POULTRY ROTES

Evening Star, Issue 17034, 3 May 1919, Page 3

POULTRY ROTES

Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to “ Minorca/' Poultry Editor, 'Star’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. "Minorca” will only answer communications through this column, ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. W.Q.G.” —'See remarks on this trouble in this week’s notea, also give Douglas Mixture as directed. Occasionally 3|t happens that pullets which have been laying for some time lose the use of their legs. They have what is known as layers’ cramp. Pullets so attacked are usually the best layers in the yard, so they should be treated at once, with a view to getting them on their feet again. These birds, apart from the symptoms mentioned, usually show no other sign of illness; indeed 1 , more often than not they look the picture of health, and their appetites are excellent. _ Immediately a pullet is observed to sit when feeding, and to show signs of leg weakness, slse should be placed by herself in a warm, dry coop, on the floor of which is a good bed of soft litter. Her legs should also be placed in hot water (care being taken that it is not too hot) for a few minutes, wiped dry, and then well rubbed with a good embrocation. As regards diet, soft food should be withheld, and oats and wheat fed night and morning, together with an abundance, of fresh green food. The late monitor is usually a quick monitor, and will be found one of the best birds to breed from, out if she is not wanted for breeding she sboul'J he kided as soon as she stops laying. Now is the time to select a cockerel to head your breeding pen, and toero is no doubt that in this connection the best is the cheapest- If your stock is already of good class, be sure that you get a cockerel from a strain quite as gocd or better if procurable, and, if possible, slightly related to your own b ds. If vour bens are not of a bred-to-iay strain, the introduction of a well-bred Cudrerel from a heavy laying strain will make a big improvement. vSecure, if possible, a cockerel bred early in September. Bee the bird selected is of good size for bis breed. A Leghorn cockerel ‘hoaid fae Letween five and six pounds. While in America, Mr Brown (of rugland) called on Mr Hogan, well known to most readers as the originator o< the Hogan system. At one of the laying contests Mr Hogan was allowed to lest each bird, and to state the numosr of eggs .t would lay. At the end of the contest the actual laying was compared with Mr Hogan’s estimates, but they were very far from the mark, showing that the system is a failure. Never run the laying stock along with birds that are being fed for the table, as the two require totally different conditions. Layers must have exercise to secure the grain, which should be thrown among litter, and should not be allowed to feed on soft food indiscriminately from troughs. If you have a few prospective table birds running with the layers, they must be fed on the same lines as the layers, even though they may not put on flesh so readily. The layers should not be placed at a disadvantage. Fowls do not perspire; they breathe several times faster than perspiring animals whan heated. They are, therefore, obliged to throw off much of the waste of the body through the lungs. It is consequently clear that to keep in good health fowls require a great amount of fresh an. When introducing a new cockerel to a flock of hens watch his behaviour for a time, and see he gets plenty of food. Some cockerels are greedy, and chase the hens away (this will often happen if the cockerel has been reared with a number of other cockerels) ; but the majority and these are usually the best breeders—are inclined to encourage the hens to feed and go without themselves. In such oases he should be taken out of the pen and be fed by himself, otherwise his condition will deteriorate, and infertile eggs or weak germs will result. The best time in a hen's life for breeding purposes is during her second laying season, when her production is still at a good rate and her physical condition should be at its highest standard. Mr Moses, who has arrived from England to take charge of Mr Lillico’s dogs, has brought with him a. trio of Old Hnglith Game. These are reported to be splendid specimens of a strain which has been in Mr Moses’s family for over half a century. It is pleasing to see new strains of birds coming to the Dominion, and no doubt others will take up the fancy, and we may see the Old English Game once more a popular bird in New Zealand.

SMALL EGGS,

AN INHERITED FACTO 11

Small eggs are known to scientific and experimental progressive poultry breeders to be due to an almost entirely inherited factor. It will, I hope, bo interesting and instructive if a few of the known results from certain matings are enumerated, as the results therefrom are almost constant. By avoiding the undesirable matings the desired goal will be reached—viz., firstgrade eggs. 1. Hens laying first-gfride eggs mated with male hatched from a first-grade egg. Results in pullet progeny are first-grade

eggs. 2. Hens laying small eggs mated with mala hatched from small egg. Results in pullet progeny are small eggs. 3. Hens laying small eggs mated with male hatched from first-grade egg. Results in pullet progeny vary from firstgrade to small eggs. 4. Hens laying first-grade eggs mated with male hatched from small egg. Results in pullet progeny are practically all small eggs. Late-hatched . pullets often lay small eggs } also pullets where ovulation commences prior to maturity. Excessive pr deficient unbalanced feeding is a very common cause. The first pullet eggs and the last eggs prior to moulting are often small and mainly temporary productions only, and need not be worried about. Experiments which were exhaustively carried out in America proved that the yolk glands {where die yolk is deposited) and the ovary (which contains the eocytes or egg bladders) are interdependent; that is to say, by feeding in certain ways either the yolk glands or the ovary could be overstimulated or under-stimulated. When this happened it was proved that Nature tried to regain a correct equilibrium by reabsorbing from the over-stimulated organ into the under-stimulated organ.