POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22571, 12 February 1937, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES

OUTSIDERS BENEFITING. Timber merchants, carpenters, netting manufacturers, farmers, millers, produce merchants, shopkeepers, all benefit at the cost of the poultry keeper, and no one grudges them tne fact, because . profitable poultry beeping would bo impossible without their aid. Makers of incubators, broodefs, troughs, and drinking vessels may be placed in the same category, for thenservices are practically indispensable to poultry keepers. There is no doubt, however, but that poultry keepers could dispense with the expensive luxury of maintaining many other businesses which are foisting themselves on the industry, were they to pay more personal attention to the feeding ot their birds find the sanitary conditions of the-premises in which they are confined. Many who buy proprietary foods could mis tneir own mashes at less expense. Were they to build their houses in such a' way that all the sunlight available could penetrate to all parts arid compel their stock to strengthen their -legs by scratching for their grain feed, there would be less need for spending money bn expensive cod liver oil to cure rickets, or to buy medicine for many other diseases. There is not such a favourable margin between the cost of food and the value of eggs to warrant the benefiting of too many outsiclera at the cost of the poultry industry. . . Scientific investigators, it seems, have discovered still another way of assisting the poultry keeper, at, of course, additional expense to him. It has been discovered that the germ of wheat contains an oil which promotes fertility, but it is explained that the wheat itself does not contain enough of it, and that to ensure fertility an extract of the oil, which can now, in America and England, be obtained in bottles, should he added to the mash! Whether at, no doubt, considerable expense, the forcing of fertility by such means will increase the hatchability of the eggs or the rearability of the chickens is not mentioned. There can be little doubt in any one’s mind but that birds kept under good management can be less costly than birds badly managed, and it should be noted that the first point to observe in management is to breed only from birds of sound constitution, and never from birds reared in batteries. or which, in close confinement, have been forced for procreation. I • ' ■ A PREY TO PARASITES. In concluding an article on ‘ Causes of Fowl Paralysis,’ an English poultry expert says:— “ The solution of paralysis Jios in prevention. Never breed.from commercial laying stock. A breeder is a breeder, a layer a layer, and they can never bo both. A chick hatched from a heavy layer comes into the world with a depleted vitality, which means that it has a susceptibility to disease, not disease itself. Such a chick, with its power of resistance weakened, is a prey for internal parasites, and sooner or later exhibits a secondary condition, paralysis.” '1 •• COMMON-SENSE FEEDING. Many poultry keepers seem to be guilty, says the ‘Belfast Weekly News’ poultry scribe, of using the same foods in the same proportions throughout the year, ignoring the fact that some are suitable only for cold weather and others for the warm season. We can go even further than that, for some foods that are suitable for the cold weather are positively dangerous in the summer. Foods that aro strong in carbohydrate and fat are necessary for winter feeding, as together they make for the production of heat. Barley meal is a capital cold-weather feed, but middlings, with less carbohydrates, are more for summer use. Maize meal, used sparingly, is also a good winter •food, but too liberal use of it has injurious effects as it coats the birds’ carcases with greasy yellow fat, and evenually reduces the egg supply to a marked extent. An excellent ration for general use first thing in the morning is a mixture of two parts barley meal and one each of middlings and maize meal. For afternoon feeding, barley, wheat, and maize meal mash is fed with caution. . The advantage of giving mash in the morning is that after the long fast of the night the birds’ systems are empty, and the mash provides a food that can be easily and quickly digested. And for just the opposite reason grain is good for the afternoon, as a slowly assimulating food is needed to last the night through. What is suitable as food in Northern Ireland, where winter conditions are more severe than in New Zealand, may not be suitable here; all the same it is a good plan to feed according to season.

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By “UTILITY-FANCY”

