POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21008, 23 January 1932, Page 21

POULTRY NOTES

“Minorca” writes:—“l had a setting of Black Minorcas due to hatch on the 12th, but only one came out on that date. Five more hatched on the 13th, and the rest on the 14th. Those which hatched on the 12th and 13th were quite normal and healthy. The others had a hard, jelly-like substance in the form of a big lump on the back of tlie neck, reaching from head to the shoulders, and had to be killed. Would this be due to the lateness in the season for hatching? The ones hatched on the 12th and 13th had grown wing feathers when twenty-four hours old. Could you also tell me the date of the next poultry show, and the correct way to make grit (oyster-shell) ?—The irregular hatching was no doubt due to the sitting hen being restless on, the nest and inattention to her duty. Some of the eggs may have been uncovered through her restlessness, and left to cool instead of being tucked into place, as an attentive mother would continue to do. The jelly-like substance referred to was probably the result of imperfect feathering—what should have produced quills formed instead the jelly-like substance. Some chickens grow their wing feathers too quickly, and their weight causes the wings to droop. If the ends are cut the chick finds strength enough to hold them in place. The young bird show is officially scheduled to take place on March 18 and 19, but the. club is trying to have the dates altered; as a matter of fact it is possible the young bird show ■will not be held at all this year. The Dunedin Fanciers’ Club show is to be held on June 9, 10, and 11.

[By UTILITY-FANCY.]

possible to overdo the supply of green feed, but 25 per cent, is not too much. From green food and well-cured chaffed hay the valuable mineral salts are obtained. These aro absolutely necessary for the well-being of poultry, especially in summer. One of the advantages of more lightly feeding the laying stock in hot weather is that feather-eating is less likely to arise. Feather-plucking and flesh-eat-ing may be termed almost a disease. It is, to a great extent, induced by fowls being kept in close confinement and not supplied with a proper mixed _ diet. Heating of the blood produces irritation, and the birds start to scratch their comb or other portions, bringing blood. The other inmates of the pen will at once start to pick at the blood, and the trouble quickly becomes serious and general. The plucking of feathers is generally prevalent at moulting time, when the young feathers are in quill, and contain a large proportion of blood. In the case of flesh-eating there is no doubt that beating and unsuitable food, with unhealthy conditions, are responsible for the trouble. I have seen a cock in the pen with his head turned towards the hens, which were picking at Ins comb and making the blood flow to the ground, and the bird was standing quietly as if he enjoyed the cannibalism. For a cure the first thing is to remove the cause by giving the birds a course of powdered rhubarb and an abundance of green food—in this case you may exceed the beforestipulated 25 per cent. Then remove the natient from the others till a cure is effected. Smearing the parts with a mixture of bitter aloes and a little vaseline will sometimes keep the other fowls from flesh-eating. But_ the first thing is to cool the blood with medicine and givino: nothing in the way of food that is either heating or stimulating.

