POULTRY NOTES

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 66, 10 December 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

Summer Colds Mean Economic Loss

IMPORTANCE OF PROPER FEEDING

(By

N EW LAND.)

The occurrence of colds in Hucks of growing ehicker.w, where ventilation does not appear til fault and the birds are not overcrowded, is often difficult to account for. Many poultrykeepers are faced with this problem during the summer months, and would give much Io find a way out.

Summer eoldts have a very serious debilitating effect, and cost the farmer a great deal in the loss of stamina and vitality of his birds. Growing pullets, particularly of the age of four to six months, need all their powers of resistance to tide them over the "puberty” period, when they seem most susceptible to disease and worm infection. Such tire the views of Gordon Guttridge in •'leathered World.” Mr. Guttridge adds: “It needs to be remembered that the effect of colds or catarrh may be even more serious than the actual cold itself. The loss to the industry caused by colds and catarrh must amount to a large sum each year—a heavy toll the poultryfarmer can ill-afford. I have mentioned the word ‘catarrh,’ but 1 rather want to differentiate between the catarrh associated more with growing chickens in intensive rearing plants than with the common cold of the range-reared stock. The former if? more the result of faulty brooding and insufficient ventilation in intensive rearing houses, and is usually more chronic than acute, like the latter. 1 will leave the subject of catarrh in intensive brooding and deal with colds as they affect growing stock on range. “If dry mash is being fed, change over to wet-mash feeding when colds are present. There is much less risk of spreading disease amongst the stock that is free by doing this. Colds spread very rapidly from fowl to fowl through the dry mash, as can be easily imagined. Permanganate of potash added to the drinking water will sometimes help in cheeking the spread of colds, but water so treated sliould be changed at least daily, as oxidisation takeg place very quickly. Use as much permanganate of potash crystals as will lie on a sixpence for each gallon of water. “Spraying the fowls in their houses at night will also be found beneficial. Commercial formaldehyde is quite effective, and has the merit of being inexpensive. Use a 2 per cent, solution for this purpose, and spray every night for a week. It is difficult to advise, the amount to spray into each house, but care should be taken not to overdo it. With a fine vapour spray, five to ten seconds’ spraying will usually be found sufficient. The Nutrition Factor.

“Having suggested these one or two remedies, I want to stress the necessity of finding the cause and not relying upon remedies which, at the best, can only be palliatives. Coining in contact with cases of summer colds year by year, I incline more than ever to the View that a large number of outbreaks are due to nutritional deficiencies. To what extent growing chicks are predisposed to colds as a result of inherited weakness, I am quite unable to say. That this factor has some influence I feel quite sure, but no useful purpose can be served here by speculating upon its probability. “Correct nutrition, I feci sure, plays a very important part in the maintenance of ‘cold'-free growing stock. A sufficient supply of vitamin A seems essential if normal growth and health are to be maintained. The chief sources of vitamin A, as far as we are aware, are fresh greenfeed of all kinds, maizemeal, and cod-liver oil. Youngsters running on good grassland should not, therefore, suffer from any deficiency. But I think it is not sufficiently appreciated that fowls do not relish coarse, long grass, preferring all the time the short, fresh shoots. The addition of from 1 to 2 per cent, cod-liver oil to the mash, or,, better still, to the grain feed, will help in such circumstances. I have more faith in c. 1.0. as a remedy for colds than in anything else, for it does appear to build up resistance. One other point on the nutritional side; the poor quality of many growers’ mashes. The old idea that chicks can be reared through the growing stage on starvation rations dies hard. To rear during the early stages on a rich formula and then change over to a badly-balanced and over-bulky growing ration is, indeed, asking for trouble. Pullets cannot be ‘kept back’ at this stage. If the ‘keeping back’ rations are,fed during the first stages of rearing they can probably be continued right through, but it does not work the reverse way.” Flock Registration Fees. Revenue received from fees for the registration of poultry flocks for each of the four years since the establishment of -the board, has been as follows, accordiii" to the annual report of the New Zealand Poultry Board: — 10344.905 £2724 1935- £-’505 1936- £2398 1937- £2412 Commissions .paid to the P. and T. Department for the collection of fees, adds the report, amounted to £294, leaving a net revenue of £2llB. . . . Under Section 10 of the Act, the board is charged with the responsibility of organizing.and developing the .poultry industry, and is officially recognized as the mouthpiece of the industry. To efficiently carry out its obligations, it would be essential for the board members to keep in close touch with poultrykeepers in every part of the Dominion’ where the industry is curried on to a material extent, and to take an active part in their affairs and in the deliberations of poultry organizations in general. Through lack of adequate finance, it is not possible for the board to efficiently function in respect to these matters, nor to fully ' exercise its influence in the direction of bringing about a satisfactory degree of unity and coordination amongst .poultrykeepers on matters of major importance to the industry.’’ The report urges, that provision should be made for an increase in the board’s funds, either in connexion with legislation dealing with the marketing of eggs, or in such other ways as may be deemed most expedient. . The annually-recurring reduction in the number of poultry runs registered, says the report has been due to a fallingoff in the number of flocks of fewer than 100 birds. For the past year flocks of 500 head or more, showed an actual increase of 19 registrations, compared with the previous year. New Zealand Birds For Japan.

