POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 19328, 14 August 1926, Page 24

POULTRY NOTES

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Contributions and questions for answering should h« addressed to “ Utility-Fancy. Poultry Editor, ‘ Star ’ Office, and received not lafcor than Tuesday of oac o wait, M Utility-Fancy ” will only answer communications through this column* for this column must bo handed in to the office 2 |M&» m Friday-

" St. Clair.”—l am sorry to hear of ! your losses this year and last through what is known as protrusion of the oviduct. Your method of feeding and tho opportunities for exercise you say your fowls have docs not suggest a cause for tho trouble, but the fact that it is always tho good laying birds that suffer does give an idea. The causes of protrusion of the oviduct are generally a too stimulating diet, the giving of condiments to encourage laying, an irritant obtained by the fowls but which has not been actually served to them, and the eating of mouldy grain or other food caphlo ot causing undue straining and abortion. In your case 1 fancy the cause may bo constitutional weakness 1 accompanied by high fecundity. The birds which have suffered were good ; layers, but unfortunately were not con--1 stitutionaliy strong enough to hear the i strain. Had the trouble been genera! jin your yard and not-restricted, as it j has been, to a single case each year, ! ono would have, of course, to come to ja different conclusion, in bad cases j it is better to kill the bird than to I try curing, but it is possible in mild I cases to gently push back the protrudI mg an oiled linger, and thou I il tiio bird is fed only on bard grain, i preterably oats, for a time she may, if ! shn goes off the lay, get well, but birds I which have once suffered in this way should never be bred from, notwithstanding that, they are such steady producers. An astringent such as a weak solution of alum, chloride of seine, or vinegar and water, or cold water may bo ultorwards applied. Mineral tonics are also serviceable in giving tone to xiie system and constringing the affected organ. Muscovy Ducks.”—l am asked whether the Muscovy drake is mated to more than one duck. I have never kept them, but I understand that, as with other breeds of ducks, the Muscovy when in a wild state mates with only one of tho opposite sex, but when domesticated will accompany throe, four, or five. A New Booklet on Incubation.—The British Imperial Oil Company, Led., forwards a booklet entitled ‘ Artificial Incubation and Brooding.’ The idea of the publisher is, of course, to bring Pennant kerosene under the lavorane notice of poultry farmers. The booklet consists of a number of short but inturmative articles written by a practical poultry expert, and should p-vve helpful to all users of incubators whether in a largo or a small way. Although it is not intended to be regarded as a complete text book, everything it contains is of practical value, and the distributors arc to be commended for making available such a handy and serviceable guide. Owners of incubators , may obtain copies of ‘Artificial Incubation and Brooding’ free of charge by writing direct to the British Imperial Oil Co., Ltd., P.O. Box 1,537, Wellington. I’isli Meal.—ln anticipation of fish nmal being maoulacturcd shortly iu New Zealand poultry keepers will, naturally, become more inteiestcd, than they h ave been, in fish meal as a poultry loot), and will look forward to any information regarding it. "Mr E. Ellis, F.J.1., E.E.S.. M.A.R.S.E. (England), is, one would think, one qualified to write with authority. Writing of fish meal in an article on ‘Nitrogenous Flesh Foods,’ he says;— “Fish Meal.-—This materia! is still comparatively little known, although it is more favored now as a poultry food than it used to bo. High-grade samples give excellent results, but the material should at first bo used with caution, as some birds do not appear to stand it very well. There is a very important warning which must bo given with regard to fish meal, and that is to purchase it on a guarantee that it contains only a negligible proportion of common salt. f-kimc brands contain enormous quantities of this undesirable material, the effect of which is to make tho birds extraordinarily thirsty, and in sonic cases upset them altogether. Analysis of fish meal (a good sample) shows the presence of about Id per cent, of moisture. The fat content is about 4.5 per cent., while about 2, per cent, of carbohydrates may, as a rule, bo reckoned upon. Generally there is no fibre, or very little, present in fish meal, the material being characterised by a fairjy high protein content, this being about 55.5 per cent. The a.sli content is higher than most people like, being 22 to 24 per cent. Where it exceeds 25 per cent, this is, as a rule, due to the presence of an excessive amount of common salt.” What is tho most economical unit ? Mr E. Bostock Smith (in the ‘ Feathered World ’) asks the question and answers it, inter alia, as follows: —“ The general tendency has been in favor of small flocks with a limit of about 100 birds to the unit, and there are many points to commend this practice. Such a number housed suitably and with alternative runs is one of the best arrangements that can be adopted, and it is one which has stood the test for many years. For commercial egg farming it is very easy to be impressed with tho magnitude of the American big flock system, where possibly a thousand or two layers are run together, and, whilst this method may effect considerable saving in labor, against it must be placed the health of the stock. From all accounts these large_ scale plants are not proving the unmitigated

