Poultry Notes

Evening Star, Issue 21931, 18 January 1935, Page 2

Poultry Notes

[By UTILITY. FANCY.]

I Contribution! and questions for answering should be addressed . i t# “Utility-Fancy,” Poultry Editor, ‘Star* Office, and re- | I eaived not later than Tuesday of each week. " Utility-Fancy ” j will only answer communications through this column.

Advertisements for this column must bo handed in to the offict before 2 p.m. on Thursday.

answers to correspondents. “ Caversham.” —Yon 'sliould try and find out which of your hens is -laying tho double-yoked eggs and' treat her separately from the others. The cause is generally the feeding of a too stimulating mash. Though only one of the fiock is laying these eggs at present, and all are fed alike, it is probable that others may begin producing them or show the ill effects of a too forcing diet in some other way. 1 advise giving less grain and leave out meats in any form for a few days. Give as. much green food as the fowls will eat. SETTLING THE PULLETS. , Before pullets are drafted to their permanent growing quarters they should be carefully graded. Every pullet hatched is not necessarily worth retaining for egg production. Some may be physically defective, and others grow slowly and reveal themselves as bad doers. Having made a selection of the most likely birds, it is time to get those which aro required to lay in autumn into their permanent homes in readiness for laying. Get them settled down before laying, otherwise they may suffer a check if they are moved after they have begun to lay. Before installing the pullets, however, get the home thoroughly cleaned, and if it requires it, renovated. See that the roof is sound and that there are no cracks between the wall boards through which direct draughts rhav ulay on the birds when perched at night. IRISH EGG BOUNTY. The Free State Government has imposed a new tariff which will end the comedy of the. Government paying twice under the bounty scheme on eggs exported to Britain. The new tariff on eggs entering Ireland is 12s per great hundred (120), with an Imperial preference of Bs. It came into operation last week. It has been imposed to put a stop to the re-importation of eggs which had already received the bounty. SUMMER HATCHING. There are breeders —even experienced ones—who hatch out of season, and if thev repeat the process, as in,any do, it is evident that they get results which satisfy them. Those whose object is to provide the market with tabic birds and who hatch out of season, are, of course, to produce marketable young birds all the year round. .For egg production there is no question but that spring and early summer hatching gives the best results. Whether breeding is undertaken in or out of season all machine incubators and breeders, require thorough cleansing and disinfecting. Never mind how clean they look after being used, it makes no difference; they still need disinfecting. In fact, every breeder should make it a rule to start hatching with all machines in absolutely sanitary condition. What the eye cannot see is the real enemy of the poultry .breeder, what he .can see may be harmless. Good yellow soap applied hot is an excellent germicide; use it freely. A PREVENTIVE OF COCCIDIOSIS. One teaspoonl'ul of iodine and one teaspoontul of pure, cane molasses, dissolved in ten quarts of water and. given chickens to drink is stated to be an excellent preventive of coccidiosis and pasting, and will cure iany birds already affected. DISINFECTING: SOME SUGGESTIONS. Mr G. G. Belfield, in the course of a paper ou 1 Problems of Large Scale Incubation,’ delivered at the Harper Adams conference, said:— “ Disinfection was a most important point, not only of the machine, but of the room in which it was housed. The incubator could only be as clean as the room which held it. Floors must he kept clean and damped down to prevent dust. Regular scrubbing and swilling down, or using a vacuum cleaner when dry was to be preferred to dry sweeping. Egg shells, fluff, and foecal matter should be removed after every hatch and trays and floors scrubbed with a good disinfectant. The machine itself, continued the speaker, would be most easily and efficiently disinfected by means of formaldehyde gas, using 40 c.c. formalin and 20 grammes of permanganate of potash to every 100 cubic feet. Used at such a strength the gas would readily destroy the bacteria of bacillary white diarrhoea. An efficient incubator was not enough: it must be efficiently and intelligently used.” EFFECT OF LIGHT. Dr J. Hammond, of the Cambridge School of Agriculture, in the course of a paper read at a Harper Adams conference, said that the number of eggs laid depended mainly on feeding and the seasonal conditions. Although there was a great difference in the shape of the seasonal egg curve, in different latitudes' it was found that the number of eggs, produced per bird per month throughout the world follows very closely the length of daylight curves. Experiments had indicated that the addition of light to the short days of the winter months gave increased production.

