POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20310, 19 October 1929, Page 27

POULTRY NOTES

[By UTILITY-FANCY.]

“ Hilltop ” (Waverley).—Yes, duck eggs are satisfactory hatched in incubators provided more attention is given to moisture, than is required in hatching lien eggs.' Duck eggs hatched in December should provide ducks ready for market by Easter if properly looked .after, but November would bo safer. Peking, Bowens, or Aylesbury make good table ducks. 1 do not carp to recommend any particular breeder’s birds, but for market purposes any duck breeder’s birds if sizable should do. The following is a good whitewash for poultry houses: — Disinfectant Whitewash.—This disinfectant whitewash combines the general utility of ordinary whitewash with the disinfectant properties of stock dip. By its use, it is asserted, appli-cations-of stock dip can be supplanted for interim use in poultry houses. The formula is compounded from the following ingredients:—Hydrated lime, 1} necks; salt, 21b; commercial limesulpnur, 4gal; water, 40gal. Equivalent amounts for the above whitewash are approximately as follows;—Hydrated limo, one heaping quart; salt, three tablespoonfuls; commercial limesulplnir, one and a-half quarts; water, 4gal. Alum added to a lime whitewash lends adhesiveness. An ounce to the gallon is sufficient. A pound of cheap ha> soap dissolved in a gallon of boiling water and added to about five gallons of thick limewash will give it a gloss like oil paint. Two applications should he made each year, one each in the fall and spring. To ensure penetration in the _ cracks and crevices the operation is preferably done with a high-pressure spray pump. It is being stressed that production and reproduction, though at first glance one and- the same, are in respect to poultry becoming actually antagonistic, because production is going too far. Attention is called to the fact that our laying breeds are being overworked. As the veteran Dr Brown points out: “ The, glorification of the poor creatures which lay, say, a hundred eggs or more in sequence without a day’s break, as if they were Major Segraves of the poultry world, has become a craze. These are the galley slaves of the poultry husbandry. Would,” he continues, “that their owners could be denied. all vacations and be compelled to work for the duration of their natural lives on the treadmill of life for sixteen hours per diem. In these weeks of holidays for humans no thought is given to the fact that all Nature cries out for periods of relief from toil, and egg-laying is the toil of many hens.” Dr Brown has repeatedly spoken in this,strain, and he is right if the production of overworked hens are used for reproduction. Pullets kept for the eggs they may lay are fed to force the last egg they are capable of laying during the first two. years of their existence, and necessarily so, for the owner has his living to earn. Their “production” does not militate against “reproduction,” because they arc marketed for human consumption. Breeders who possess the necessary wisdom do not breed from their laying pen birds, but from birds reserved for the purpose of reproduction. . Such birds are not forced for eggs either in long sequences or yearly record laying, but are fed --and accommodated so as to ensure vigorous constitutions. A Ration for the Breeding Pen Explained.—The following is a suitable ration advocated by the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture for the purpose of producing eggs from breeding stock which will give healthy, vigorous chicks. Taking it for granted that the breeding stock are all of a similar nature: Bran 11b, .pollard,4lb, oat pollard lib, maize-meal 21b, meat meal and bone meal Jib. These can be either used dry or wet-mash, hut if it is a wetmash the bran should not be scalded, as it is then made less digestible. This formula recommended by the Department of Agriculture, Tasmania, need not, presumably, he strictly adhered to. It merely suggests the proportions of nitrogenous and carbonaci- ‘ ous foods suitable for fowls in the breeding pen, and breeders are at liberty to vary it according to what is available in their districts. The reasons given for the suitability of the above ration bear out this contention—viz.: “Bran gives necessary, bulk, is rich in digestible crude protein, and is well supplied with mineral salts, which are essential for bone production; wheat pollards have similar properties

to bran, and supply constituents which arc deficient in carbonacious foods, such as oats, maize meal, or barley meal; oat pollards and maize meal give variety to the diet and supply heat, energy, and body fat. The yolk of an egg contains a large percentage of fat, and the more the bird lays,, the less fat there is in the yolk. Meat and bone meal or meal meal are necessary to supply protein, the chief constituent in the white of an'egg. Green, food is always essential. Good housing and environmental conditions play an : important part in the rearability of'the chick when hatched.