f success that one would desire, and apli parently the latest movement is to- !- wards the reduction of the units to o about 200 birds. Obviously tho larger r tho flock the greater will bo the risk 0 of contamination and infection, and s once sickness starts in a big flock it is : - very difficult to isolate and control, f It is sometimes considered that tho y principle of alternate runs is not cconof tnical, that with so much land standing 1 idle for half tho year it would pay h better to turn stock on to it, and, ~ whilst every poultry-keeper must settle r this point for himself, it is _ wise to g consider what othcra are doing, and e why. Here, again, is a point which s our confreres across the water are realc ising is a great boon and of consideri able help in keeping runs -fresh, with - its accompanying benefit to the health e First and foremost must come the .1 health of the birds, and in Ihe pror-ess t of maintaining this-there are three im- '. portant factors to be .settled as regards o management. They are: (1) The unit s or number of birds in one flock; (2) the 0 area of floor space per bird in the 1 house; and (3) the area of tho runs - attached to each house. Alternative i runs are of great benefit under all cir- . curastances, but I would not go so Ur f as to say they are indispensable; a s groat deal depends upon items 1 and 2, v the number of birds m the pen and the - .size of the house. I do maintain, - however, that every run needs treatc mont each year if the best results are r to bo achieved, if one is to feel that i everything has been done _ to prevent i sour ground and to minimise sickness. ) If an alternative run is not provided 1 then the ground must bo rested for a period either by removing the stock - or keeping it confined to the house, i In the latter case it will, of course, ■ bo necessary to have sufficient area per ; bird to run thorn on tho ‘intensive/ system for a while, and I have no hesitation in recommending this method to ■ those who are anxious to encourage egg production over the difficult months of tho year,” Incubation. Although artificial hatching by the use of incubators has become very general and is in some respects an advantage, still for those who do not wish to go very largely into the business or who cannot afford the ; high prices asked for the best makers j (and no one should attempt to work a cheap machine), the natural process; of using “broody” hens is best. The j difficulty lies in obtaining hens early in;' the season, but this can be obviated; by keeping a few of flic Asiatic breeds, i or their crosses, for those usually wantj 1 to sit after laying a small number of I I eggs. Hons arc to be preferred to puli lets, as tho latter cannot always be i depended on to sit out tho whole tbrem I weeks, and are not so docile as a' j motherly old “ biddic ” who is used to | the business. Choose a nice quiet spot j whore she will not be disturbed by the ; other fowls. The nest is best made on j i tho ground, and iu making it care j should be given to copy Nature as far as possible. It is well known that the 1 hens which lay away usually bring off i tho largest number of chicks, and their j nests arc made under a hedge or in a ditch*, where tho damp from tho earth is drawn up by tho heat of the hen’s body, providing the moisture necessary for the eggs. In incubators ibis mois--1 lure is always provided for, otherwise • tho membrane which lines the shell bc- ■ comes so dry and tough that the i chicken has great difficulty in breaking through,- and many die in the attempt, i Hollow out the nest and turn in the i ground, pressing tho mould down dose and shaping it with