THE POULTRY WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 26 August 1933, Page 7

THE POULTRY WORLD

HINTS ON FEEDING ATTENTION NECESSARY. (By “Tight Feather.”) Among amateur poultry keepers there are to lie found the most extreme idoa& in regard to methods of feeding. One is . a fear that insufficient tood is being given, that it is lacking in some essential element, or that the birds are not eating sufficient of it. This idea leads to extravagance both in quantity and quality, unduly increasing the cost of feeding and surfeiting the birds. Others are found complaining that their hens eat too much, are never satisfied however much food is given to them, and at any rate when not laying they require but little food. In other cases there is a constant fear that the liens will get too fat. In all these ideas there is an element of fallacy, but in different ways. Over-feeding induces a stagnant state of health which can only result in a poor average of egg laying, no matter how good the strain of birds. The second case, that of a .limited 1 amount of food, means that the birds are kept in a state of semi-starvation. The result is that the birds absorb their own bodily requirements as far as the food will allow, but there i 6 no surplus with which to nourish the rudimentary eggs, and the birds either cease, or do not- commence, to lay. In addition, it is a wasteful method of feeding, inasmuch as it leads* to a considerable waste of energy by the birds in their eager running to and fro seeking food, and this means a greater consumption of food for . a given result, either in egg production or flesh. The other extreme may not be equally bad, hut it is not productive of tlie best results, not from overfatness as so many think, but one has often seen over-feeding carried to such an extreme as to produce a stagnant state of health, resulting in loss. of flesh and a low rate of production. The middle course is the most economical ; feed all that the birds will eat. and yet keep keen for their next and subsequent feeds. In short, feed according to appetite and not by measure or weight. There is no better indication that a hen or pullet is coming on to lay than when she .starts to eat almost ravenously, or no surer sign that a bird is going- off laying than when 6he goes off her food'. This being the case, common sense will dictate that the quantitv of food required will fluctuate. A hen will eat as little as, say, froz of food at a meal, and quite cominonlv as much as 2£oz. depending upon” her condition. "When dealing with a flock of birds, some of which are layiivj and others not, the amount of food necessary may even up to a given point daily at different periods of the year: the maximum in the flush oerod of production and the minimum in the season of low production. Therefore, appetite is the only safe guide to reouirerrients. —James Hadlington, in the “Sydney Morning Her',!tl' GENERAL NOTES. Successful poultry-men realise that pampered stock can never give the best results. If a high proportion, oi weakly stock is being produced, the methods of breeding, feeding and general -management are not what they should be. * *

When leg rings are put on developing birds they should be . inspected periodically, and if the circlets or spiral rings- become tight on the legs they must be changed" for a larger size. If this is not carried out the tight ring will embed itself in the chicken’s leg and do irretrievable damage. ,

In culling the birds one has to get rid of are the cowards, weaklings, and those* which h<tve not tea-thered ■well. There should be no liurry to discard a bird because he is a bit leggy, as. such birds very often “drop” later on, and then look well proportioned. **-»**

According to a foremost American breeder, the male is of the utmost importance in increasing the egg size, and in obtaining greater productiveness. Repeated tests, the breeder in question states, have proved that a good male from a line of high production hens will increase the egg size m his offspring very materially. * * - * *

While grown stock can stand a certain amount of overcrowding for. a time without disastrous results, chicks suffer from the effects of it almost immediately. *****

The Khaki Campbell duck was originated by Mrs Campbell, of 'Gloucestershire. England, the variety primarily being intended for egg production. „ . *

Charcoal and shell grit or coarse gravel should always he avalable, • and a constant supply of clean, cool water is a necessity. Minced raw onions at the rate of three-quarters of an ounce ner bird, once a week, provide an excellent tonic. Spices and condiments are unnecessary, and some are injurious. _ *** * ■

The great underlying principle m breeding the modern layer, according to the Chief Government Poultry Instructor ("Mr F. C. Brown), is to see +hat no bird, whether male or female, is iii need in the breeding pen unless undoubted constitutional vigour is possessed. But this is not enough; the progeny must be given every opportunity of securing a liberal supply of natural food and be reared under

natural conditions- throughout the growing stage. Next in importance is the question of cleanliness. The liouses must be maintained in an absolutely sanitary condition, while the yards must not lie allowed to become stale and a breeding ground for disease and parasitic life. A thoroughly clean run is just as important as a thoroughly clean house. In fact, cleanliness is essential in everything connected with poultry.

Used with caution, sulphur is a most useful thing in poultry keeping. Care must he taken that it is not used in damp or every cold weather. At moulting time it certainly helps feather growth, and when an exhibitor wants olenty of sheen on the feathers of an i exhibit the more frequent use of sul•ihur the better sheen there will he. \t. the same time, a good look-out must be kept iii case there is any ex-i ■p.«.s ; vp loose nes in the bowels of the bird which have "been given sulphur, i 7 iulnhur comes in handy for backyard birds which are a hit lazy, and an occasional dose will keep the birds’ blood | cool, so that there will not be much, risk of -leather eating. . * , - *

When poultry is kept under in ten-' sive or semi-intensive conditions it is l imperatve that there should he ample nesting aocpgimodaton. An insufficient ( number of nesting-boxes compels the birds to crowd in one on top of the other, resulting in broken and. dirty c£Tfrs. In this manner egg-eating is often started among the flock, and is verv troublesome to cure once.it has taken a hold. It is of equal importonce that eggs shouTo_ not get soiled, for no matter how well they are washed they never have the same appearance as those taken from a clean nest. Soiled eggs are difficult to market, and they can never lie exported. J Roughly, one should allow one . nest for every five or six hens, a suitable size being 14 inches square. 12 inches 1 in height at back, and 15 inches high j at front; thev- should be covered on J top. and should be so constructed that thev can be easily, removed and "leaned.