POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 256, 25 July 1936, Page 26

POULTRY NOTES

Separated Milk For Chickens

ESSENTIAL FEEDING RULES

(By

New Laid.)

Separated Milk For Chickens. Separated milk contains fully 75 per cent, of the more important solids originally present in whole milk, and is such a complete food that if used for chickens during die first few weeks, it builds up a constitutional resistance to disease. Such is the opinion of Mr. J. H. Prentice, B.Sc B. Agr., Diretcor of Poultry Nutrition, Northern Ireland Reseach Institute, writing in “Poultry” and the ration used with the milk, says Mr. Prentice should consist of grain and a mash of cereal meals only.

The composition of the mash is—-bran and maize meal, two parts, by weight of each, and weatings, oue part. While restricted to I heir houses a tested codliver oil is added to the mash at the rate of two pints per cwt. As soon ns the chicks are put on grass runs the oil is discontinued. Where liquid milk is not used and substitutes are employed in its place, food consumption is of the order of 121 b. per head for a similar period _of growth. It is desirable that die ration used with separated milk should be of the proper composition. The proportion oi the actual cereals used is of comparatively little importance. What does matter is that the salt content of the mash should 1 be low. Complaints are made sometimes ) that the use of liquid milk leads to ex- - cessive liquid consumption, to scouring, and to the birds spilling milk over their bodies and so becoming chilled. This occurs quite frequently, and is caused by using milk with a mash designed for use without it. Such mashes are, o’. should he. fairly rich in salt, and when used in conjunction with liquid milk, which is also rich in salt, the salt intake of the bird is too great, and leads to an exeessive thirst. The bird seeks to quench this thirst by drinking more milk which only aggravates the trouble. The droppings become almost entirely fluid, on account of the large amount of liquid that the bird takes in, and, iu its eagerness to drink, milk is splashed over itself or its neighbours. At best the birds become very sticky and dirty-looking, and at the worst they become chilled. It is remarkable, however, how seldom the worst does happen, so long as the hover has a good reserve of heat. Another frequently-made mistake is to dilute the separated milk or to offer water with it. .Such a course will not give good results, especially with young birds. They require all the milk they cian drink. In the normal course they will consume a greater quantity of milk than they would of water; this is all to the good. If the amount of milk available is limited, it should be given to the youngest chickens, without any water, starting at two days old. When they outgrow the supply they should be changed to a ration designed for use without milk, and the milk should be diverted to the next batch. It is not generally desirable to combine the use of a limited amount of milk with other protein supplements for birds at the same time. After the cockerels have been removed, it will be found that the pullets will thrive well if offered water to drink, as well as separated milk; but to ensure that the salt supply is adequate, it is advisable to include half a pound of salt to each cwt. of mash. “There is only one way in which milk can be actually harmful to young chicks,” Mr. Prentice concludes, “and that is as the result of a lack of reasonable cleanliness. Ordinary scouring, difficult to prevent in hot weather, is not in the least harmful, but if dirty fountains are continually replenished without cleaning, the milk will become putrid in a short time, and there is no poison more fatal to young chickens than this. Separated milk used in conjunction with cereals, will be found the nearest approach to the perfect ration for chick-rearing.”

Treatment of Sealy Leg. “I have a number of comparatively young birds affected with scaly leg” writes a correspondent “R. Mac-D.,” who asks.: (1) The cause of scaly legs in poultry and (2) the best treatment for same.’’

Scaly leg is caused by a minute parasite which breeds under the scales of a fowls legs, giving the bird a most unsightly appearance. A few applications of a mixture of equal parts of sulphur and lard (or good dripping without salt) liquefied with kerosene to the consistency of thick oil will usually cure the trouble. If scaly leg is neglected a few affected birds can quickly spread it through a flock. If the birds' legs are in a very bad condition, they should be soaked in warm soapy water and any loose matter should be removed by scrubbing with n soft nail brush and the ointment then applied. The mixture should be rubbed well up under the scales and the treatment may have to be repeated several times at intervals of a week or ten days before the unsightly old scales fall off and new ones take their place. Houses should be thoroughly cleaned at the time of the first treatment, particular care being taken to scrub the perches and all crevices. If the wood-work is creosoted, so much the better. Perfect cleanliness, in the birds’ quarters is the best preventive of scaly leg. It is a fairly common practice to paint with kerosene the legs of birds suffering from scaly leg, but if after such treatment fowls are noticed to be going lame or down on the legs, scaling above the hock-joint should be suspected. It the kerosene does not get above the hockjoint on to the skin, no trouble occurs, but it is difficult to prevent the kerosene spreading up as well as down.

