POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 17548, 31 December 1920, Page 11

POULTRY NOTES

[By Utility-Fanci.]

Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to " Utility-Fancy," Poultry Editor, 'Star' Office, and re- | cetved not later-than Tuesday of eack week. " Utility-Fancy" will only answer communications through this column. ' ;., "Dying."—The acute diarrhoea is probably caused by the drinking of-impure water—i.e,., water left standing too long or water which has been exposed to the sun. Of course, water, however clean it may be, if pourpd into a-dirty tin is as impure as any in a very short "time. The best remedy—the better the more quickly given—is five to seven drops (according to age and size of the bird) of clilorodyrie mixed with new milk and given every six or eight hours -until" the droppings begin to assume a natural -condition; after that extend the time between the doses. _ Give plenty of succulent green food, not in the mash, but suspended in small bunches for the birds to peck and pull about.- Do not fail to give variety of grain, and do not be misled bv those "that say that wheat is tile best balanced grain It is not so; _ it is certainly the most useful; but it is dear food nowadays, and is low in fat content. Good " fat oats are better, and hulled oats, which are now cheaper than wheat, are certainly the best grain of all. It should not be the solo grain used, however, for "variety" alone fully satisfies. It is a very hopeful sign that the inquiry for dual purpose breeds is increasing. Whether Rhode Island Reds, Sussex, Orpingtons, or Wyandottes are sought for —it matters not which—it is evident that a bird more fit for the table is in general demand. Farmers in particular require a bird which, after laying a fair number of eggs, is presentable on the dinner table, and no doubt they require no telling that the Leghorn cockerels, which it is "better policy to destroy early than to feed, are unprofitable propositions. It is to be hoped that the craze for feather points, for color of legs, and for "laying tvpe" which after all is merely Leghorn tvpe. will not in due course cause the breeds I nave mentioned to become disentitled to be termed dual-purpose breeds. Egg prices are again being controlled in England, the retail maximum price being 6s per dozen; wholesale 5s 4d per .dozen. The new schedule is as follows: Fresh eggs, maximum wholesale price 5s 4d. retail 6s; imported fresh eggs, 5s 4d and 6s; preserved eggs, 4s 5d and ss; Chinese eggs, 3s 7d and 4s; small 2i 8d and 3s. bs '

Because pullets commence by laying a few small eggs, it does not follow that they will continue to do so. They should be watched, however, and if the small e»a* continue for, say, a month the bird should be marked as of undesirable character. A very useful record of hatching experience comes from the Old Country. It is the experience of a new plant on new ground, and consequently is more favorable than the average:—" I^"umbers. Percentages. Eggs incubated ... 2,006 breakages 2 0.1 livfertiles 77 3 8 Dead germs ... ... 219 11.3 Dead 111 shell 244 12.6 Total embryonic mortality .:; ... K .. 463 23.9 Chickens hatched ... 1,464 76.1 A further table shows that the actual living chicks on the twent-v-second day after hatching: was 73.1 per cent, of the'fertile eggs. If every breeder could promise himselt such good results there would be little cause to grumble. There is a lot to learn yet about hatching and rearing and if breeders would only keep records of temperatures, moisture supplied or not supplied, of the kind of incubators and brooders used, of the compilation and conditions of the breeding pen, and publish particulars quite "irrespective of whether the results were good or bad", a good deal of exact knowledge would 'be attained.

A breeder in South Australia, writing to his local paper contends that it is possible to tell the fertile from the infer--tile eggs by "candling" them. He "has learned to do this, having had considerable experience in the cold storage of ego-s. He says: "I have had considerable experience 111 cold storage of eggs, and have- ' candled' thousands prior to being stored in the chamber, and as the first In were the _ last out it was advisable to separate fertile from infertile, putting the infertile m first, and with practice it is surprisimuow quickly one can distinguish the twS by the aid of the candle." Utility-Fancy would explain in reference to the foregoing quotation that he also,has seen many thousands of eggs "candled" prior to transference to the cold stores, but judced that the eggs rejected as unsuitable to store were those in which the germs had advanced, and that there was no idea 01 detecting fertility. If the fertilised ez-r las advanced" the germ (which contains the hte principle) can, of course be seen—every breeder knows that this is so-but 11 the fertilised e 2 g is perfectly fresh no candling will enable anyone to ; ; ell whether it is fertile or infertile. I ancy that a good deal of the misconception which exists on this subject is due to-the fact that many people do not understand that an infertile egg contains a germ just as surely as'does a fertile o*> and that the thing to discover i 3 whether j.ne germ (which every egg contains) has been rertihsed or not. have you an isolation pen? An isolation pen should iorm part of everv poultry plant. As soon as a fowl becomes iil remove it to tins pen and treat it at once. Ihe trouble with too many is that thev wait till the disease is in its advanced stages belore they commence giving medi-

