POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 20558, 9 August 1930, Page 27

POULTRY NOTES

[By UTILITY-FANCY.]

“ Poiiltrynian.”—l do not think that fishmeal is obtainable in New Zealand. “ P.ll.”—The bloodstained eggs are probably due to your birds lio.ng too fat. Overfed birds accumulate internal fat, and in this condition the Irec action o I *-be ovary and oviduct is prevented. The result may be-a rupture .n one or the otaer. Biood in the yolk suggests a rupture in the ovary, and blood in the white of the egg indicates that the rupture is in the oviduct. If you feed less _ generously the , trouble will cease in time. The National Laying Test’s (England) method of feeding for the month of Alay and its mortality experience is published, and as it contain? instructive information I reproduce it as follows :—• Morning.—Grain about (but not exceeding) 2oz per bird, consisting of equal parts of wheat, oats, and maize. Midday.—Wet mash (loz per bird of the total ingredients weighed dry) made up of fine middlings, 40 per cent.; bran, 15 per cent.; Sussex ground oats, 15 per cent.; maize meal, 15 per cent.; biscuit meal, 6 per cent.; fishmeal, 9 per cent. 2 p.m.—Dry mash hoppers are opened and closed again when considered advisable. The dry‘mash consists of the same mixture as the wet, except that alfalfa meal is substituted for the biscuit meal. One per cent, of limestone Hour is mixed in both the wet and dry mashes. The general health of the flock is good, and there is a complete absence of infectious disease. The mortality has, however, been above the average, and deaths have occurred from the respective causes set out below and _ as disclosed by post-mortem examinations carried out by the veterinary' department of the Ministry of Agriculture; —

Three died from visceral gout, three eversion of cloaca, five from peritonitis, one from multiple tissue hemorrhages, two from tuberculosis, one crop binding, one impaction of rectum and stoppage of bowei, two lion) enteritis, one from multipie tumours, one degenerated egg material in abdominal cavity, and one from impaction and inflammation of proventneulux. Keep the feed buckets, troughs, etc., clean. When wet mash is fed some always clings to the side of the mixing vessel, and also the trough or basin from which the birds feed. Every day the crust bceomes thicker, and before long sours and becomes tainted and poisonous. Many birds have, no doubt, been rendered sick, and have even died through eating this putrid stuff when it has been accidentally scraped off and fed to them. Take all such vessels out into the open and scrape them thoroughly. Then wash with boiling water. Dry mash is apt to accumulate on the floor adjacent to the feed-trough if not removed daily. It is a strange fact, but fact it is, that birds seem to like eating putrid matter and to drink putrid puddle water, and, such being the case, it is the attendant’s duty to see that nothing of the kind is available to them. Quite True.—A good looking flock is a standing advertisement of a certain measure of efficiency in poultry culture It is plain evidence, open to all, of skill in breeding and m growing poultry, while performance—especially in egg production—is celebrated only as far as detailed accounts of it are published. Appearance speaks lor itself, performance, in this line, must have someone to speak for it. Sufficient attention to appearance to secure a pleasing uniformity in a flock is in the highest degree practical. Experience has shown over and over again that, where this is lacking, interest is apt to flag and production is not maintained. The excess of consumption over production of eggs and poultry during 1929 in Great Britain was ns follows: —England £21,259,000, Wales £1,250,000, Scotland £3,195,000. Deformed beaks is usually a sign that cither the breeding stock was not in a fit breeding condition or that the eggs were not well incubated. Sometimes it may be caused through faulty care and management of the chicks, and indicates insanitary surroundings and malnutrition. No treatment is de sirablc. If the chick can bo grown to market size without too much trouble it mav be kept until fit to sell, but ordinarily it is best and cheapest to knock it on the head and burn all chicks that develop deformed beaks. Thov are not fit to use in the breeding non, even if you do succeed in growing them. A poor, deformed chick is a losing proposition no matter how you look* at it. and the sooner it is disposed of the less it will cost you. A Fighting Minorca.—Mother instinct of a lire': Minorca hen, of Mr John Longstaff, Redridge street, Wingate, proved too much for a rat which coveted the hen’s sitting of eggs. The rat had burrowed under the henhouse an i under her eggs. Hearing clucking, Mr Longstaff went to the henhouse and found a large rat, quite dead with both eyes pecked out. # Infertile Eggs.—The following information regarding the liability of persons who advertise fertile eggs for sale mav be of interest to readers. An adveitis meat appeared in the ‘ Feathered World 1 (Eng.), from a poultry farm in Kent, offering massive

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 be banded in to the office before Z p.m. on Friday. fj

Toulose-Embdcn eggs, fertile, Is each. Mrs E. Jones, of sent 24s inr a like number of eggs- hive weeks atterwards the eggs were sent, and their appearance suggested that they were bad. The purchaser had them tested at an egg testing station, when they were found to be ■ l°ek and stale. The proprietor of the farm declined to make any allowance, and an action which was brought_ aginst him resulted in the plaintiff getting £6 4s, and costs in full. As there was uo mention in the advertisement about infertile eggs being replaced, the judge decided that the owner of the poultry farm was liable. Had a clause been inserted in the advertisement stating that infertile eggs would be replaced there would have been no case, THE NIGHT LIGHT FOR BABY CHICKS. The favourable results secured by a large number of poultry-raisers with the use of a dim light for baby chicks are being confirmed by _ experiments at the Massachusetts Agricultural College. Professor Win, C. Sanctuary reports that with 327 chicks under observation the lighted chicks showed a gain in growth at four weeks of age, which varied from 8 to 15 per cent., depending upon the breed This gain did not come from eating during the night, but it was noted that the dim light kept the chicks spread out in the most comfortable sleeping belt available, and enabled them to find their way back to the hover without becoming chilled. It was also observed that oh cold mornings the lighted group of chicks lost no time before starting to drink and eat, while a large por tion of those in the unlighted group first took time off to get warm under the hover _ - Where electricity is available, either from a farm lighting plant or transmission line, a ten-watt light was recommended This assures a dependable light which will not blow out or become an extra fire hazard. FEEDING YOUNG CHICKS. Just what and just how to feed baby chicks are questions that are being asked very frequently at this season of the year. It has frequently been pointed out that successful chick feeding is both a science and an art. That it is a science is shown by the fact that there are certain fundamental principles of nutrition which must be recognised and followed in formulating a feeding system, or the system will result in failure. All who have fed chickens in considerable numbers are probably willing to admit that there is something of an art involved in getting maximum results No ration, even though it be complete and extremely elaborate, can talte the place of common sense, or. more correctly, perhaps, “ chicken sense,” on the part of the feeder. Any ration that Is to provide for successful and rapid growth in young chicks must contain an abundance of tho heat and energy-forming foods or carbohydrates, sufficient proteins of the right - quality for muscle-building, certain necessary minerals, sqm© fibre or indigestible material to give bulk to tho ration, and the vitamins. It should be obvious that there is no single “ b°st ” ration, for the simple reason that the essential factors may be pro vided In several different w»s’s. Reduced to simple terms, the problem of the individual Hock-owner is how to provide a complete and suitable ration in tho easiest manner and at a reasonable cost. — 1 Hoard’s Dairyman.’