BREEDING STOCK

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 25

BREEDING STOCK

POINTS IN MANAGEMENT.

Itjis Ayell. known that domestic fowls will" deteriorate rapidly unless careful selection ;of the best breeding stock-is made !each year; both body size and egg size, will suffer, while the ability to pr.aduce.well will-most certainly, decrease; The selection of the.most suitable, breeders is an art which1 every poultry, breeder must acquire and this art cannot be acquired ,by, book lore. But not only is careful 'selection, necessary;, the., breeders when'selected require special treatment,; espepially if early chicks are 'required from adult stock.. 'The original'jungle fowl laid onlytwo'or ttjree clutches of:eggs, and these, only in- the spring when, suitable foodjto, promote• laying o| the mother and 'food for' the-y.oung. 'was available. Today'we demand-that Biddy-prpduces almost an .egg a day. ajl the; year round. Actually a flock average, 0f.'150. to ISO eggs is remarkably good, and is seldom exceeded by a flock of both pullets and adult hens. There is-some alarm today over the increased mortality rate and there can be little doubt that many factors have caused this trouble, one of which must most certainly be that of poor management of the breeding stock prior to the breeding season. It is not sufficient that a few weeks before the breeding pens are to be mated special care be taken. . Now is the time to act for next breeding season. Free range, exercise, fresh air, a long rest from laying, and an abundance of "live" -natural food will promote good breeding condition. The moult in itself is a serious business for the hen. The production of feathers is just as great a drain on her resources as the production of eggs, and if she lays eggs as well as moulting, as some good hens will do under certain conditions, then her progeny cannot be as strong as they should be. Often the high egg producing hen is blamed for weak chicks, but experiments have shown quite clearly that the better layeiv a hen is, the better usually is the fertility, the hatchability and the livability of her chicks provided that she is given half a chance. We know that there is

a danger point in breeding for high egg production. It seems that Mother Nature calls a halt at a certain point and the wise breeder knows when this point is being reached. He prevents collapse by going backwards a step or two.reintroducing extra body size, egg size and stamina. SPACE FOR FORAGING. Unfortunately it is not possible for every breeder to allow his breeding stock free range. True free range is when not more than one hundred birds are run to the acre and that acre should be a suitable acre at that. Windswept paddocks do not attract Biddy, even if they do promote robustness, which is questionable. An old.orchard, semi-native bush, lupin-covered waste lands, or well-sheltered paddocks . will give Biddy ample space for foraging even in wet and windy weather. When free range must be restricted, then care must be seen that the prospective breeders, while being kept in good health, are not at all forced for egg production. Let them get too 'fak, let them cluck and sit awhile, let them do anything that is natural and will prevent egg production. Above all, do this for as long a period before the breeding season as possible. Once eggs are required for hatching egg production can be encouraged and even if five or: six • eggs • are produced each week, these eggs will hatch "strong chicks. All of which is all very well, says the overstocked, hard-worked poultrykeeper, but the public will not pay any more for these chicks than those hatched from any old birds. Even if this, is correct, the breeder of experience will treat some of his birds ■to this special management so as to keep up the quality of his stock. The backyard poultrykeeper should get in touch with his farmer cousin and co-opt his help .by sending out to virgin country a few of his best old hens. Get these back for the breeding season and see how their chicks grow into better birds. BREEDING FOR IMMUNITY. This disease question is 1 really serious. But there is a revival today of an old school of thought that paid in the past and will pay now. Head up any old poultry book, and almost certainly you will find the advice not to breed from any fowl that has ever been sick. Experiments show that strains of fowls can be produced that are immune to common diseases. No matter how severe an epidemic may be, a few birds will escape infection, and these are the best birds to use to build up a disease-free strain. Actually our chief trouble is that most of us want too much in' too short a time. Firstly, we want a lot of eggs, then they must be large eggs. Then the birds must be strong and live and lay' well for at least two years. Lastly, we want, in most cases, birds that are true to breed type and points. Some of us. have tried to fix all of these characteristics in a few generations when older breeders hays been trying for twenty years without much success. It seems, hdwever, that today we must concentrate on this immunity business, so let us all order some red leg rings and use them for danger. If any pullet or hen shows any sign of sickness or weakness at any time, no matter how slight, slip on a red ring and take care to see that no such birds are placed in the breeding pen, no matter how desirable they may be as breeders. The best advice is, of course, to "use the axe" on these birds at once, but this might end with no birds left on the farm! Moderation in all things is advisable, and, combined with modern scientific methods of disease eradication such as blood testing for B.W.D. and ■ vaccination for fowl pox, our troubles will be overcome. COLDS IN YOUNG STOCK. Gbids have already appeared in the y««ng stock this year, and an ordinary IWrmless cold may quickly develop info roup if care is not taken. Young stock are apt to suffer from colds even under good management at two critical periods. The first is just when they are feathering up preparatory to commencing egg production, and the second is when they have laid about thirty eggs and are feeling the strain of egg production rather heavier than they expected. This latter stage is likely to be. very serious if the pullets are not well fed on a suitable ration. Quite the easiest way to ascertain if colds are present is to listen to the birds at night time. Sneezing and coughing can be heard, and a daylight examination will reveal that some nostrils are running with a thin mucous just like a' cold in a human being. .Treated at this stage and the cause removed, no serious loss of egg production will result. Treatment consists of catching each bird and wiping the mucous from the nostrils. Then dip the beak and nostrils, but not the eyes, in kerosene. Two days later catch all the birds again and wipe the nostrils and the top of the mouth with any of the mixtures which we use to relieve the breathing. At the same time, make certain that there is no fault in the management, that there is

no. overcrowding, and that all backward or weakling birds are removed from the flock for special treatment. If by chance matters have reached the roup stage, then much greater care must be used and the. passages from the nose to'the eyes must be, kept open by spraying the cleft in. the top of the mouth with a weak antiseptic. Roup is really only a neglected cold; fowl, pox is a disease, , though some consider that all such troubles are mixed together. It is a peculiar thing, but pullets . that' sleep in trees, even in stormy, weather, never catch colds! Bring them inside to intensive sheds and often colds wiH develop almost overnight. TROUBLE FROM HAWKS. Those with late-hatched chicks.still on range in country districts are experienqing trouble: from hawks. Odd chicks are taken'night: after night, and nothing can be done about it except to catch the thieves. Just, about ; this time mother hawk .is teaching her young.to hunt, and young, birds and rabbits are not as plentiful'as they were in the spring. A hawk is difficult to shoot, even. if you wait in ambush for hours, but a rabbit trap is very effective. Wait until a kill has been registered by a denuded carcase and then set the trap in the centre of some feathers, with a titbit of meat attached to the Ntrap plate. The trap is best set on the ground, but if this is too dangerous it can be placed on top of a fencing post. If on the ground several traps will sometimes catch more than one thief. Most of the hunting is done in the evenings about an hour before dusk, and most hawks have a regular "beat" over which they fly each day. In very serious cases where" the hawks are numerous, poisoning of a carcass is the most effective manner of destruction,. but great care must be taken of other livestock, and especially dogs. Losses from hawks can nearly always be traced by the remaining bones and feathers, and the head and crop is usually first. In some districts a reward is paid for hawks' feet, since the birds do considerable damage to young lambs too.