“ M.B.”—This correspondent complains that one of her fowls persists in laying her eggs on the floor of the hen house, and sometimes in,the run. The eggs are strongly shelled and are never eaten by the fowls, but they are often soiled by being dropped into puddles, etc., in the run. She asks how to prevent this habit. It is not unusual for one fowl of a flock to deposit her eggs anywhere rather than in the nest. It happens even at the skillfully controlled egg-laying competitions, and probably is then due to tho high feeding for excessive laying—the one fowl putting off the urge to the nest till too late. It sometimes happens that there are too few nests, and that these being crowded with layers the latest comer cannot wait long enough for admission. In other cases it is due to the nests being too high from the floor, and some birds, seemingly, do not care to make the effort to, fly up to them. The fowl in the natural state lays its eggs on the ground, and this being the case it is reasonable to suppose that the nests should be low down and in a secluded place. Perhaps if a nest is placed on the ground with a nest egg in it the bird will take to it, and it might then, when she gets used to it, be gradually raised if necessary. There should, to avoid overcrowding, he one nest for every four or five birds. Headers may be interested in comparing the results of the Taranaki egglaying competition with that of Papanui. The highest score by a white leghorn at Taranaki to January 6 is 263 by Mr R. R. Cannon’s No. 3 bird. The brown leghorn in tho sametest, owned by Mr C. Goodson, has laid 233 eggs, the best black orpington layer is Mr D. M. Waddell’s No. 2 bird, which has produced to date mentioned 273 eggs, a white wyandotte owned by Mr T. D. Outhwaite has laid 254 eggs. In the three-bird contest the best laying is by Mr R. R. Cannon’s-three white leghorns, which have laid 740 eggs. To January 8 it will be noticed that the highest score at Papanui, in the white leghorn single bird test, is 245 eggs by Mr H. Williams’s bird, not quite up to Mr Cannon’s bird at Taranaki. The best black orpington score at Papanui in the three-bird test is 625 eggs by Mr J. Campbell’s birds, each bird laying respectively 220, 155, and 150, and in the single-bird test the same owner’s bird laid 235 eggs._ This again is production comparison in favour of Taranaki birds. In the three-bird white leghorn test the best laying is by Mr W M‘lntyre’s three birds, 649 eggs in all, whilst at Taranaki Mr Cannon’s birds have laid 740 eggs. This year, seemingly, we are not doing quite so well down south as they are up north, but things may level up later on. It is continuously being urged by all writers on poultry matters, and also by most practical poultrykeepers that the big eaters are the big layers. It is argued that you cannot very well overfeed a laying hen, that she will get more than her share of the food supplied to the flock, but that she requires it and deserves it. I believe it all, but there are times when it is possible and advisable to restrict the food supply somewhat and yet not diminish the egg yield. For instance, during extremely hot weather (I hope we are going to get some this summer) less food is required by the fowls for the purpose of maintaining heat in their bodies, and consequently any excess is either stored up in undesirable fats or is passed undigested. The amount needed for egg production depends, of course, on the hen’s laying capacity, and is at all times limited. Fat hens feel the extreme heat more than do the lean ones, and this accounts for a big death rate among them. To avoid trouble it is advisable under the conditions referred to to reduce the pollard and increase the bran supply, and all the green stuff possible—up to, say, 25 per cent, of the total food supply—should be served/ It is

THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS OF FOWLS. Fowls eat much the same kind of food that other animals eat. The sense of sight, taste, and smell in fowls all come into play in the selection of food. When a fowl.gets hungry, it must be fed. It must not only be fed enough food but the food should be of the right kind. Different kinds of food serve different purposes, and it would not do to feed the fowl on one kind of food all the time. The Uses of Food.—The foods given a fowl are used for various purposes.' Part of the food is used to build up new tissue to replace the old tissue which is continually being worn away. Every time the fowl moves some tissue is worn away, and it must be replaced. Some of the food goes to support the life of the fowl, that is, to keep such, organs as the heart in action. Some of the food is also used to produce fat in the fowl or to form eggs. The Fowl a Manufacturer. —The fowl may be considered as a manufacturer. It takes the raw materials like grain and grass and converts those into finished products, poultry flesh and eggs. The fowl eats various kinds of food, and these are all mixed together and the mixture is passed through a set of organs called the digestive tract. As the food passes along the digestive tract it undergoes many changes, enabling the fowl to take up various portions into her body. The food materials which she has absorbed are made into flesh and eggs. Not all of the food is absorbed into the fowl’s body for some of it cannot be used, and this is passed out of the digestive tract as refuse. ' Mouth Parts.—The food is picked up by the use of the beak with its upper and, lower mandibles. The food is received by the mouth to which the beak is attached, and next the tongue forces the food backwards to the opening of the gullet. Gullet, Crop, and Stomach. —The food is next swallowed, and passes down the gullet which is a muscular tube running along the throat. The gullet conducts the food from the mouth to the body cavity of the fowl. The fowl is able'to eat large particles of food because the gullet expands easily. Down about two-thirds of its length the gullet is enlarged to form the crop. The food is held in the crop for some-time where it is softened, and thus is easier to digest. When the food in the crop has been softened enough it passses down the rest of the gullet and enters the stomach, also called glandular stomach. The stomach is not as large as the crop, but as the food enters the stomach certain actions take place which prepare the food for other organs to act upon it so that portions of the food can be taken up by the fowl. Gizzard. —From the stomach the food passes into the gizzard, which is a peculiar and important organ. It is oval in shape, and is composed almost entirely of muscle. The chief function of tho gizzard is to crush the hard grains. This action is assisted by grit which is eaten by fowls in the form of stones, and which collect in the gizzard. , Duodenum and Pancreas.—When the food is thoroughly crushed in the gizzard it passes into the first portion of the small intestine which is called the j duodenum. The duodenum is folded in ; a long loop on the inside of w’hich lies an organ called the pancreas. The food does not enter the pancreas, but it is while it is in the duodenum that the food is acted upon by materials given off by the pancreas. In other words, the digestion of the food is carried a step further. , Liver.—The next digestive organ to

