POULTRY NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1012, 3 November 1917, Page 2

POULTRY NOTES.

lUy “Utility.* ) THE VALUE OF POULTRY M AXTII I

Thi>. war iias cut o(V (lie supplies of especially potash (says the Weekly Press), mid (ho loss in shipping is preventing supplies from neutrals and from other parts ol oiir Empire. Farmers ami gardeners will, in consequence, have to make more use of manures at hand. On farms and m gardens where there is plenty of wood to burn, and rubbish such as grass, fence trim mings, etc., there, should be no lad: ol pot ash, and where animals are kept in addition, the lack of supplies should not be fell, Unfortunately many are lacking conditions for a sufficient supply of manures but the crisis will be less acute when we perforce realise that there is much manure at hand, which has not been utilised as well ns it. might be. The manure of birds is easily the richest in tlie three chief plant foods, viz., potash, nitrogen, and phosphoric acid, and that ot pigeons is the richest in plant food. But a>the hen is kept most, I will compare hen manure with that of sheep, which is all round richer than horse, pig, or cow manure. The analyses are of fresh manures i , Blieep lien. Nitrogen 0.31 1.63 Phosphoric acid 0.16 1.54 Potash 0.67 0.85 Lime 0.31 2.40 Silica 1.47 3.50 1 It will thus be seen in hen manure we have a valuable asset, which, 1 may add, is rather neglected. Birds in, confinement produce richer manure, than birds at liberty, atul the richest, and best manure is pmdttced by birds that are being fattened. Size also plays an important part. Thus a cock weighing 611 > 120/., and aged 16 months, produced in a week lib 13oz ol manure; a hen one pound less in weight produced 11b of manure in a week. An ordinarily fed bird produced in a year manure equal to 26.8 per cent of body weight, while a bird that was being fattened produced 52.2 per cent. Tints the bird weighing 61b 12oz would yield 9411)5 of fresh manure per annum, and 24 birds a. ton ol fresh manure per annum. The authorities at Thoalo College considered that a ton ol manure produced by a licit at liberty would be worth 26s 2d made up as follows: Nitrogen 21s, phosphoric acid 3s, potash 2s 2d. These figures wore based on Revalues before the. war, so that the- vain would be much greater now. Fowl manure is best stored and dried until it i,s to be used. It should never be mixed with lime, which allows the ammonia k) escape into the air. It also loses value il left in the open, where rain, and sun can boat on it. Jf mixed with dry earth il keeps muck better, and if the earth is much in excess of the droppings there is !:•>. danger of tire plants suffering from tii manure being too strong. Minty make the mWulte of spreading flic manure till the ground and (lien digging, which meads ilia! the manure is turned in a spade deep, aim out of the reach of some crops. The manure should Ik' spread on the surface after the ground is dug, and then ii a little earth is raked over the manure none of its quality will go into the air when it rains; on the contrary, the rain will wash it down to where the plant needs it. Liquid manure siioitld be given weak and often. A handfill, of dry manure to a kerosene tin ot water will make a good solution. Don’t hi it. touch a plant direct, and after using the liquid rake the, earth over where the manure, has Ikicii poured. The covering over with earth allows the full value and dis allows any smell or unsightliness. Poultry manure put in vessels with water added and loft in a greenhouse until it formeiits fills the house with carbon, which is taken in by the leaves of the plants, which are all the better so long, as there is not too much carbon insect pests are not fond of tie' carbon thus derived, but don’t make il strong enough to kill the foliage. Just a slight smell in the house is sufficient, EGGS IX SOUTH AFRICA. 1 South Africa sent 13,000 cases of eggs (5,001,000) to England last year, and it i-. expected that as poultry keeping and chicken raising' have been entered upon by a large number of farmers, who previously paid little attention to the industry, a far larger business will be done this year and in future. A system of grading under Government supervision has been inaugurated, and the outcome of this will no doubt lead to betto, prices being obtained in England than in the past. Shut off from the usual Continental supply of eggs, England must be feeling the pinch, and this has no doubt encouraged South Africa to cater for the Home market, j THE CHICKENS. I Do not attempt to rear weakly chickens, far better just to knock them on the bead. In raising chickens the object should be to develop large frames and hardiness as the foundation, and this can alone he done by giving plenty of exercise, and bonemaking, muscle-building food. Where chickens are confined it is a good thing to dig over the yard and break tip the ground, as the chicks will scratch for worms and got plenty of exercise. The soft ground is good for their feet, and will also provide a dust bath. If the yard L 1 small the chicks should be let out each day i for a run, if it is possible. A daily run brightens them up wonderfully, ami is far better than a lot of coddling. Do not forgot the greenstuff, especially if tiechicks have not access to a grass run. I Greenstuff is a most important and necessary item with chicks. Beware, too, of ! nits. 1 have hoard of some heavy losses I lately due to these midnight prowlers. The use of charcoal for chicks is also recommended, a simple item within the reach of all poultry owners. The litter in tiebrooders should bo changed frequently after the chicks are a week old. As soon as the sox can be determined the mah' chickens should bo separated and placed in ii run by themselves. The male chicks are much rougher than the opposite sex. and will monopolise the lion’s share of the food if left, to run with the others. SKIM MILK.

