POULTRY NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 23508, 23 February 1940, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

Contribution*, and questions for answering should be addressed to " Utility-Fancy," Poultry Editor, ' Star ’ Office, and received not later than Tuesday of each week. " Utility. Fancy ” will only answer communications through this column. (Advertisements for (his column must be handed in to tha office before 2 p.m. on Thursday.)

By “UTILITY-FANCY”

POULTRY NOTES

[By Utiutt-Fanot.] HATCHING IS OVER. Now that hatching is over in most places there is no need' to restrict the breeding stock to one section of the plant. During the final few months certain birds have been placed aside for eggs necessary for hatching, and have not been fed with the view of getting many eggs, but sufficient only for incubation. ■ These eggs having been obtained, it will probably prove more economical to break up the breeding flocks —put them amongst the layers and utilise the space they have occupied for the growing stock. If it is desired to keep these breeders for another seaion’s hatching, and there is more than on* pen of them, they can be grouped together and allowed their range. They will be all the better for such treatment— i.e., stronger in constitution — than if confined with the birds forced lor laying. DUBBING COCKERELS. For many years it has been the custom to dub ' game cockerels so as to give them a better appearance and save them from some trouble when fighting. , Some years back the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took exception to the practice in Great Britain; A test case resulted in the operator being fined, on the grounds 'that sufficient care had not been taken in the operation and unnecessary cruelty had been inflicted. _ The society .has since interested itself in trying to •eoure legislation to provide that dubbing and canonising of cockerels shall be performed only under an anaesthetic and by a veterinary surgeon. That these operations should be performed in a manner involving the least possible pain, cannot be questioned. The great majority of persons, however, are likely to agree that the proposed legislation is absolutely unnecessary. The castrating and tailing of lambs is allowed in every country in the world. Neither of them," surely, involves less pain than dubbing and caponising. The dubbing of cockerels has often saved their lives. I have seen a bird dubbed that could not hold its head up owing to the weight of its comb, and birds whose wattles were so long .that they got in the way of food they tried to pick up. After the operation in such cases the birds readily settle down to_ feed. For breeding purposes the dubbing of both males and females is essential in some cases,., as the heavy combs make the birds ’ dull and listless, and infertile

eggs are the result. It should bo remembered that a large and heavy comb is not natural, but is the result of special breeding as a fancy point. BEST RESULTS FROM THE BREEDING PEN. Poultry farming, like other branches of agriculture, is strictly divided into various sections as the seasons follow each other, and it takes a war or some similar upheaval to make some of us realise that we might possibly reduce expenses in these routine jobs without impairing results. This truth was forcibly brought home to me the other day on examining some past years’ incubation records (says a writer in the ‘ Farmers’ Weekly,’ London). If I had a bad hatch I could always console myself by putting down on the sheet the percentage of chicks hatched from fertile eggs and forgetting the percentages hatched from eggs set. There is, of course, a world of difference between the two, and this year in particular it is up to us all to try to cut those waste eggs which, as infertile, broken yolks, and addled, make up the difference to as low a figure as possible. The first step in this direction is to do’ all that is possible to ensure good fertility from the breeding pens by observing the following points:—(l) Don’t overmatc. With heavy breeds on free range nse one male bred to not less than 15 hens, and with similar breeds in restricted pens one male to 12 hens. With light breeds a male bird will serve three or four hens more in each case. (2) Do all you can to modify climatic extremes, as these have a great influence on fertility. Under this heading would come the provision of comfortable, weatherproof houses, the erection of wind the provision of a warm wet mash feed to start the day in very severe squalls, and the confining of birds inside the house on mornings when frost is particularly heavy on the grass. (3) Keep the breeding flocks, especially the males, in good physical • condition by feeding as good a mash as is possible in present circumstances. It may be necessary to take the males aside at meal times and feed them separately. (4) If the males have sharp spurs, which can influence fertility by tending to make ..the hens shy, these should be Hunted by.filing. (5) If the flock is of a breed which carries heavy plumage on the abdomen —e.g., White Wyandottes—this should, be cut away from around 1 the vent, so as not to impede mating. Having done one’s best to ensure fertility, the next step is to preserve that fertility in the interim between laying and setting. During this period valuable eggs can be ruined as far as incubation results are. concerned by such things as lack of nesting material, which may result in . eggs being cracked, infrequent collection in cold weather, which may result in eggs being frosted, or clumsy handling, which can lead to broken yolks. Having been collected, eggs,should ha stored in a suitable place to await, setting. A room with an even temperature of around 60deg to 65deg Fahr. is best, and eggs should be so packed, pre-

ferably on trays, that they can bo easily turned every day to avoid uneven exposure. Eggs intended for setting should be marked, not only with the date of collection, but also with a pen or perch number, so that infertiles can be traced back to the offending flock. , The last stage is the actual setting and incubation. Before the eggs are placed in the machine this should have been heated to lOOdcg Fahr. for at least two days, so that it regains the required temperature in a matter of six or seven hours after the eggs are set. Careful selection of eggs for setting will prevent a certain number of rejections later in the hatch. Do not include: (a) Eggs of less than in weight, or, on the other hand of more than 2)oz; (b) ill-shaped, thin, or porous-slielled eggs, and mottled-shelled eggs. . , Over a period of years I have noticed that such eggs rarely pass the first test. Candle all eggs before setting, as this will reveal any with “ hair cracks,” which if set. would only be wasted. After eggs are placed inside the incubator the door should not be closed for an hour or two—a too-sudden heating up may result in a number of broken yolks. Eggs should not be turned for the first two days, but from then onwards they need turning twice every day to ensure even heating and to prevent a “sticking germ.” (This is noted at the test by a small black spot, which does not move when the egg is turned, as does a live germ.) At the seventh day eggs should be tested. In a dark room and with an ordinary torch there need be few mistakes. By testing at this early date most of the eggs removed can be utilised for cooking purposes, the only exceptions being the addled, hut even these can be mixed in with Hash and used for chick feeding. MASS PRODUCTION AND DISEASE. (Referring to the mass production of poultry, the annual report of the New Zealand Poultry Board says:—“Due to the concern of poultrymen over the spread of disease and the increase of mortality in flocks, the hoard, work-, ing in co-operation with _ the officers of the Department of Agriculture, endeavoured to devise a method of solving this problem. This resulted in an offer from the department to initiate a voluntary system of certification of flocks with the object of certifying to the standard of breeding stock, and thus ensuring an increasing production of sound and virile offspring. A conference of delegates, following meetings of poultry-breeders in the main centres, met the Director-General of Agricultural and his* officers, but general agreement could not be reached and the scheme was abandoned in the meantime. The board is of opinion, however, that prominence given this matter at the time will help to bring home to all poultrymen the dangers of the situation, and the increasing need, of safeguards being provided. v lt* is to be hoped that" l safeguards’ willbe applied before conditions reach the same disastrous stage which 1 prevails ill many other countries to-day.”