Age of Breeding Stock. In mating fowls it is preferable that the female be older than the male, says Mr. Angus E. 11. Cameron, F.8.5.A., manager International Egg-Laying Contest, Western Canada. Experiments have shown that this gives the most satisfactory results. The male should be mature and not less than nine months old. The female may be any age so long as her eggs arc fertile. If aged, she may not lay many eggs, but such eggs will be valuable if she was a good layer as a pullet. For breeding purposes the quality of the eggs is more important than the quantity. Pullets that lire immature should on no account be used in the breeding pen. In breeding for increased egg-produc-tion, it has been shown that the male transmits his qualities to his daughters and the female, her qualities to her sons. Thus the sons of particularly good layers are valuable, because they are able to pass on the fecundity of their mother to their daughters. If a heavy laying hen produces five sons and each of these. sons has five daughters there is every likelihood that in two generations 25 high layers will have been obtained from the original hen. Thus the importance of the male in the breeding pen can be seen, since both good and bad qualities can be transmitted in the same way.. Also, the prepotent son of the high-laying hen is likely to produce daughters of good laying ability even when mated to inferior hens. It must not lie inferred that there is a total lack of inheritance in this respect between daughters and dam or between sons and sire, hut it is more evident between daughters and sire or sons and dam.

The Comb as a Health Index. The comb of a fowl is an excellent external index as to the health of the bird. A bright red comb is a sign of health. A pale comb at once suggests that all is not well. It may come from many causes, but principally from anaemia. A shrivelled comb is usually an indication of cessation of egg production, and it. may be caused by lack of exercise or lack of green feed, the strain of the moulting period, or from inactivity of the kidneys. A black comb may arise from indigestion, unsuitable feeding, or most common, the derangement of the

liver. A pale yellow comb is also a sure sign of liver trouble. How deep the trouble suggested by the condition of the comb may be is for the poultry-keeper to fathom, but in many eases an iron tonic or a dose of salts will put matters right if the trouble is attended to before it has become deep-seated.

Avoid Rough Handling. After a ben has laid an egg she will, it left to herself, remain on the nest for a time during which her internal mechanism is gradually getting back to normal and being prepared to evacuate the next egg in the normal course. It sometimes happens that a hen having laid, is scared off the nest or is unceremoniously bundled off by a careless attendant. Such treatment is liable to injure the delicate internal machinery of the bird and the next egg instead of dropping into the eggffunnel, may drop into the abdominal cavity where it will set up irritation, which will soon develop into peritonitis.

To Prevent Toe-Picking. A writer in the South African Poultry Magazine gives the following easy and inexpensive method of preventing toepicking among chickens, a trouble largely due to want of occupation on the part of the chicks: —“Place a number of empty cigarette, or other fairly fiat boxes—if possible highly coloured —in the runs where the chickens exercise. In a few minutes most of the chickens will be busy picking at the boxes, making a noise like a miniature ship-building yard. They never seem to tire of the game. The boxes should be changed when they get dirty.”

Chick Mash Must be Fresh. Stale mash should never be fed to chickens. The mash should be mixed fresh eaeh time it is given, and any surplus should be fed to adult birds. Any mash left in the wet-mixed state very soon starts to ferment and this fermentation upsets the baby chicks internal organs. There is a tendency to assume that fermentation is not likely to take place in cold weather, but aft a safety measure it is best never to use left-over mash for chicks whether the weather is cold or hot.

