POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 22774, 8 October 1937, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES

DECREASE IN POULTRY. A marked decrease in the number of poultry in Australia is reported, and from America it is stated that increasing evidence that poultry-hatching will be smaller this year than last was reported by the Agricultural Bureau (Economics)' in a recent summary ot the poultry and egg situation.. The principal factor was said to be the high price of feed in relation to prices received by farmers for their eggs., PRICE OF FOODSTUFFS. Poultry farmers the world over are complaining of the rising cost of'all poultry foods, and, as we know, Acv. Zealand is no exception.. The following may be found interesting:—At a recent meeting of directors of the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture, held at Edinburgh, Mr W. J. "Wright, of Bass Rock Farm, North Berwick, a vicepresident of the chamber,* said that while disease was reducing income, the economic or price situation was a serioua aggravation. Within 12 months the price of wheat for poultry had practically doubled. A year ago he had bought wheat from £5 to, £5 10s; today it was £lO 10s to £ll. per ton. At certain . seasons of the year wheat represented about half of the feed given to fowls,- though at other season* quantities of oats and maize were used. For mashes, which were entirely dependent upon-bought-in feeding stuffs, the rise amounted to .between £2 and £3 per ton. Unfortunately that increase had been accompanied by * fall in the price of eggs. His estimate was that an increase of £2 10s per ton in feeding cost? (a low figure) was equal to a reduction of 3d per dozen eggs produced on an average farm. A further sidelight quoted by Mr Wright was that on the average a reduction amounting to 2d per dozen in the producer’s price for eggs is equal to a loss, of income amounting to £IOO per annum on a 1,000-birds farm. Henec the estimated loss of 3d per dozen eggs, due to higher costs of feeding, is equal to an income loss of £l5O on.a poultry farm of the size specified. 10 MILLION EGOS A YEAR. ' Notwithstanding all that we hear about the high cost of food and the allegation that many are leaving the industry, it is evident from the following that, in England at least, there is enterprise—recognising the large number of' eggs imported—sufficient to undertake further local production. It is reported that a group of people with vast funds are considering the possibilities of a plant in the south of England capable of turning out 10 million eggs a year. The farm would be completely self-contained, with its own packing' Station, and 30,000 of the layers would' be in batteries. ' The breeding for replacement would be done on the farm, incubation would be by cabinet machines, and rearing on up-to-date lines. Table chickens would be produced in fold units. Five hundred acres would be used. The whole scheme is tentative at the moment, and figures, costs, equipment, and other details are being carefully gone into by Mr Cyril Grange, secretary of the Poultry Club. BftAN. In consequence of heavy feeding during the winter months birds will get over-fat if the cold weather method of feeding is not altered during early spring, and the result will be thinshelled eggs, unshelled eggs, and egg binding. At this season it is quite a good plan to increase the bran and leave out the maize for this sole condition— i.e., over-fatness. At first a little bran- can be placed before the birds in a trough, and when they are eating it eagerly more can be given in the mash. It will be found that the eggs will become improved in shape, of shell, size, and texture, while the birds themselves will lose a lot of the unnecessary internal fat. In extreme cases it is advisable to give oats instead of wheat till a good deal of the internal fat has been used up, as it -will be in due course if the fattening foods are not supplied. THE CREAM OF THE HATCH. Mr Powell-Owen puts it well when he says: “ Only, the cream of the hatch should- be retained for reproduction purposes.” WHY THE DUST BATH? How many farmers know the real reason why hens take dust baths? Is it just • because they like the feel of Rust on'their skin? No, it is their instinct which tells them that dust kills insect, parasites. Insects and mites breathe through spiracles (microscopic openings in the body); these external breathing organs become- clogged up by dust, so the parasites die, therefore why go to the extra expense of adding powdered -disinfectant to dust baths when it will kill the pests in exactly the same way as the dust, and no more effectively? Perhaps you think the disinfectant will kill bacteria and germs; this is perfectly true, but germs which are actually on the skin do not endanger the health of the bird. The hen has no pores in its skin, so the germs cannot pass through into the body, and so to

Contribution* and qu»stiOns tor answering should be ad. dressed to " Utility-Fancy,” Poultry Editor, Star ’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. UtilityFancv ” will only answer communications through this column. (Advertisements for this column must be handed in to the offiee before 2 p.m. on Thursday.)