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be considered is the liver, composed of two lobes. At the same time that the material is given off from the pancreas material is also given off from the liver, which aids in the digestion of the food.-

Intestine. —From the duodenum the food passes along the intestine. While the food is passing through the intestine some of it is taken up or absorbed by the fowl. Ceca.—Some ,of the, foot} seems to get into the two blind tubes, called ceca, which branch off from the intestine whero the rectum commences. The ceca are usually from 4in to 6in in length, but it is not known .definitely, what purpose they serve. ' Rectum, Cloaca, and Anus. —By the' time the food reaches the rectum much' of it has been absorbed into the fowl’s system. The remainder passes along the rectum to the cloaca, and the cloaca leads to the anus, whero the refuse passes out of the body. TWENTY-SEVENTH PAPANUI EGGLAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens, 40th Week Ended January 8 (279 (Jays); . Test L—J. H. Shaw Memorial • _ Challenge. Light and Heavy Breeds* —Black Orpingtons.— Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl.

J. Campbell H. Cotton ... , H. Wood ... . .. 5 11 2 235 ... 5 10 1 216 ... 6 12 7 183 —White Leghorns.— H. Williams 4 8 1 245' L. Roache. No. 2 5 11 1 233 J. Ibhotson 6 11 11 228 A. C. Goodlet ... 7 15 3 224 L. Roache, No. 2... 7 13 13 216 T. S. Dove 5 10; 7 216 Test 11.—White Leghorns, jingle Hen* Owner enters three birds. Week’s r Grand Totals. Totals. W. MTntyre 4 6 7 233 196 220 , A. J. Maclaine 6 2 5 240 187 211 H. Williams ... 5 4 6 189 217 227| J. Ibhotson ... 6 6 4 221 227 181 W. L. Donald 5 0 5 211 209 205 D. Christie ... 4 0 6 180 201 240 D. Blythe ... 5 6 6 223 226 171 T. Bond 5 3 4 208 201 210 Test III.—Black Orpingtons Only. Week’s Grand Totals. Totals. J. Campbell ... 3 1 5 220 155 150 R. M. Cookson 2 B 4 174 168 168 B. Cotterill ... 0 6 3 90 217 173 Test IV.—Any Variety Light or Heavy Breeds, other than White Leghorns or Black Orpingtons. Week’s - Grand , Totals. Totals.Mrs Williams . ' ' * (L.S.) ... ;.. 8 4 7' 222 206 204 S. H. Mitchell ■ • ■ I (A.) ... ,... 4 ,5 6. 171 184 183 A. W. Pritchard' (Buff O.) ... B 7 2 162187 178 B. C. Wilson (B.L.) ... ... 5 15' 180 112 212 Test V.—Flock, Teams (six .birds). —White Leghorns.— . : Week’s Weight. Eggs. ■ 07.. drs. TI. M. G. Craig, No. 2 26 53 9 1,143 M. C. Craig, No. T 21 43 12 1,085 W. Knight ... ... 15 32 10 1,062 H. Williams ... 27 56 2 1,061 L. Roache 27 .55 3 1,027 Verrall Bros. ... 20 41 11 1,01Q Test VI.—Single Ducks. Owner enters three birds. —Indian Runner*.— ’ J. W. Thomson H. A. Dawber G. A. Heath ... A. C. F. Ross ... Week’s, Grand Totals. Totals. 6 5 7 228 228 268 473 175 268 216 6 4 0 217 254 150, 7’- 2 7 167 134 223 Test VII.—Other than Indian Runners* Week’s Grand Totals. Totaliy H. A., Dawber (P.) 2 3 0 189 175 2171 F. Ashworth (K.C.) ... ... 7 7 .0 203 217 Q