How Chicks Contract Chills. Generally speaking it is less the actual cold that is the cause of chills when chickens are going through the brooder stage, than iu crowding which takes place with the chicks seeking to become comfortably warm or perhaps more correctly, the spreading out which follows after the crowding. Such is the opinion of Mr Jas. Hadlington, formerly New South Wales Government poultry expert, who adds:—“lmagine the centre of, say, 100 baby chickens —and the more there are the worse the conditions —which have packed together for warmth, when, at the first break of dawn, following their natural instinct, they move toward to the light, stil wet with the condensed moisture on their bodies, the result or having been packed together ( sweated as we eay), Is it any wonder they become chilled? , Many operators of brooders are scared that their brooders should become too hot; what they should fear more is that they become too cool. There is, in fact, little to be afraid of in the overheating at the centre if only the brooder is so constructed, or large enough, that the chickens can withdraw to a cooler zone without losing contact with the main body of the radiated warmth, because it this happens, crowding will result there. For this reason operators should beware of any impediment to the withdrawal or re-entry of the chicks to the warmer zone. The point is that chicks will spread or close up during the night hours in order to be just comfortable. The dropping of a curtain too low so that it can be trod upon will often cause a block such as mentioned, and the chickens will be found outside the brooder. Sometimes even an inch of an abrupt rise in the floor at the entrance of the brooder will result iu the same thing. Then again, in big aggregations of chickens run in one brooder, the inner ring or group will sometimes become too hot, but cannot spread out because of the pressure of the outer rings, which are perhaps too cold. When, however, things become too uncomfortable a change of places will occur, and the overheated chicks will be forced into a cold zone. When all this is properly understood, little imagination is necessary to realise the result.

Mixing Wet Mash. 1 useful hint to remember when mixing up buckets of wet mash, says a. w-riter in the official organ of the Scientific Poultry 'Breeders’ Association (England), is to’ put the water in first, and the mash, on top. It. will be found a much easier and quicker way of mixing than putting the mash in first and then, pouring the water on. It also does the job more efficiently, leaving no drj- unmixed patches at the bottom of the bucket. If a whole bucket of wet mash is to be mixed, pour iu about a third of a bucket of water and then almost fill up with mash, adding more water or mash to obtain the desired consistency.

General Notes. Overcrowding is- one ot the greatest evils in chicken rearing, and apart perhaps from insufficient warmth in . the brooders, is responsible for most of the troubles met with. * * *

The most dangerous period in the life of a chicken says D. Crawford, writing in the "Canada Poultryman,” is between five and six weeks, and more chicks are stunted and ruined during this period than at any other.

Asked what he considered the greatest boon to the poultry-keeper to-day a prominent Canadian poultryman replied, “chick-sexing.” He had sold his two 1000-size brooder stoves- and bought two, each of 500 capacity. This cut his fuel bill bv 35 per cent. The sexing, he added,’ would cut bis feed bill by 50 per cent., and flic contamination of his sou by 50 per cent.

EGG-LAYING CONTEST

Massey College Results

In the egg-laying contest conducted at Massey College, the 17th week’s results are as follows: — SINGLE PENS.

Section A.—lt. M. Smith, W.L. No. 1 (5). 89; A. G. Mnmby, W.L. No. 1 (5), 87; G. E. Moody, W.L. (5), 83; Rangluru Egg Bauch, W.L. No. 3 (4), 82; Mies 11. Reddell, W.L. No. 2 (4), 81; A. G. Mumiby, W L. No. 2 (4), SO; Mrs. C. A. Stratford, W.L. (5), 78; Miss H. KeddeJl, W.L. No. 1 (4), 75; A. G. Mumby. W.L. No. 4 (41. (fl; A. A. Hoare, W.L. No. 2 (3) Bfi; R MSmith, W.L. No. 2 (5), 01; J. Reilly, W.L. No. 2 (-5). 03; -I. Reilly. W.L. No. 1 (0). 5Sr; C. L. W. Urquhart, W.L. (5), 57r; A. E. Salisbury. W.L. No. 1 (4), 53; A. A. Hoare. W.L. No. 1 (51. 52; .1. A. Annan. W.L. (I). 47; A. G. Mumby. W.L. No. 3 (1) 44: Mrs. It. B. Andrews. W.L. (4). 43: A. E Salisbury. W.L. No. 3 141. 43; Miss E. Ladd, W.L. (01, 40; Rangluru Egg Ranch. W.L. No. 1 (2), 38: I'3. B. Wainscott, W.L. (2), 37; Moreland Bros., W.L. (2) 35; M. Stephenson, W.L. (0), 34; Rangluru Egg Ranch, W.L. No. 2 (3), 32; C. H. Barker, W.L. No. 2 (5), 23; J. Mold. W.L. (0), 23; A. E. Salisbury, W.L. No. 2 (2), 17; H. Polson, W.L. (O), 12; F. H. Paddy, Min. (0), 3r. Section B.—A. E. Salisbury, A.O. No. o RD, 98; T. Dowthwaltc, 8.0. No. 2 (6), 97; T. Dowthwaltc, 8.0. No. 3 (0), 95; ,T. It. Sutton, A.O. (5), 93; It. Feist, R.I.R. No. 2 (0). 110; Norman Ross, 8.0. (3), 87: John 'Walker. A.O. (5), 84; F. Seymour. B. (3), 82; T. Dowthwaltc, 8.0. No. 1 (3) 80; A. E. Salisbury, A.O. No. 1 (4), 78; A. E. Salisbury. A.O. No. 2 (57. 63; Mrs. Norman Ross, A.O. (0), 53: W. A.

