SENSIBLE FEEDING METHODS

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 11 June 1932, Page 12

SENSIBLE FEEDING METHODS

HOW TO GET BEST RESULTS (By “Tight Feather.") iho poultry-keeper ’s work is never done, from early mom till late- at night one can find lots of jobs to do. It may not be hard manual labour, but none the less tiring. If one imagines that all one has to do is provide the house and birds, then feed them and gather the eggs, one never made a bigger mistake. Yet those with money to -burn have begun on these lines, and it therefore caused no wonder when they concluded that there was no money in keeping poultry and got out.

Assuming that one has the laying quarters ready to receive the young pullets and that they have been in occupation and commenced to lay, don’t think this is the end of the job and that it only remains to gather the eggs. The transition period from the non-produc-tive state to that of production is a most critical time. The proper feeding and- handling during the turnover period will give the results desired, while negligence at this time will work just the other way round. Sometimes pullets which have been well reared and cared for, provided they have the laying qualities ingrained, will commence to lay in late autumn or early winter and then for some unknown reason take a rest without moulting. This may be caused by change of weather, change of * class of food, or the introduction of fresh hens among the other stock. When this happens the keeper sometimes decides that as the fowls are not at the moment defraying the cost of keep the time has come to reduce the food bill and any sort of feed will do for the fowls till they lay again. Never is a greater mistake made than following

1 such a foolish policy. A labourer, to . do {rood work, must be well fed on • nourishing otherwise he cannot ; give of his best. If this is necessary i to the workman, who can speak and ■ choose for himself, how much more is I neoessar y f° r our feathered friends, ■ who can only eat what we choose to I I give Fowls in confinement have to :; have sufficent food to keep first the | body in good condition, secondly to I form the eggs it lays. In order to i do this a ration must be used which I will supply all the ingredients neces- | sary for the purpose. There are foods j already mixed and sold by merchants,' or the poultryman may buy the various j foods and mix to suit himself. If he | decides to mix his own he cannot do I better than follow- the system of feeding adopted at the laying competi--1 tioiis. So far as this district is con- | cerned there is no need to look further

■ afield than the local competition out ; at Normanby, where such records have i been established under the system adopted. The latter is no secret, and if one does not know the formula the caretaker.. Mr Don Stewart, will have pleasure in giving any information which will help. A fowl null not eat more than it requires, but any hen to lav near an egg a day will be a big '■nter in comparison to one which lays half the number. Remember that if it is evuected to lay the weight of eggs the hen must have something over.and oV>ve the food for eggs. Without and oil a motor will not go, and "•Uhout sufficient food a hen cannot i"v. Tt nays to keep the best and feed them well, otherwise the best bred hen epnnot lay.