The-speaker gave it as, his opinion that light acted as a stimulant upon the anterior pituitary gland in regard ’ to'increased secretion, which substance, circulating in the blood, stimulates the ovary to increased production. Young growing birds used up the substance in the growth of-their bones. LAYING TEST FOR HENS. A laying test is to be commenced in America for second-year hens. One ot its objects will be to breed from the hens and distribute the stock so bred among breeders requiring a change ot blood. TABLE BIRD PRODUCTION. Mr A. Kirsch, in one of his articles contributed to the ‘ Feathered World, quotes a letter which he received Horn a French poultry breeder, in which it is stated that it was impossible to rear a decent table bird on range; and Mr Kirsch was in agreement with him. The Frenchman then stated that it was impossible to make a good table ‘bird in a battery and in cages. .He admitted that a presentable fowl eould be got, but not the real article. Mr Kirsch continues; —“ He is emphatic, and says that it is impossible to get the same flavour, the same succulence, from a fowl that has never been on range. J think that this question of succulence will have to be argued rather theoretically. 1 do not know how long fowls arokept in coops in France to produce the very best article, but it must be weeks. T should imagine by the amount of fat on a French capon or a ‘ poulard© ’ that 1 they must keep them many weeks longer than over here. No English poultry farmer, whether cramming or not, seems to be able to get on his ■fowls the amount of fat to be found on a French bird of the highest quality. The finished article in France, after it is taken from the coop and dressed, is wrapped in a cloth and sewn up. When that cloth is ripped off the bird produces the impression of being almost circular. The amount of fat is so groat tliat the legs seem actually to have gone into the body. This statement is made by M. 11 aqliet, and I can bear it out from observation. How this bird is produced i am very sad at not being able to tell readers! Ido not know; but it seems to me that the French have learned the art of feeding fowls in a coop for a longer time than wc have, and to keep them ‘ growing on ’ all the time. Hew can a bird which has been so long in a coop possibly bear traces, as far as the flesh is concerned, of the feeding that took place previously? Leins remember that the taste, of the flesh depends on what the bird is fed on, and that it is very easy to taint either flesh or egg.” DEVELOPMENT OF APPETITE. An Australian poultry scribe, afier quoting MivKirsch’s' remarks (see the preceding paragraph), says: “We venture to suggest to Mr Kirsch that perhaps one of the reasons why a bird that has been ranging for his tucker puts on weight more readily is the fact that he has developed an excellent appetite and eats as much as he would as when he was working for his food, and this food not being burnt off, is stored in fat, the metabolism taking place more freely on account of the bird’s physical fitness. How often do we see this in retired human athletes?” GENETICS AND POULTRY. Concerning science as the farmer's friend, Professor •). B. S. Haldane, F.R.S., contributed an article on what genetics can and cannot do to a recent issue of the ‘ Morning Post.’ In the course of that contribution the professor remarked that the most hopeful fields for scientific animal breeding in England arc in the poultry industry, and in the case of newly-domesticated fur-bearing animals, such as the silver fox. ■With foxes 1 am not concerned, but “ a good poultry breeder.” said Professor Haldane, 11 will sell hens guaranteed to lay over 200 eggs per annum; but though individual birds often lay more than 300, this character has not vet been fixed in any breed.” He points out that in many plants, such as wheat and peas, it is possible by repeated self-fertilisation to arrive at races whose members are all alike and which breed perfectly true. Hence he suggests that standardised poultry races could probably be built up in the same way.