. Shell-less Eggs.-The following is whH an expert has to say regarding eggs:—"lf you know the particular pullet that ays shell-less eggs it will be betW to take her away from the rest of the birds for a few days, and to feed her entirely on grain—about an morning and night. To each half-pint of her drinking water add two teaspoon fuls ot the following:-lodide of potassium two drachms, water eight ounces Tim affected comb should be washed with warm water, carefully dried, and then apolv a little glycerine and cucumber, which" is sold by most chemists " Fowls with Scaly Legs.-The same authority says: "The birds with scaly legs should have the legs dressed with paraffin, but he careful not to wet the feathers- or the skin near the hocks Allow a couple of days for the oil to drv 111, and then wash with soft soap and warm water, moving as much of the accumulation as possible, without making the leg bleed. Then wash again and drv? and apply 10 per cent, of salicylic aci'd and vaseline. You can repeat the treatment in a few days' time if you think it is necessary."

Use of White and Yolk in Chick Formation.—Both the white and the yolk are essential for the formation of the chick, and the process of formation is thus described : The yolk is lighter than the albumen, hence it always floats to that part of the egg which is uppermost; and the lightest part of the yolk is that occupied by the cicatricula. ' That being so, the germ is always near the warmth of the hen. To, keep the germ from coming in contact with the shell, and to prevent its being bruised, there is on each side of it a tnuyh spiral and highly elastic filament, which is attached at one* extremity to the membrane covering the yolk; it then passes through the white, and is fastened

at the other end to the membrane of the ] albumen. These are called chala-zee. These I cords allow a layer of albumen to lie be- j tween the germ and the shell. During incubation " the albumen disappears before the yolk. About four days after incubation has commenced an admixture takes placo between the two. In the hen to the thirteenth day—in aquatic birds a few , days longer—a part of the albumen lies at j the bottom" of the shell in a gelatinous thick state. This is opposite to the chick, and more or less attached to the yolk. About the fourth day of incubation the yolk changes color, becomes pale, and alters in' shape. If the contents of the shell be examined by being carefully turned out, a white circular line will be ! found at the lower part of the yolk. The space within the circle becomes pale, thin, and undulated, and it is finally ruptured. Through this opening the white enters and mixes with the yolk. The dense.albumen, spoken of before, closes the opening as a valve, by which ingress alone is allowed. This may be best seen about the fourteenth day. Afterwards the opening gets smaller and smaller as the albumen decreases, and is finally closed. Around this opening is arranged a wreath of bloodvessels. You will thus see that the chicken "lives off" both the yolk and the white during the process of hatching. It is'reported that questions often asked at the Great "Dairy" Show, England, were: Have you got your judging stick? What has happened to the hackle in Light Sussex pullets? Where is the leg-mottling in Anconas? Should a rose-comb flop? What has happened to all the "yellowshanked" Rhode Island Reds? Where is type' in the Laced Wyandottes and the Barred Rocks? Should color precede type? The following suggestion secured first prize from ' Poultry' for best method of sprouting grain for poultry:—The best and simplest way is as f ollov.'s: —ThorI oughly soak a sack in water,' and cover i thickly with grain that has previously been soaked for an hour in tepid water. Do not cover with soil, but place in a dark room or shed. Germination will take place very readily. When the growth is two inches high gradually expose to the light. The advantage this method has over sowing in soil is that it is much quicker and there is no waste, as the husks and roots will quickly be devoured as well as the green, and the fowls cannot scratch it about as is the case when sown in a box of soil. The best grain to use is oats, as the growth is stronger and the germination is quicker; but it well repays to sprinkle some cress seed on the sack at the same time. When about four inches high suspend the sack in the pen, and so save floor space. Bones for Poultry.—Bones consist of an organic portion (collagen or ossein) which, on prolonged boiling with water, yields gelatine and a large proportion (40 to 60 per cent.) of mineral salts, consisting chiefly of calcium phosphate with calcium carbonate. Therefore the first action that takes place upon a piece of bone which gains access to the crop of a fowl is a preparatory one. Masceration occurs—that is to say, the glandular juices secreted and liberated in the crop exert a chemical action on the bone, which in reality has become much softer than it was upon entry. The next process is enacted in the stomach of the fowl, where the bone is subjected to powerful digestive fluids, which dissolve out the fatty animal matter and leave the mineral matter weakened and in a tattered state. The third process takes place in the gizzard, where, as you are aware, the fowl| keeps its '"false teeth." It is in this powerful mill that the mineral structure of the bone is ground to powder, and the powder makes its exit into the duodenum, where the pancreatic juices and the enzymes or ferments cause the absorption and assimilation of the nutritious phosphates which assisted to build up the mineral structure of the bone. It is really surprising what power can be employed by the gizzard of the fowl; thus you can easily understand why fowls, as well as the dog, can find use for a diet of bones. However, it is not worth while following the remains of the bone after it has passed through the duodenum, into the intestine.