Secure as .much as possible rapid and continuous growth of the young stock. If growth is retarded at any stage, for any cause, the birds will not be so profitable when matured as they would have been had they suffered no setback. To secure continuous and satisfactory. growth onwards to maturity is not altogether a question of food served; regularity in” feeding, and warmth, fresh air, and cleanliness are all equally important. In fact,, don’t get the impression that attention to any detail is “ most ” important, for everything essential to, progress should be considered equally important. Regarding any detail as most important creates the idea that other matters may bo attended to later oii and not to-day. Pullets or Hens for Breeding.— Messrs W. Cook and Son, the wellknown producers of the Orpington, and another successful breeder, Mr Jack VVrennal, favour the breeding from pullets rather than from hens. The opinions of these recognised authorities command respect, but it inust be acknowledged that they are m a minority in respect to this much debated question. Why Hens Change Their Sox and Plumage.—ln the course of an article, published in the ‘ Poultry Journal,’ Messrs Cook and Son touch on this question as follows:—“ There has, in recent years, been an increase in the number of cases of sex alteration iii hens Which has given rise to the suggestion that we are living in wonderful times as far as poultry development is concerned, for the birds which are termed cock-hens have been very numerous.' The solution is not as subtle as many amateurs think, for it is to be found in perverted instincts of hens which have been kept unmated, and as the result their ovaries have become unhealthy because of the restlessness of the unsatisfied condition of the hens. Prejudices against crowing hens would vanish if poultry-keepers would recognise that their pullets would maintain a healthier and more natural condition if allowed to associate with a male bird. There are no cases of crowing hens amongst pullets which have been mated up from the time they were in fit condition for this. In innumerable instances of sterility in heavy and general purpose breeds through lack of information on the necessity for the pullets to be encouraged to develop germs come to our notice every year, and it is with the object of avoiding a recurrence for next season that this timely note of warning is published.” What Cod Liver Oil Does r or Hens. —Professor Raymond F. Parkhurst, B.Sc. (Agric.), M.Sc., concludes a paper on the use of cod liver oil in tests as follows :—From experimental data that are available it may be con-' eluded that—(l) Fowls not confined or in open-fronted houses do not require C.1j.0. to prevent adult rickets. (2) Fowls confined behind ordinary glass require some adequate source ot vitamin D. C.L.0., mixed to the extent of 2 per cent, of the grain feed, supplied the vitamin D requirements of the fowls. (3) The C.L.O. x-equire-ment of fowls behind ordinary glass is possibly influenced by the bi’ced, amount stored up in the individual, the amount of egg production, and the length of confinement. (4) One per cent, of medicinal C.L.O. in the scratch feed may or may not be sufficient to; meet the requirements of layers confined behind window glass. The source of oil used may be a factor. (5) It is not possible to state if C.L.O. is beneficial to fowls not confined or in open-fronted pens getting a normal ration that includes green food. , First and Second Year Egg Production.— M. A. Jull, of the United States Department of Agriculture, has summarised the woi‘k of many investigators who have studied relationship between first year and second year production of individual birds. He reports that White Leghorns producing Jess than 100 eggs in their first year averaged 105 in their second; those producing between 100 and .200 in their first year averaged 131 in their second; and those producing over 200 in their first year averaged IGO in their second. The same general relationship held tru© in the Barred Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, and "■ White Wyandotte breeds, although'--ith these breeds the differences between the production of the two years were more marked than was the cash with White Leghorns. “ Last' May,” says Frank Gavan, gardener for the Benedictine Sisters Academy, “ our chicks were suddenly sick, -'droopy, dying. I thought we might lose them all. My supply dealer suggested dry skim milk, mixed 50-30 with the chick feed. I tried it, and immediately they picked up, got well, and only half a dozen out of the 200 died. Dry skim milk saved them from coecidiosis.”-—‘ Hoard’s Dairyman.’ Orpingtons With Bumblefoot,—Many of the heavy breeds of poultry are -subject to a complaint known as bumblefoot, and the Orpington is perhaps more liable to it than any other at the present time.. It is generally caused through birds jumping down from their perches upon a hard floor, and takes the form of. a corn, either hard-or soft. If the foot is red and swollen underneath the best plan is to paint it with a strong tincture of iodine twice a day; but if it is quite hard, and like a regular corn, it should be pared slightly with a sharp knife, and salicylic acid ointment of 10 per cent, strength should be rubbed upon it evei-y night. In the case of a soft swelling like a blister the iodine may be tried; but if this fails to reduce it. lancing will be necessary. Bathe well with warm water, plug the hole with carbolised cotton wool, and bind it up; renew- the bathing and the cotton - wool daily until - the foot ’. has healed. As healing proceeds diminish the size of the plug.—-‘ Poultry World.’