Larsen, A.O. (5), s'-’; K. M. bmith I>.o. (5), 52: It. Feist, R.I.R. No. 1 («). 48; G. A. Edge. R.I.K. (0), 15; J- D- Rowlauds, 1t.1.1t. (4), 35. teams results. Section C (All. W.1,.). F. -Ecob., No. 1: 72, 43, &S, 33, 33, 64 (Lo), 33*3 F. Ecob., No. 2: 61, 43, 2S, 71, 72, 53 (21), Argyle Poultry Fann: 64, 60, 51, 39, 38, 62 (13). 314. „ , _ _ E. B. Wainscott: 57, 47, 21, 53, *7, uS l/w. Urquhart: 36, 58, 61, 73, 38, Graham: 49, 59, 66, 30, 47, 40 (12), 291. Cotswold Poultry Farm: 31. 34, 49, 74, 20, 33 (10), 241. S. G. Batten: 24, 35, 13, iO, 3u, i>4 u), 231. Ralph Forlong: 16d, 27, 31, 62, 57, 28 (18), 221. S. D. Morris: 39, 2S, 21, 54, 23, 54 (7), 219. M. Stephenson: 17, 69, 38, 17, 42, 18 (3), E. AV. Thompson: 29, 19, 53, 43, 16r, 19 (11). 179. Penrose Poultry Farm: 40, 38, 11, 45, 14r, 28 (14), 176. Mrs. G. E. Sewell: 31, 31, 52, 32, 24, b Wilson: 13, 23, 29, 23, 41. 36 (13). 105. J. T. Hazelwood: 25, 26, 3, 21, 23, 48 (U), 146. D. M. Peek: 7, 14, 61, 1, 11. 47 (4). 141. Mrs. B. B. Andrews: 14, 31, 21, 17, 27 20r (20), 130. J J. Faulkner: 43, 39, 15, 11, 6, 16 (12), 130. Miss H. Keddeli: 22, 42, 20, 2, 14, 29 (13), 129. A. E. Salisbury: 36, 28, 25, 0. 0. 39 (2), 128. A. J. Dudson: 20, 39, 10, IT, 21, 14r (10), I_ H. Polson: 36, 19, Ir, 33, 19, 0 (9), 108. Section D. Mrs. D. M. Waddell, B.O.: 89, 76, 43, 55, 73. 40 (10), 376. Cotswold Poultry Farm, A. 0.: 79, 55, 76,' 42, 79. 17 (13), 348. J. B. Duthie, R.1.K.: 54, 69, 57, 23, 21, 90 (24). 314. J. B. Duthie, No. 1, B.O.: 38, 37, 50, 87, 18, 75 (15), 305. Luke Fletcher, B.O.: 58, 78, or, 17, 65, 48 (6), 27L F. A. Dewhurst, R.1.R.: 27, 71, 36,- 60, 52, 21 (10), 267. A. E. Salisbury, A. 0.: 51, 84, 56, 37, 9, 29r (16), 260. W. A. Larsen, A. 0.: 44. 49, 46, 15, 55, 40 (21), 249. Bliss Bros., R.1.K.: 40. 15, 59, 36. 34. 54 (18), 244. A. Thomson, A. 0.: SI. 30, 10, 17, 46, 34 (10), 227. J. B. Duthie, No. 2, B.O.: 51, 32. 50, 8, 47. 23 (6), 211. Mrs. R. Willets, B.O.: 40, 3, 42, 49, 56, 15 (9). 205. W. • Fletcher, A. 0.: IT, 32, 39, 12, 3S. 37 (8). 175. I. J. Grose, B.O.: 28, 12, 11, 18, 20, 28 (16), 117. G. A. Edge, R.1.R.: 9. 12, 34, 33, 8, 10 (15), 112. “r” Replacement.