A <‘ons*ignmeut of six White Leghorn coelwrcis from the farm of . the we’lknowu Christchurch breeder, Mr, T. S. Dove, was shipped Io .Japan. last month. The birds, which were ‘hatched I. were selected from a Hock of 250 .b,y Messrs. Nrigura and Ottawa, the two. Japanese chick-scxers who have been opera ting in the South Island thiw sva--son. flaw Onions a Useful Tonic.

Raw onions a« a tonic for young and old atock .ire not used aa much as they could be. For feeding to growing birds they should be put Hi rough a mincer, allowing the viiioiiN and juice to droii iliri’ctiy into the mash; for adult fowl.- the oniona can be put in a box and chopped up with a apade. Fowls of ail agca will cat raw onions* by themselves, or in the mash. About 21b. of onioiw Per HA) adult fowls Should be allowed. Raw oniona, given three times a week for two weeks, also act as a worm medicine, but in this ease allow 41b. per 100 adult fowls.—“ Poultry.” Seagulls Destroy Eggs.

Complaint hae been made to the Poultry Board that seagulls Rave been destroying eggs, particularly duck egas, laid in the open, in certain areas of the Auckland province, and asking the board’s cooperation in a request Hint regulations protecting the gulls be lifted in ouch cases.

'l'he matter was referred by the beard to the Minister of Internal Afiair»s, who replied that, from inquiries made, it appeared that the offending birdc-J were black-backed gulls, which could be de-

stroyed, as they are not protected under the A ill-mils Pro lection a .id Game Act.

Australorp Standard. The standards committee of the Poultry Club of England, at a meeting on October 14. considered a request received from the New Zealand Judges’ Board lor the deletion of the Australorp from its Book of Standards.

