POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 17323, 10 April 1920, Page 11

POULTRY NOTES

[By UxiLrrr-FAirCTr.] Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to “ Utility-Fancy," Poultry. Editor, ‘Star’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. u Utility-Fancy " will■ only answer communications through thts column.

“Orpington.”—Scaly legs are, as tod Bay, common enough, but it is quite possible to prevent their appearance and, when it appears, to cure them. The disease is easily dealt with, particularly if taken at an early stage. Equal parts of kerosene, .vaseline, and sulphur make an excellent dressing, aid the application of this daily for a week will general!v effect a core in mild cases. When it lias obtained a hold the removal is more dix- » ficult. Soak the feet and shanks in moderately warn water, then scrub with a nail brush, using plenty of soap. Apply kerosene and sulphur daily, repeating the washing before each application. The pre : verifion is, of course, the better plan to follow-, and the strict exclusion of all affected birds, whether as breeding ’stock or setters and mothers, will do much towards minimising the complaint. I may add that as a consequence of daily application of kerosene to the perches for the purpose of destroying vermin, I have entirely eradicated scale—or, as it is sometimes called, elephantiasis—from my own birds. Air Brown, the chief Government poultry expert, during his visit to Dunedin to attend the New Zealand Utility Poultry Association Conference, spoke of the use which could be made of lucerne in feeding poultry, and referred to experiments made at Milton to see if it could not be substituted for wheat. Four pens were set up:—No. 1, of White Leghorns, to he fed with Pollard, bran, maize, meat, meal, and wheat; No. 2, of Brown Leghorns, to . be fed with lucerne meal, bran, maize, meat meal, ancl wheat; No. 3 (White Leghorns), pollard, bran, maize, meat meal, oats, and lucerne; No. 4 (Brown Leghorns), lucerne, meal, maize, meat meal, and oats. It will be noticed that only No. 4 pen was deprived of wheat in any form, either in whole grain pollard or bran. Result;—• S_. I'd T3 • t> « 5 - Q S Pen tog « u p u S 5 & P-i 1 1,438 7s 3d 1.26 2 1,463 7s -3d 1.29 3 1,453 7s 7d 1.19 4 1,449 7s 7d 1.26 The foregoing shows, not that lucerne and oats are better as food than wheat and its poducts, but that the last-men-tioned can be done without if prices make it desirable. The average price for wheat in 1916 was 5s 6d the bushel, and for oats 3s sd, and at present it is 9s 6d for wheat and 6s for oats.; but, though the prices of the two commodities have both risen since the test was made, it will be seen that practically, now as then, they are the same price per lb, there being 601bs to the bushel of wheat, and 401bs to the bushel of oats. As regards lucerne it is, commercially, practically unprocurable. Lucerne, however, can be grown in any back garden, and a very small plot suffices for the requirements of a small flock. It should be sown in rows so that it can be kept clear of weeds. It can be cut •three of four times a. year, and the last crop can be preserved for winter use,. Good as lucerne is for poultry, being actually an egg-making food, it does not I do away with the necessity of giving the more succulent cabbage and other greens, which, although not egg-making, are necessary for health. Speaking of the quality of show birds in England, Lieut.-colonel James, who recently arrived in Melbourne, says that English fanciers are now “ going mad ” over Rhode Island Reds, and wonderful displays of this breed are on view at all shoVs. He says that White Wyandottes draw great crowds at the Dairy Show, and it was, difficult at times to get near the pens; they made'” a lovely show, and 1 were greatly admired. The “ fancy ” is just as strong as ever, and great prices are being paid for the best. The trio of Buff Orpingtons secured • by Lieut.colonel James cost about £SO. Those who intend hatching next season by the aid of artificial means will hear a gi-eat deal more about the temperature required and how to regulate it; but about humidity they will hear very little, though it is of real importance. Some of the leading manufacturers of incubators are prepared to supply—at a price—instruments which are known as “wet” and “ dxy ” bulb thermometers, but few purchase them. Anyone can contrive one of these for himself, and should do so, particularly if there is more than one incubator xn the same chamber. The only requiiements are two ordinary thermometers, a bottle of water, and a lamp wick. The wick should extend from the water to the bulb of one of the thermometers, and be twisted round it, with the result that, continually kept®wet, it becomes a web bulb thermometer. This thermometer ..will always give a lower reading in the incubator chamber —i.e , in the room in which the incx bators are kept—than will the dry one alongside it, and it is a calculation based on the difference between the two readings which shows tlxe atmospheric condition as regards moisture in the room in which the incubators are placed. It is easy to show how necessary this information is. In New Zealand the average normal humidity of the atmosphere is 80 per cent., and it may fall as low as 50 -per cent. Over the octan it averages 90 per cent., and over desert land 20 per cent. Now, it is easy to believe that the incubator room must resemble neither desert nor ocean conditions—i.e., be either too dry or too moist. Neither should the incubator room resemble, as regards moisture content, a mountain-top enveloped in mist—i.e., be at the point of saturation (100 per cent.); or the same locality on a clear day, when the humidity may be as low as 5 per cent. _ The inside of the incubator room, notwithstanding the ever-burxiing lamp or lamps and other conditions tending to dry the atmosphere, should be kept as much like >.he normal outside air as possible, and if this is achieved it will average between 60 and 80 per cent. It may be as well to explain here that the percentage given is not the amount of water actually in the air, but the percentage of yvhat the air at any given temperature is .'"’capable of containing. For instance, saturation is represented as 100; consequently 80 per cent, means that before a-mist would be produced there must be 20 per cent, more water. Dry air "by absorbing the-moisture from the' albumen and hardening the membrane of the egg it an. almost physical impossibility for. the chick to extricate itself

