POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 19924, 21 July 1928, Page 22

POULTRY NOTES

[By UTILITY-FANCY.]

Contributions and questions for answering should be addressed to “ Utility-Fancy," Poultry Editor, ‘ Star 1 Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. “ Utility-Fancy ” will only answer communications through this column. Advertisements for this column must bo banded in to the office before 2 p.m. on Friday.

“ G.J.D.”—Thera are quite a number of g6od books on poultry cultuie. but many of them do uot suit local conditions. The best thing you cun do is apply to the New Zealand Agricultural Department for a copy of their pamphlet on Poultry keeping. It costs only a small sum, and should serve yom puiposc. “ Cavorsham. ” —The proper tempera turo at which to keep tho brooder dur ing tho first week is between 90deg and 95deg. It should then bo reduced three to four degrees every week. Usually the chickens are kept in the warmed brooder for about six weeks. After that they should bo reared away from tho adult stock till full grown, and should have as much free range as weather permits. The Karswood Company has issued a booklet containing a number of valuable hints on poultry. It is entitled ‘ Fortunes From Eggs.’ Tho industry is described as a profitable one, provid ,ng proper methods aro adopted. Plan? or yards, houses, .setting boxes, feeding roughs, and dust baths aro included. Sex-linked Chicks.—Mr Will Hoolcy, .Z.S., F.8.5.A., who is a regular conributor to tho ‘ Feathered World, peaking of sex-linked chicks, says:— lb has long been the dream of the ommcrcial egg farmer to hatch all pulcts. Science has not attained that for dm yet, but has got so far that, with ■ortain crosses, the sex of the chick nay bo known at birth; and, who mows? the other may come any time." this subject of sex-linkage has frejuently been referred to in these notes, nd tho various unions which may take ilaco to acquire chickens distinctive s to sex at time of hatching have been escribed. Nevertheless, new readers rn always coming along, so what Mi looley has to say in the following cxlanations re sex-linked chicks will, no .oubt, prove interesting to many. He ivs;—“Tho sex-linked chick is of great

.West, tor by colour or marking the .nbryo cockerel or pullet is known at drill. What his or her colour may bo lepcnds on his or her parents. The cross between a black male and barred hens gives chickens with a lightish grey spot on their heads, known as the ‘ occipital spot.' Chicks with these spots arc cockerels The pullets will be black iml white, or a pale yellowish grey on die wing ends, grey undorparts, and olack all over their heads I'rom comb, right down the back of their necks, with 10 spot. This marking will apply when ever black males are crossed with barred females. I have instanced tho black male and barred females. Black and Cuckoo Leghorns would do the same. With the crossing of a Gold and Silver there are many combinations, and the fluffy down of the chicken is the distinguishing feature. Take the R.I. Red male. A red of this bind is virtually a gold. Mated with Light Sussex, which are silvers, the males produced are white, the females buff or red. The same thing, with rather less certainty, occurs with the R.I. Rod male and the White Wyandotte female; or a Golden Buttercup male with White Wyandotte hens, or a Brown Leghorn and Light Sussex or White Wyandotte, or a White Wyandotte crossed with Buff Rock or Buff Leghorn. A R.I. Red and Campine gives what could, well be termed Red Campincs. A diversion is the White La Bresso and White Wyandotte. Hero the pullets have dark shanks and the cockerels light shanks.” A Sanitary Tip.—A Home poultryman (presumably in a small way) recommends the spreading of newspaper on tho dropping-boards of tho hen house. In cleaning up it is only necessary to roll up tho dropping and paper together and to bury same in the garden, when the whole will soon become rich soil.

With the general mixed farmer, oven when considerably removed from tho market, owing to the low cost of production, poultry can be profitably engaged in. Now that crooked breast bones are peculiar in the show pen, breeders should acquaint themselves as to their cause and prevention. Some affirm that crooked breast bones arc caused by allowing the birds to roost too early in life, but birds in their wild state roost in trees almost as soon as they leave tho nest; yet have not all crooked breast bones. Doubtless the broad, hard perch which is generally used has something to do with pressing against the soft bone of a chicken, which hardons with age and retains the shape. In a wild state fowls sleep on the branch of a tree, and they usually select those small branches which they can grip with their toes, and grasp so thoroughly that they hold on notwithstanding how the branches may sway in the wind. On a broad, thick limb ot a tree they could get no safe hold, and