Longer days entail longer hours for the poultry attendant. One of the advantages of a scratching shed is that a feed of grain can he thrown down among the litter overnight, so that as soon as it is light the birds are able to come down from their perches and start feeding. Chickens, however, arc dependent on their owners to let them out and give them a feed as early as possible. The longer the period of feeding the better the chickens will do, therefore it is decidedly advantageous, if practicable, to give a feed by lamplight in the evening. It may be difficult at first to get the chicks to turn out from their warm quarters, but after two or three nights they will look for their late feed by artificial light. Poultry-keepers who write letters to the Press respecting the wonderful egg-laying of their fowls sometimes create a doubt by exceeding competition records; but, so far as I can remember, all have been modest in the extreme compared with the claim of a Southampton " amateur," who alleges that from eight White Leghorns he got in <.--n year 2.793 eggs—equivalent to 550 eg:.;s per bird ! EGG-LAYING CONTESTS. 33rd Week Ended December 19. PAPANUI.

—Single Pen Tests.— Heavv Breeds. R. R. Christie, 8.0. 170 E: V. Arthur, 8.0 134 Light Breeds. S. L. Beer, W.L 202 A. C. Goodlet, W.L \cr\ W. K. Ward, W.L 187 —Single Pen Tests.— (Three Birds, Same Owner.) Heavy Breeds. T. E:, Comvav, B.O"., 187, 157, 162 ... 505 J. B-. Merrett. 8.0., 147, 156, 156 ... 459 R. R. Christie, 8.0., 114, 127, 149 ... 590 Light Breeds. Mrs Gorinski, W.L.. 157. 163, 176 ... 496 Smat'Bros., W.L., 170, 158, 168 ... 496 A. E. jfhillips, W.L., 165, 161, 168 ... 494 : Ducks. R. W. ilawke, 1.R., 215, 177. 215 ... 605 W. KrnV'H. 1.R.. 181, 251. 186 ... 598 T. Dowthwnite, 1.R., 198, 196, 172 ... 566 -Team Tests (Six Birds to Pen).— '- Heavy Breeds. J. Gunn, B)0 712 T. DowthwaiYc, S.W 697 F. D. Gibson, 8.0 679 Light Breeds. E. E. MarsdfiV; W.L. 1,055 G. Botmett, WIL £53 11. Ball, W.L. \ 857 SOUTHLAND. 36th Week Kndcd December 24. —Single Bird Test.— D. F. M'Dougall. Uv.L 225 A. Provan, 'tV.L. ..- 221 Mrs Gorinski, W.L., 220 —Team Tests ;Si;x Birds to Pen).— Heavy \ Breeds. Stevens and Hunter. vS.W. - 833 Enterprise P.F., I'.RA 730 Light Breeds. A. Love, W.L .\ 1,091 K. Williams, W.L. ... I.CBO J. E. Anderson. W.L. \ 1,023 Wilson Bros., W..L ... S 1,003 Ducks. . J. C. Wilson, W.I.R. ;..\ .1,000 R. J. Clarke, I.R ">, 865 W. T. Green, I.R V 865