breeding purposes, should be marketed before she goes into moult. « » ♦

When fattening off, the birds should be allowed as much as they will clear up at each meal. Four meals daily will not prove too many for birds kept in runs, but care must be taken not to overfeed. In the event of the birds showing an inclination to eat less the meals should be reduced to three, the first and last being given as early and as late as possible, and one during the day.

In chick-rearing plenty of clean drink should be provided, skim milk if possible, if not, half milk and half water will do. Renew the contents of the drinking troughs frequently, as they are likely to get stale or foul, and see to it that at the last meal the chicks all get a good drink as well.

Chickens are born Into this world with the instinct to scratch and pick up their food. The old hen does not teach her chickens to do these things. Brooder chickens that have never seen a fully matured hen begin to scratch in the Utter as soon as they feel the hunger on them. It the chickens are beginning to scratch in tlie litter, then that is a sign that they are ready to be fed. Such chickens will not become overfed. and If the food is denied them they will not make the same progress.

The size of eggs laid by fowls is dependent upon several factors, of which heredity must be regarded as the primary one; but feed, age, exercise, and environment all play an important part.

A record was established at the International Exhibition of Poultry and Pigeons held last month at Antwerp (Belgium), when over 8200 birds were penned. See that your birds have plenty of room on their perches. If they are cramped in this respect the weaker ones will be pushed off. Light breeds require at least 71n. of space, the medium-sized birds Oin., while the large heavy breeds ean be given up to Ift.

Although the peak of production is now considered to (give passed, says the "Australasian,” large quantities of eggs are still coming forward for export In Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia. The export figure for the season is now 5,308,245 dozen, the various States having contributed as follow:—New South Wales, 2,430,540 dozen; Victoria, 1,300,800 dozen; Queensland, 739,200 dozen; South Australia, 558,240 dozen; Western Australia, 333,405 dozen.

Don’t let dropping-boards go until you have to clean them. Clean them dally if possible, and If not. at least once a week. Dry sand or ashes on the boards will make cleaning easier. Hens need pure air more than warmth. Houses should have plenty of ventilation, and the hens should not be Overcrowded, Lack of ventilation means excess moisture, the presence of which leads to colds and roup.