LIFE SPAN INHERITED. Supported by a wealth of scientific evidence Pearl has completely demonstrated that heredity determines how long a fowl can live. Whether it will reach the limits of the normal inherited span of life, depends primarily on the rate it lives, but it is a well-established fact that long-lived fowls have a much higher percentage of long-lived parents than short-lived fowls. Consequently the careful selection of the chicks’ parents in respect to longevity is the most reliable form of lire insurance the E nil try farmer can secure for a flock, on’t breed from pullets. ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY FOR EGG PRODUCTION A poor water supply will stop the best bird from laying eggs. As with every other living thing, layers need more water in the hot weather than at other times, and their supply must never be allowed to go dry. One vessel beside their nests and another out on range is accepted as the most satisfactory supply, but the main thing is that there must always be cool, clean water where the layers know where to find it. TURPENTINE FOR WORMS. The turpentine treatment for the eradication of round worms is to give a tablespoonful of medicinal turpentine from a chemist to every 25 fowls in half the ordinary quantity of morning wet mash, and to follow this in four hours with the other half of the mash containing lOoz Epsom salts to every 20 fowls, this treatment to be repeated in four to seven days. On the morning following the first dose of turpentine add one per cent, tobacco dust to the mash daily for a week, then one and a-half per cent, for a week, after that add two per cent, daily as a worm preventive. Fowls usually eat the mash with turpentine in oil without trouble, especially if the evening grain has been reduced, but if there is any refusal to eat the mash stir into it one teaspoonful of powdered aniseed to every 10 fowls.—‘ Poultry,’ Australia. MALE-FERN FOR WORMS. The same remarks apply to malefern—the dose of the liquid extract should not exceed 10 or 12 minims, but three minims of the oil of maje-fern, blended with a teaspoonful of salad oil, is more certain in its action. FATTEN BEST WITHOUT COMBS. In Holland and France the combs of White Leghorn cockerels aro removed, after which they are said to fatten much more quickly. The removal of the combs alters, to a certain extent, the circulation of the blood, and as the combs are well supplied with this their removal causes more blood to he sent through the other organs of the body, and this may be the cause of more rapid growth. A USE FOR COAL ASHES. Coal ashes arc an asset on the poultry farm, and may be used to great advantage, says ‘ The Australasian.’ They are an excellent absorbent, and when sprinkled under the perches and united with the droppings, the volatile properties of the hen manure are carefully preserved. They differ from wood ashes in this respect, for wood ashes, though a good insecticide, contain considerable lime, which liberates the ammonia in the droppings and thus destroys much of their fertilising value. Finely screened coal ashes make the most effective sort of a dust hath for the hens. The fine dust penetrates the fowl’s feathers, and coming in contact with lico serves to stop the breathing passages of these parasites, causing them to suffocate and die. Wood ashes are even better for this purpose, because the particles of dust are finer, but here again the lime is objectionable, since it tends to take the gloss off the plumage. Coal ashes can be used freely on the floors of poultry buildings, for they penetrate cracks and crevices and assist to destroy mites and other vermin, dissipate noxious odours, and improve conditions generally. Still another advantage, large quantities of tho cinders will be eaten by the birds as grit, and will contribute some of the mineral nutrients, CHECKING MORTALITY. In the course of a talk on the general farm at Blackburn, Mr W. H. Evans, of the Millers’ Mutual Association, con-

tended that tho rising mortality in lay- ' ing trials during the last 10 years was clear proof that methods of breeding, general management and feeding had to be altered. Mr Evans advocated the return to more natural methods of breeding, rearing and feeding to build up stamina, and urged the retention of overyear birds, male and female, for breeding stock, by which means Nature’s law of the survival of the fittest should be allowed to play its part. The general farmer, with his stock sense and largo area of land available, was. he said, iu an excellent position to produce end maintain flocks of healthy, productive birds. He, therefore, urged farmers to give more attention to poultry. On the subject of feeding he held that simple balanced rations _ composed of a few freshly milled ingredients were better for the birds than more complicated and often more expensive foods. BE OPEN TO CONVICTION. Do not sit tight on any pet theory or system, bo open to conviction; but he sure that any departure from welltried methods is going to be an improvement. FOWL PARALYSIS. Fowl paralysis is causing poultry raisers in some countries much thought at the present moment. This problem is occupying the attention of researcli workers, but up to now they have not been able to give any satisfactory solution. In some districts the mortality has been quite alarming. MATURE BREEDERS. Be careful whilst culling to reserve sufficiently properly-matured birds for the coming breeding season. Breeding stock should not include pullets. Young male birds, 12 months old, may he used, but from 18 months to two years, other things equal, they would give better stock. Promiscuous breeding from young immature stock tends to degeneration. ADDING COD LIVER OIL. The quantity recommended to be added to the mash is one pint of cod liver oil to every cwt of mash. It should be worked into the bran first and then incorporated with the rest of the mash. TRAP NEST UNTRUTHS. A keen poultry-keeper, says the ‘ Feathered World,’ asked his county adviser if he should instal trap nests. “ No,” came the cryptic reply; “ the sooner you instal trap nests the sooner you become like all the other liars in the poultry industry.” DANDELIONS. Dandelions are excellent green feed for poultry. They may be fed daily if obtainable. Dandelions improve the colour of the yolks and improve the taste of the eggs. Dandelions arc also of medicinal value, as they act on the liver and improve digestion. AGE TO KILL. Table ducklings must he killed at exactly the right age. This is anything between eight and 10 weeks. If too old even by a week, the body is covered with a mass of tiny pin feathers. These spoil the bird’s appearance and reduce its value. At this stage, too, the bird loses flesh rapidly. To find out if a duckling is ready for market examine the underside of the wings. The feathers should be about half-grown, and on the web of the wing the down should still be visible, ORANGE-RED YOLKS. Poultry men can, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, get deep-coloured or pale yolks as they desire. Small amounts of pimento or chili pepper in the ration colour the yolks a deep orange red, while white maize instead of yellow, with limited amount of green food, will make the yolks pale.