As Professor Haldane said, “ most lines with high egg yield are liable to a variety of diseases to which immunity could probably he obtained by crossing with immune races and selection among tho progeny.” That the character to produce more than 300 eggs in a year has not yet been fixed in*any breed of fowl is true enough. And, in view of the fact that high mortality percentages are shown by many of the leading laying tests, it is to be "hoped that such production will never be fixed.

in my opinion it would benefit the poultry industry to a much greater extent if the professor and the breeder got together on this subject of disease, particularly regarding issues which have become" so prominent since some breeders have striven for excessive production.

To my way of looking at it, to attempt fixing a 1500-egg character is tackling the problem at the wrong end. Science has been of considerable assistance to poultry breeders, but if it can ensure us sound stock with high records it will have accomplished something really beneficial. ‘ Poultry ’ (England).

30th ANNUAL PAPANUJ EGGLAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens. Fortieth Week, Ended January 10, (279 days). Test I.—J. H. Shaw Memorial Challenge. Light and Heavy Breeds. Week's Weight.

az. clrs. Tl. W. Turner , ... 7 13 5 231 J. H. Jones 5 10 9 229 J. Campbell (B.O.) 2 4 Id 218 J. Ibbotson . ... 6 11 9 217 W. Stephenson ... 6 14 0 204 F. Hughes 5 11 0 202 Test 2.—White Leghorn, Single Hens (owner enters 3 birds). Week’s Grand Totals. Totals. Miss Kecklell ... 667 211 248 233 J. Ibbotson ... ... 376 210 227 224 H„ Williams ... 663 229 223 206 G. Miller ... 357 227 202 221 Mrs Williams ... 257 184 233 206 M. C. Craig ... 746 182 220 229 A. J. Maclaine ... 7 1 4 237 213 180

Test 3.—Black Orpingtons and Australorps. (Owner enters three birds.) Week’s Grand Totals eggs. to date. S. Brunby (B.O.) 3 6 5 214 212 211 T. Smith (B.O.) IB 6 170 214 234. W. Jcpson (A.O.) 4 3 5 218 173 215 Test 4.—Any Variety Light or Heavy Breeds Other Than White Leghorns or Black Orpingtons. Week’s Grand Totals. Totals. A. I). Fabian (M.) 3 4 6 142 200 lo6 A, W. Adams (S.W.) 4 6 6 159 190 137 Airs Crowther (M.) 2 4 5 130 165 190 E. R. Buckley (R.F.R.) 5 0 5 176 111 177 Test 6.—Flock Teams (6 birds). Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl Miss H. Keddell ... 36 71 14 h-'J} J. Biggins 34 70 1 1,157 E. P. Anderson ... 31 65 8 1,125 Mrs Andrews ... 28 58 6 1,115 Test 6.—Single Ducks. (Owner enters 3 bird*.) Week’s Grand Totals eggs. to date. E. Ashworth (K.C.) 5 5 4 239 236 220 W. A. Pollard (f.R.) 0 7 3 197 260 165 S J. Marshall (K.C.) 6 7 6 201 164 249 Mrs Pollard and Son 1 2 5 179 216 203 —Experimental Tests.— Test 1.—White leghorns and Black Orpingtons. Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl. 3. .Still 7 15 6 238 H, Williams 6 13 4 227 A. S. Barrett (B.O.) 5 10 0 227 W. Stephenson ... 6 12 5 212 Miss F. Kerr 5 10 5 210 Tost lb.—Any Variety, L. or H. Breeds Other than W.L. or B.O. Week’s Weight. Eggs. oz. drs. Tl. A. Dalziel (L.) ... 6 14 0 205 A. W. Adams (S.W.) 2 4 5 183 Patty Griffen (Barn) 4 10 10 177 Test 1c.—Single Ducks. J. W. Turner (W.R.) 2 5 9 197 F. Ashworth (K.C.) 5 11 11 190