Wherever it is avuilable skim milk should be given to the fowls; its use will increase the egg yield, and also prevent the growth of many bacteria which in habit the digestive regions. Skim milk or separator milk has high 'food value, and for fattening table poultry one cannot find an elfective .substitute. (Fowls will consume largo quantities of skim milk if it is properly fed to them, and the food bill will be materially reduced. I have noticed over and over again the suggestion made that the best way of feeding skim milk is to mix it with the mash. This is all very well as far as it goes, but will only absorb a very small quantity of milk, and where a good supply is available some other means of feeding must be found. There is nothing to prevent one just putting the skim milk in a vessel before the fowls, and on a hot day it will all be consumed. but in cold weather they will not take much, and there is soon a lot of wash' milk. The best way to give the milk is to oiird it. by placing in a tin on the lire; this is the method I adopt and the fowls are very partial to it, and a large quantity of milk may bo fed this way. If the milk is allowed to stand for a day or so it will quickly curd when heat is applied.

CANNIBALISM AMONGST CHICKENS. “Perplexed" .'isles: “1 have Iseen n reader of your poultry notes for some months, in fact am running my poultry from hints slathered from your notes, and am now in dillicdties over some day-old chicks I have invested in. Out of two hundred, 1 have just lost fifty from the other chicks attacking them and picking their toes.” —The trouble referred to by our correspondent is unfortunately only too common amongst incubator chickens. It is well-known that artifici-ally-batched chickens sometimes develop cannibalism: a speck of blood or red on any part of the chick’s body or toes is instantly detected by tlie others, who pick at the spot until the unfortunate victim is either severely lacerated, .or else torn to pieces. They will in some eases repeat this _ disgusting process indefinitely, unless drastic remedies are adopted, and 1 have heard of eases where a brood of chickens have been practically exterminated by tins internecine warfare. The most effective remedy is to give the ehickcm, free range on a grass run. They will then be too busy picking at the grass and hunting for worms to worry one another, and the morbid In bit of cannibalism will soon be forgotten. This vice, of eating one another may be duo to an absence of meat in the chicks diet. Give them bibs of meat to pick at. or better still, some bones with a little meat on. To successfully rear chickens without loss, the great thing is to keep them busy; free range of course provides incessant occupation and healthy conditions; but if this is not available, then other means of keeping the flock busy must bo provided—digging over the chickens’ run. and breaking up all lumps Unit will help to amuse ihe flock in looking for grubs, etc. A leu bundles of lettuce leaves lied

up a, little oil the ground "ill cause do thicks to spend much time. picking til the loaves, .

If the el licks are confined it is necessary to supply plenty of loose litter, such as straw, chaff Or bay pul through a hand cbadcutler, so that the feet may be well covered. A bare, crowded rim exposes toe chickens’ feet unduly, and will in some cases set up toe-picking. Merely to foil hay in (lie brooder or chickens’ run is not sufficient. Although grown hens have no difficulty in manipulating liny or straw, chickens an quite unable to do so, and d will leave their feet exposed and also all grain which falls into the litter will simply il,. there', as the chicks arc unable to move the long stuff By using well-cut. s.traw chad, or well-cut hay on the floor of Lie house, the chicks will he kept busy looking for the stray grains of food. All chickens which have been attacked by the others should instantly bo removed, and not returned until they have recovere d from their wounds.