unde; boisterous conditions would be dislodged I'roni their roosting (dace. Perching naturally, it can bo‘ seen tho whole weight ol their bodies is on tficji ho and feet. So tho thick porch in the roosting house on which they squat body down may he tho cause in sonic cases ol crooked breast bones; but it is also possible that tho trouble is caused by inherited weakness, tho result ol breeding from immature, diseased, or too closely related stock. A crooked breast boned bird—il the trouble is inherited, and not acquired through impropi-’ parching should ne>-e) be used toi breeding purposes. On Livers. Many years ago the observant poultry breeders found out that if fowls and chickens got a little bit' of liver two.or three tunes a week they camo on well, and did better generally. Some people boiled the liver in wafer, and mixed tho liquid with bran and pollard, to which the chopped or minced liver was added. Other men v'cd the liver in a raw, uncooked condition. Bullock’s liver mostly was used. Only small quantities were supplied—not'enough for tho liver to bo regarded as a food itself---but the results wore manifest in Iho growth and health of the fowls and young chickens. It is only of late years that it has boon discovered that in tho fat of tho livers of crass-fceding animals are stored activating pri’u tples (vitamins) that when taken into tho body cause it, by means oi its colls, to extract tho full amount of nutriment from tho food consumed, whorebv a better shite of health is maintained ft was announced that the doctors have discovered that raw calf’s liver is a cure in 90 per cent, of oases of pernicious nnromia in human beings. Readers should not fly to the extreme iff supplying too much liver to their fowls It should lie given at the rate of loz per grown bird two or three times a week, raw, mince.d, and added to the mash, on which mornings the ordinary meat meal or buttermilk should ba omitted. —‘Hardshell.’ WHAT IS AN EGG? GREAT NATURAL WONDERS. All correctly incubated chicks on tho day of hatching have two sets of lungs, nr breathing systems, two digestive systems, and a valuable beak attachment. One reason for this strange arrangement is that tho chick must hatch itself. for it must got out of the egg with its own power, and must take care of its own breathing and eating, a,tt' it cannot use tho same system after coming out ol tho egg that it used while in the egg. The attachment on the beak is a highly specialised device, for it is used to break tho shell as tho chick turns around in tho egg, and cannot bo used for any other purpose This little shell cutter whs developed on tho upper point of tho beak, so tho chick breaks tho shell by just raising its bean like opening _ its mouth byraising the upper mandible. After the ■■hick gets out of the shell, this little shell cutter has served its purpose, so it falls off in a day or two. It is true this little shell cutter doesn’t do very much work and is used for only a few hours, but it is still a question whether the chick could hatch without it. Another point of interest at hatching time is that the chick has two sots o; .ung-s or. rather, two systems of breathing. The first system is a system oi fine blood vessels which completely line the egg shell and are con-nect,-id to the chick by two arteries and one vein This breathing system is called the. ‘‘allantois,’' and supplies tho chick with oxygen while it is in the egg, so it cannot take air into tho lungs. Thus it will bo seen that when tiio'ombryo chick is ready to hatch, it lias one breathing system outside its body and one inside its body. When the "hick first breaks into tlu> air cell it begins taking air into its lungs so it is then getting oxygen from L.vo sou ices This it continues to do until fißei it breaks tho outside, or hard, shell and air has passed into the egg which dries up the outside breathing system. From then on the chick must get its oxygon through its lungs. Tho “ allantois,” or its first system for supplying oxygen, is left in the egg shell when the cluck hatches Befoie the chick begins the process of hatching it gets oxygen front the •• n.'nniois,” or lung membrane inside the shell, and after it hatches it gets its oxygen through its lungs; but there is a period of a few hours during the bat chi' process that both systems am used. . . In addition to tho two systems for securing oxygen tho chick, at hatching time also has two digestive systems. When tho embryo starts to develop it must receive nourishment from some source The yolk and albumen of the O'.-.- are for This purpose, so one of the irst things done by tho embryo is to send out veins on the surface of tho yolk Those veins arc called vitel-hne veins and arc for tho purpose of collecting the food, or nourishment, tor the chick. Tho cog material is undigested in tho egg, yet it must bo digested before it can be used by the chick; but the chick has not yet developed its digestive organa. There is, therefore, a membrane developed at the ends of the veins which digests tho egg food before it passes into the veins. Tho yolk which contains this digestive membrane lias a different appearance to the rest, of tho yolk. This digestive membrane extends down into tiie yolk in folds called septa, which affords a greater digesting surface. This digestive membrane, which is between tho yolk material and the veins, answers as a temporary digestive system from the time the embryo begins to develop until it is out of the egg and has used tho egg yolk food which was taken into the chick’s body beioi’o it hatched. Thus, it is seen that the temporary digestive system is outside the chick’s body until about the time it hatches, and thou it is taken into tho body so that ivhen the chick comes out of the shell it has two digestive systems inside its body, one of which has been used while the chick was developing, but cannot bo used after tho yolk is used up, for there is no way of getting more food into the yolk sack. The other digestive system is tho one which can be supplied food through the mouth, but could not bo used while the chick was in tho egg.