from the shell, even supposing it should bo fortunate enough to live to reach that ■stage. A sufficient degree of humidity to prevent this abstraction of moisture is desirable, but no more. Air is capable of holding a certain quantity of moisture in solution, which varies with the temperature. When .the temperature is constant the amount of vapor will be the same if the air is charged to the extent of its capacity. A surplus would be injurious to uhe eggs. The following table, supplied by the Cyphers Incubator Company, "shows (1) the possible reading of a dry-bulb thermometer, _ (2) of a wet-bulb * thermometer (indicating 60 per cent, of moisture), and (3) a wet-bulb thermometer wading which indicates 80 per cent. By the aid of this table and the thermometer’s arranged as described in the foregoing any poultryman should easily be able io ascertain approximately valuable information regarding the humidity of the air in his incubator room. Experts are, I believe, pretty well agreed that it is better to provide suitable air through the ventilators of an incubator than to try to regulate it by means of water-pans within the incubator itself, _ the theory being that a dry current of air will dry eggs notwithstanding the presence of stagnant moisture. If the humidity in the Incubator room gets below 60 per cent., it should be realised that the qir is thirsty, and that it will rob the eggs'of their moisture unless its condition is rectified, and this can best be done by putting a vessel of water in the room and keeping it there, replenished as found necessary, until the humidity exceeds 80 per cent. The following is the scale referred to: " Dry bulb. Wet bulb. Wet bulb, thermometer. 60 per cent. 80 per cent. Degress. Degrees. Degrees. 105 .... 92 ... V 105 ... SO ... 97 100 ... 88 ... 94 95 83 ... 89 90 ... 78 ... 85 85 ... ’ 74 ... 80 80 ... 70 ... *75 75 ... 65 71 -0 ... 61 # ... 66 65 ... 57 ... 61 60 - 52 ... 56 . 55 ... 48 ... 52 50 ... 44 ... 47 . 45 ... 40 ... 42 40 ... o5 ... 38 The ipoultryman who expects winter eggs from immature or stunted pullets is going to be badly disappointed. It requires good food, good care, and a goad, steady growth from shell to maturity to develop winter layers. The really good prices for pullets show clearly that, the high prices now ruling for eggs have made many breeders regret that they curtailed their breeding last season. They have paid more for the pullets at auction than it would have cost them to rear chicks of their own stock to laying age; and it is to be hoped that this experience will impress the fact that by the aid of co-operation—i.e., egg circles —the cost of feed is not such a vital matter as it used to be, seeing that tho product—eggs—can be and lias been regulated in _ accord therewith. This is one point in favor of co-operation. It inspires confidence in its members, and not only encourages continuance in the industry, out warrants expansion. It is also, that the auction sales referred to in the foregoing paragraph indicate _ that the prevailing high prices charged for eggs have led a number of people to recognise that it is worth their while to keep a few fowls, and thus be independent of the graters, so far ns eggs are concerned. If so, it will be all to the good, as a great deal of what now goes to waste from the household will be turned to profitable account. Abrasions or superficial wounds of the skin or mucous membrane—scratches or skin rubbed off in . shreds—are not oiten serious injuries unless allowed to become fouled with droppings or diseased matter. If neglected, abscess or ulcer may result. Treatment: Bathe the wound with warm water. If the wound is dirty, cleanse thoroughly _ with soap and water! If there is much inflammation, keep the wound in a hot water bath for halt an hour. The water should be as hot as can be borne by the hand immersed above the wrist. After bathing, dry and apply either the powder or ointment following; —Powder.— Powdered boric acid, .1 ounce. Salicylic acid, 3 grains. Dust on wound after cleansing. —Ointment.— Powdered boric acid, 1 drachm. Vaseline, 1 ounce. Sig.—Use as ointment after cleansing wound.

Keep the injured bird in a clean coop with no roost, bed with clean litter, and dress wound daily if necessary. This treatment may be applied to all ordinary superficial sores, cuts, or scratches. Ihe Rev, Peter Green, Canon of Manchester, writing to the ‘ Manchester Guardian’ on January 23 last, on the subject of clerical incomes, gives several illustrations of the manner in which clergymen add to their means by poultry-keeping, gardening, etc. One letter he quotes irom a Hereford incumbent reads: “The fact that 1 and my wife iiave to work in our garden (not that we do, but that we have to, or starve) is a real bond of union between us and our people. They feel that we are one with them. When we meet them there is no talk on the familiar lines of ‘ Why weren't you in church, Mrs Smith?’ We talk about birds and blight and potato disease, and Mrs Smith, who feels that our life is her life and our troubles her troubles, comes to church all the better for it. So you see there is good coming out of evil.” The evil is not presumably the keeping of poultry by a ■ clergyman, but the having to keep them or starve.