Taranaki Competition The seventeenth week of the Taranaki Egg-laying Competition Society's ninth competition resulted as follows:— White Leghorns.—M. L. Williams, 5—75; 5— SO; 6—91. Emery Bros.. 4—54; 5—79; M„ O—4S. D. M. Peek. 5—92: 5—82 ; 4—62. E. B. Wainscott, 5—S3; 5—82; 0 —94. M. Stephenson, 5—68; 5—73; 5—87. Cotswold Poultry Farm, 5—75; 6—94; 5—52; The Pines Poultry Farm, 4—-70 : 4—60 : S—GO. Mrs. A. W. Revell, 4—92: 5—69; 6—89; Mrs. R. R. Cannon, 0—90: 4—06; 3—50. C. L. W. Uhquhart, 6—99 : s—Bl : 5—87. Moreland Bros., 5—84; 4—81; 5—50. C. L. Young, a—4l. Excelsior Poultry Farm. 3—72. D. Kruse, 5—70. Miss E. Ladd, 5—90. F. S. Phillips. 4—74. Brown Leghorns.— Hall Bros., 5—56; 4—17; 5—39. G. C. Harding, 5—37. W. Busby, 5—19. Minorcas.—J. Carlton, 5—23. W. Sellars, 6—

Anconas. —D. Kruse, 4—37. Australorps.—J. H. Sutton, 7—S9; 5—19; 5—79. W. A. Larsen, 6—03; o— —10; M., o—l 7, Mrs. I. M. Playle, o—B2. Miss M. Playle, o—7. Mrs. R. IL Rayuor, 0—43. Orpingtons.—Mrs. F. A. Warren, 7— 98; 5— 0-46. Mrs. D. M. Waddell, 6-83; 6— 92; 6 —85. Miss D. Swadllng, 5—70. A. H. Nicholson, 4—16. Miss E. Ladd, 4—47. Rhode Island Reds. —J. H. Sutton, 4 —46. W. Sellars, 4—31. Mrs. W. O. Gould, 6—61. C. C. Cleaver. 4—38. Sussex.—Miss D. Playle, 5—30. DUCKS. Fawn and White Indian Runners.—H. 11. Melville, 6—14; 6—31; 6—21. Thos. Dowthwaite, 7—77; 6—58; 7—60. L. P. James, 7— —O5; o—r-7; 7—89. Khaki Campbell,—C. A. Stratford, 7 —52. LIGHT BREEDS: THREE-BIRD TEAMS.

Total Weekly to 12 3 Ttl. date AL L. Williams. W.L. .. 3 Emery Bros., W.L 4 5 0 16 240 ft 0 9 131 D. M. Peek. W.L 5 3 4 14 23H E. B. Wainscott, W.L. . 5 it 5 13 250 M. Stephenson. W.L. .. 5 O 6 1ft 228 Cotswold P. Farm, W.L. 5 ■The Pines P.F., W.L. .. 4 6 t> 16 221 4 o 13 202 Mrs. A. IV. Kevell, W.L. 4 5 6 13 2.x) Mrs. R. R. Cannon, W.L. 6 4 3 13 206 C. L. W. Urquhart. W.L. 6 ij IB 2(17 Moreland Bros., W.L. .. 5 4 o 14 Hall Bros., B.L. ...... 5 4 o 14 142 HEAVY BREEDS. •T. H. Sutton, Aus 7 5 5 17 217 W. A. Larsen. Aus. .... 6 o 0 11 110 Mrs. F. A. Warren, 0. .. 7 o 0 12 199 Mrs. D. M. Waddell, O. 6 6 G 18 290 DUCKS. H. II. Melville 6 6 6 IS 60 Thos. Dowtliwaite 7 6 7 20 195 L. P. Jamee 7 0 7 14 161 M.. moulting.