the hands in such 1 a manner that the eggs have a tendency to roll into the middle. Over this put a handful of soft hay or peat 1 moss, which is still bettor, as insects ; will not harbor in it, and it will keep clean and free from smell. If hay is used sprinkle a few finely-sifted ashes ' and some insect powder under it. Any old box or coop will do for a covering, provided that tho ben is unable to got out until let off for food. A sack may bo thrown over the front to keep it - dark, but, of course, see that there is space left for ventilation, and when the hen is off the nest leave the eggs quite uncovered that they may bo properly aired. A Ken should be well fed with corn and water before she is given the nest, and once a day afterwards, from fifteen to thirty minutes, according to the season. In selecting eggs for setting be careful that they are perfectly fresh —the staler the egg the weaker the germ and tho less your chance of success: Reject any of abnormal sum, those rounded at each end, with irregularities, or with thin shells. If they have come from a distance by road or rail let them rest for twelve hours before putting into an incubator or under a hen. If during the time of sitting any of tho eggs should be broken, the remains must be carefully cleared away and the rest of the eggs washed iu warm water just before tho hen returns to her nest, so that they may not bo chilled. If not washed the pores of the. shell become stopped up and the embryo dies. On the seventh or eighth day the eggs should be tested, when those, which are unfertile or addled can be removed. The sitting hen must be provided with a dust bath, into which a little insect powder has been sprinkled. The time ot incubation for fowls’ eggs is twenty-one days, but if fresh when set the chicks will usually make their appearance about the twentieth or even nineteenth day, provided that tho hen has sat close and other things have been favorable, TWENTY-SECOND PAPANUI EGGLAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens, 17th Week, Ended July 31 (119 days). FLOCK TEAMS CONTEST, six birds (Light and Heavy Breeds). .—White Leghorns.— Week’s Weight. Eggs,, 07,. dr. Tl. W. E. Ward ... 33 66 6 M. C. Craig ... 24 51. 2 486 J. Liggins 28 (il 8 H. C. West ... 2(i 51 3 Caldcr Bros. ... 23 48 14. F. Hawos ... ... 25 52 3 —Heavy. Breeds.— P. Bailey, R.I.R 31 75 9 t>o3 SINGLE HEN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Light and Heavy Breeds). —White Leghorns.— Week’s Weight. Eggs, 07. dr. Tl. Green Bros.- 4 8 ]o BH Miss M. White ... 5 11 1— 06 N, Harrison 5 H 2 03 A. G. F. Ross ... 5 10 2 88 1 F. Hawes 7 15 4 86 W. Barrel! ... . ... 5 10 2 84 —Black Orpingtons.— J. Kingsland ... 5 10 4 WHITE LEGHORN SINGLE HEN CONTEST. Competitor Enters 3 Birds. Week’s Engs. Tl. W. J. Richards, No. 1 ... 00 R. W. Ceombes, No. 1 ... (5 08 R, W. Coombes, No. 2 ... 0 07 H. C. West, No. I 6 07 |H. Williams, No. 2 ... ... 6 OG

[By UTILITY-FANCY.] j

SINGLE HEN CONTEST. Competitor Enters 3 Birds. —Black Orpingtons.— Week’s Eggs. TI. G. Blair, No. 2 4 94 H. Hams, No. 2 ... - 6 9o J. W. Thomson, No- 3 „. o Jo A. 'll. Lcckic, No. 1 —4 ol —A.O.V. Heavy Breeds.— Cuthhcrtson and Mitchell, W.H., No. 2 . 6 102 Cnlhbertson and Mitchell, W.R., No. 1 , ... 6 8J Cuthhcrtson and Mitchell, W.R., No. 3 4 88 1). O’llcrn, No. 1 o bl —A.O.V. Light Breeds.— Jf. Williams, 8.M., No. 2 5 80 single duck contest. Competitor Enters 3 Birds. —lndian Runners.— Week’s Eggs. TI. J. W. Thomson, No. 2 ... 7 119 R. W. Hawke, No. 1 ... 7 R. W. Hawke, No. 3 ... 7 112 J. W. Thomson, No. I—7 110 H. A. Dawber, No. 3 ... 7 110 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 ... 7 B-u