By “ UTI LITY*FAN CY ’ *

the blood stream, through which disease might be carried to the various organs. The germs in the air, food, litter, etc., are dangerous, as- they can be picked up_ or taken into the body by means of 1 the air passing down the trachea into the lungs. If you keep your henhouses, food, litter, etc., clean, you will keep down germs;«but do not waste expensive disinfectant in dust baths when it could be used to far better advantage elsewhere. —M. Todd, in the ‘ Poultry World. 1 SULPHURET OF LIME. During the moult sulphuret of lime may be given to fowls twice a week. It can also be used for intensively keptbirds through the winter, when there is a shortage of fresh green food. In this latter case, however, over a month will be ample. It is prepared as follows: — Put three or four lumps of freshlyburnt lime—the size of ordinary eggsinto an iron pot, slack wtih boiling water, and stir into it 6oz flowers of sulphur. Add, gradually, 2 quarts of boiling water, and stir all- the time. Then boil it gently for an hour or so. Stand the pot aside to cool; and then decant the clear liquor—which should be of a similar colour to dark brandy. For preference, pour it into half-pint bottles, which cork securely and label, so that no one will mistake it. When in use, uncork the bottle out of doors—unless you wish the room to be filled with a most unpleasant odour. A teaspoonful of this sulphuret of lime is ample for half a dozen heps, which take to feather-eating. And it should be put into tho water with which their wet mash is prepared. A POULTRY TALKIE. ‘ The National Poultry Improvement Plan ’ is the subject of a new sound picture which has just been released by the United States Department of Agriculture. With 41 States co-operating in the improvement plan, the new picture is expected to have wide distribution. It is three reels in length, and takes 40 minutes to show. It outlines the methods followed by breeding poultry for high egg production, for table qualities, and in testing for pallorum disease. The speaking parts are by Mr H. L. Shrader. AVERAGE LENGTH OF MOULT. Observations of 123 birds in seven lots by the TJ.S.A. Department of Agriculture showed that the average length of the moult period was 19.9 weeks. Get rid of slackers before they moult. The average moulting period in some particular American States may be 19.9 weeks, but very probably it is—in good hands —three or four weeks shorter in New Zealand. All the same,, get rid of slackers.* STRONG-SHELLED EGGS. An Old County writer says that if you throw an egg as high as you can so that it will land on grass, it may bounce up, hut the shell will not break! “ Utility-Fancy ” can vouch for the truth of this, because many years ago he did it and saw,other boys do it without breaking the egg. This is quite a good way to demonstrate shell texture to a customer, but I should not advise setting the egg demonstrated with. ■ 1 ■— EGGS FOR INCUBATIOxV. A few facts about the selection of eggs for incubation will not be out of place. First of all, avoid any eggs that are over two weeks . old; in fact, the fresher the eggs for incubation are the better. ■ It is true that eggs which have travelled a long distance and may be three or four weeks old when put to incubation, have hoeu successfully incubated in some instances, hut as a rule such eggs havo been trusted to a hen and not to artificial incubation. Discard any eggs that are not of a good shape or have coarse shells or any rough spots on them. Also any that are abnormally large, or, where egg production is concerned, any that are under 2oz in weight. A 2Joz egg is not considered abnormally large. Once the eggs are in the machine, do not open the door or touch them for the first two days. At the end of tfie second day take out the tray and place on a firm surface, turn the eggs carefully and change their position—i.e., get the outside eggs to the centre and the centre eggs to the outside.. Then replace the tray in the incubator without delay. Always close door of incubator directly the tray has been taken out. This is necessary in order to conserve the heat. Repeat this process throughout the term, allowing a little more time for cooling as the time of hatching approaches. INDIGESTION AMONGST CHICKS. When a healthy chick is growing rapidly, developing bone, and forming feathers, its nourishment requirements are great for so small a creature; and it consequently has a very hearty appetite. It is not surprising, therefore, that chicks sometimes experience little digestive troubles which naturally cause a temporary check. A chick suffering from indigestion will rush forward eagerly to feed with the rest, but then after a peek or two, perhaps, will stand aloof. Catch such a bin! and in nine cases out of ten it will be

found there is apparently nothing amiss. There may, however, he a slight congestion in tho crop. If so, massage this with the fingers gently for a while and then give a teaspoonful of salad oil. Again massage, and all should be well next feeding time. CHARACTERISTICS OF LAYING HENS. The laying hen (says a Scottish writer) has a jaunty, alert appearance. She is interested in everything that comes her way. She is usually fairly tame, and is always on the look-out for food. Her face is open and honest and her eyes are bright. She is not afraid to look her owner in the face, as she seems- to realise that she has earned her little bit of corn. Coarse-headed fowls are never, good layers, and neither are beefy-combed ones. The head should have a refined look, and the eyes should be set well up •in the head. Combs and wattles are never exaggerated, and they have a fine, healthy look of smooth texture and quality. Texture is a difficult term to define in words; it is a fineness suggesting quality and careful breeding., Its full significance can only be realised by experience. CONSTITUTION ABOVE ALL ELSE. Do not aim too high as regards scores. Modem inclination is towards strong brids laying moderate numbers of perfect eggs. We still see reference to the 300 or more strains! Practical breeders like facts, not fiction. Many hens lay 300 eggs and more, but where is the strain where the average of hundreds of the hens is 300 eggs? A large commercial flock that averages even. 180 eggs—top grade or otherwise—is something to talk about and to possess. There would be many such flocks if properly bred and handled. BEGIN CULLING EARLY. Get rid of weakly chicks directly they are recognised as such and separate the sexes as soon as they are distinguishable. A GOOD LITTER. Straw is a good material with, which to form litter .for fowls. It makes a much better litter than hay, and it is surprising how quickly a flock of .hens will reduce it to shreds so that it will mix with the , under litter, which should consist of fresh, dry earth reasonably dry. This makes an ideal litter, and the fowls, will never tire of digging and scratching amongst it, providing they pan find a .grain now and again to reward their labour. Dried leaves, which should be collected in the autumn, also make good litter for, fowls. Such litter—straw, leaves, and earth—when mixed as it inevitably will be with poultry droppings, forms an ideal fertiliser for the kitchen garden and more than compensates for the amount of earth taken to form litter for the fowls. DEPEND THE SMALL PRODUCER. Sir Edward Brown, LL.D., writes: The time is fast approaching when the powers that be and poultry-keepeis generally must decide whether the small producer, urban and rural, shall be discouraged or the reverse. The testing point will probably be whether those whose number of birds is limited shall be exempted from registration should organised marketing be adopted. Such exemption should be statutory, and not left to the whims or vagaries of boards, who, if the examples in other directions are ’ a guide, dislike, the smell man. In this respect there have been signs that large producers are jealous of the poultry-keepers of, say, 50 birds. My experience over many years has been that the stable part of the industry and of home supplies is not those whoso operations are large, the number of whom is comparatively small, but the vast multitude of smaller operators, many of whom are qualifying themselves for more extensive production. The interests of owners of breeding farms should certainly induce them to defend tho small men.