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TWENTY-FIFTH PAPANCI EGO LAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pons, TVenty-sixth Week, , Epdod .October .5 (182,days). Test I.—J, H. Shaw Memorial / Challenge. 1 Light add Heavy Breeds. Black Orpingtons, , Week ’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl.

J. M. Campbell ... G :12’5 134 T. D. Dalziel ... 7 14 11 117 . \yiut© Leghorns. C. A. Stratford ... 5 9 11 166 A. M. lEspie ... ... 7 • ■16 1 155 E, J. Boss ... ... 7 13 G 149 E. -Duhstan ... ... « 14 1 -144 T. D. Dalziel ..; ... 4 ,8 f) 142 S. 6. Batten ... ... 6 12 12 139 F. II. Cotton ... 5 16 14 - 133 Test II.—White Leghorn, '-Sihglo Hon, Owner Enters 3 Birds. Highest Aggregates. ' Week’s Grand Total. Total. S. E. Davey ... 6 7 7 135 164 160 T. D. Dalziel ... 7 5 6 150 127 150 E. Fuchs ... ... 6 6 7 145 129 144 M C. Craig ... 6 6 5 150 131 129 Miss < Williams 63 5 144 143 122 J. Liggins ... 665 131147.129 C. M. R. Manhire ... ... 55 5 126137144 Test III.—A.O.V. Light Breeds, Other Than White Leghorns. Single Hen Test. Owner Enters Three Birds. Highest Aggregate. .... Anconas. Week’s Grand' Total. Total. R. Pearce 5 6 4 121 127 100 S. H. Mitchell 63 5 104 120 82 Test IV.—Black Orpingtons only. R. M. Cookson 6 6 2 111 143 146 A. R. Leckie 3 46 144114108 H. J. Ballin ... 6 6 6 137 94 115 Test V.—A.O.V. Heavy Breeds Other Than Black Orpingtons. J R. Griffen (L.a.) ... ... 60 6 134 91 140 R. Drysdalo (W.R.) 5 7 6 97 27 93 P. A. Cornish (L.S.) ... ... 50 5 ; 69 0 134 Test VI.—Flock Teams (6 birds). Light and Heavy Breeds. White Leghorns, Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl. M. C. Craig .. .. 35 74 12 798 Green Bros. 36 80 2 792 W. E. Ward .. 30 64 1 789 F. Hawes ... .. 30 04 0 770 G. J. VerralT .. 35 70 15 727 J. Liggins ... ,. , 32 71 2 693 Black Orpingtons, J. Kingsland ,. 34 72 7 659 H. W. Bock .. .31 63 15 523 Test VII.--Single Ducks. ■ Owner Enters Three Birds. Highest Aggregate. Pekins. Week’s Grand . Total. Total. J. W. Thomson 777 78 110 76 Indian Runners. G. A. Heath 664 170 156 150 F. R. Cotton ... 7 4 6 165 148 162 A. G. F. Ross ... 7 7 5 132 168 175 J. W. Thomson 77 7 138 167 161 H. A. Dawber 676 151 155 159 II. W. Hawke 77 7 129 99 132