The Australorp Club, says “Poultry World.” claimed the retention of the Australorp art a separate breed, pointing out that the Poultry Club had refused originally to accept it as an Orpington, but had approved it as a separate breed and accepted tlie standard. It contends that the standard adopted varied from that of tile Orpington by calling for a racier and more closely-feathered type of fowl. Through its honorary secretary the Old Type Orpington Club supported the New Zealand Judges' Board’s claim to alter the name Australorp to Utility Black Orpington. It regretted the Poultry Club’s policy, which it alleged was short-sighted, in allowing the original imported fowls to be given a separate breed name. When first imported from Australia the club contended that the fowls were identical with the late Win. Cook’s utility Black Orpingtons. It accepted the fact, however, that there were three types of fowls imported, and that (he Australorp Club had taken the smallest and raciest one, bred for egg-production rather than table qualities. It was doubtful, therefore, whether this particular stamp was the Orpington. The Buff Orpington Club ami the White Orpington Club replied that they were not concerned with the controversy. The etandards committee agreed upon the retention of the Australorp in the standards as a separate breed, and decided to send a suitable reply to that effect to the New Zealand Judges’ Board. EGG-LAYING CONTESTS Massey College Results Following are the results for the thirtysixth week of the egg-laying contest being conducted at Massey College:— SINGLE PENS. Section 13.— Mrs. R. Willers, 8.0. (61, 224 x; L. Mason, R.1.R., No. 2 (5), 214; IV. A. Larsen. A.O. ((>), 210; K. Mullins. R.T.R. (0). 191: L. Mason, R.1.R.. No. 1 (0). 188; S. T. Bason. Lang., No. 1 (.3), 175; S. T. Wilkinson, R.T.R. (0), 175; E. 11. Berger, B. (4), 167; S. T. Bason, Lang.. No. 3 (0), 162: Mrs. M. M. Chapman. WAV. (3), 156; S. T. Bason, Lang., No. 2 (6) 146; J. D. 8.0. (4), 113. ' Section A—F. S. Allen, W.L., No. 4 (0), 219 x; ,T. A. Annan, W.L. (5), 214: F. S. Allen, W.L., No. 3 (6), 213; Ancona Stud, Poultry Farm, W.L. (6), 207; A. G. Mumby, W.L., No. 2 ( 0), 202; Mrs. M. M. Chapman, W.L., No. 1 (2), 194; A. G Muniib-y, W.L., No. 3 (5). 194; A. G. Miniiliv. W.L.. No. 1 (2). ISO; W. F. Stent. WJ,., No. 2 (6), 180 F F. S. Allen, W.L.. No. 1 (5). 179 x; If. S. Allen, W.L., No. 2 (0), 17S; T. E. Ker, W.L., No. 2 (6), 178; P. Mumnwrv, Min. (4), 177: A. G. Mumby, W.L.. No. 4 (4). 166, F. Ecob, W.L., No. .1 (5), 164; Mrs. ar. M. Chapman. W.L.. No. 2 (0). 163; F. Ecob. W.L., No. 4 14), 103: A. A. Iloare, W.L., No. 2 (6). 158; A. A. Hoare. W.L., No. 1 -(O), 150; F. Ecob, W.L., No. 2 13). 144: 11. Polson. W.L. (2). 139: F. Ecob, W.L.. No. 3 (5) 136: W. F. Stdnt, W.L., No. 3 (0). 128; W. F. Stent, W.L., No. 1 (0), 101; T. E. Ker, W.L., No. 1 (5), 94r. TiEIAIMS RESULTS. Section D. W. A. Larsen, A. 0., 209, 204 , 223, 192, 196. 213 135), 1237. G. A. Edge, R.1.R., 191, 115 d, 196, 221, 177, 156 d .(10), 1062. 15. W. Stephenson, A. 0., 173, 191. IS2, 159, 165, 176 x (24), 1046. L. G. Hooper, 8.0., 156, 160. x, 130, 196, 195, 164 (CO), 1007. .Miss E. T. .Somer, R.1.R., 123 x, 140, 182, 183, 15»x, 159 (20), 94(1. Section C. ,T. Wilson. TV.L., 196. ISS, 215. 211, 190, 203 (34), 1203. F. S. Allen. W.L., 205, lS2x, 208, 209 x, IS2, ISO (21), 1168. J. Alold. W.L., 170, 198, 193 x, 187, 192, 185 (33), 1125. ■Cotewold, P. F., W.L., 159 d, 150 r, 198, 196. 197, 214 (25), 1114. 11. A. Lucas, W.L., 222, 190. 195, 179 r, 161. 14.5(1 (23). 1092. F. Ecob. M'.L., 220. 135 r, 175, 191, 186, 177 (32), 1081. I “r,” replace bird; "x,” disqualifled eggweight clause; “d.'.’ idl’d dead.