Tho first or 'yolk digestive system, should he finished before the mouth crop and gizzard system should be used. As tho first system is being finished the second sylem may begin, so os ono decreases in a supply of nourishment the other is beginning. If the yolk digestive system is functioning properly the chick will not eat, lor it has no appetite or desire to eat; but if the yolk digestive system is not functioning the yolk food may be present, but the chick is not nourished, so has an appetite, and will eat; but the condition would not be natural or normal, so the chick would probably die of bowel trouble duo to the fact that the second, or mouth digestive system, is not completed until after tho yolk has been used, so digestion is not complete. Tho best remedy is to supply correct condition in tho way of correct temperature, evaporation, position, turning, and ventilation of eggs during incubation. —By Professor Patterson, in the ‘Leghorn .'World.’

T WENTY-T'OUKTH PAPANUI EGGLAYING COMPETITION.

—Loading; Pens Fourteenth Week, Ended July 7 (9S days).— fest 1: J. IT. Shaw Memorial Challenge. Light and Heavy Breeds. Black Orpingtons. Week’s Weight.

Eggs. ok. drs. Total T. D. Dalssicl ... 4 9 8 73 Miss Mevrick ... 2 4 in 50 II J. Ballin 2 4 11 25 White Leghorns. L. J. .Knowles, No. 2 ... ...' - r. in 0 84 80 Master Liggim ••• O 12 JI Groon Bros , No, 1 6 34 ' 1 79 Groon Bros., \<>. 2 6 14 9 79 T. W. Bettcridgo in 14 78 F II awes ( i 11 1 . -w 70 G H. Mitchell ... 5 11 7 76 Test 2: White Leghorn, Single Hen' Tost. Owner Enters 4 Birds. Week's Eggs. Total. T. Bond, No. 1 .... B 83 S. E. Davoy, No. 4 B 81 H. Williams, No I o 81 1:1. Williams, No. 2 5 81 F. Hawes, No 2 B SO J W Thomson, No 2 ... B SO Single Hon Test; Owner Enters 3 Birds, Tost 3: A.O.V. Light Breeds, Except White Leghorns. Week’s Eggs. Total. /R Pearco, Anconas, No. 3 4 ■ 60 S H Mitchell, Anconas No 2 2 59 Test 4: Black Orpingtons only. J. W. Campbell, No. 2 ... 7 90 J. W. Campbell, No. 3 ... B 64 A. R Lcckie, No. 1 5 7S A. M Espie, No. 2 5 76 T. D. Dalziel, No. 2 3 75 A. R Leckie. No. 3 4 70 Test 5: A.O.V., Heavy Breeds Other Than Black Orpingtons. Week’s Eggs. Total. J. R. Griffin, L.S., No. 1 B 84 B. G. Goodlet, W.R., No. 2 5 72 J. R. Griffin, L.S., No. 3... 4 72 J. C. Wilson, L.S., No. 1 B 69 Tost 6; Flock Teams, Light and Heavy Breeds (6 Birds). Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Total. H. W. Beck, No. 1 2S 56 9 421 H. Harrison ... 31 63 10 418 H. W Beck, No. 2 21 49 13 401 W E. Ward (one dead) 23 48 7 307 F. Hawes 29 55 13 351 G. J. Verrall ... 18 36 12 338 Test 7: Single Duck (Owner Enters 3 Birds). White Peking*. Week’s Eggs. Total. H. A. Dawbcr, No. 2 ... 4 78 Mrs Little, No. 3 4 77 J. W. Thomson, No. 2 ... 7 74 J. W. Thomson. No. 3 ... 7 71 Indian Runners. . J. W. Thomson, No. 1 ... 7 95 J. W. Thomson, No. 2 ... 6 92 F. R Cotton, No. 2 7 92 H. A. Dawber, No. 2 7 88 C. E.-Barnett, No. 1 ... 7 88 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 ... 7 87 F. R. Cotton, No. 1 7 87