POULTRY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 288, 2 November 1934, Page 6

POULTRY NOTES

(By ‘'Brooder. 1 ')

It lias, been said tlrat milk curd fed Slone has not a fattening effect upon fowls. The use of it is principally to promote egg production, which it <3oes; of that there is no «i-niLt. Its “Use, however, can he ea.Oy ever Jr ne, and if eggs alone are sought for trtre yill come a time when instead of eggs it will be found that the birds are fattening and as <l. result eggs .nil diminish in number, while as 1. eeders the birds will become worse 11 an useless. There is also a danger from scouring; this again being all agamst good egg production and jpsu’ting in the end with the serious tumble of birds breaking down with mtestin.il

trouble. However, as a fattener and producer of good wlii:e flesh, there is no quicker r,r surer methou than by a judicious use if soured milk or whey. It is strange perlians to say that soured skim nii’A is preferable to new milk; but the former, because of accumulated acid in it, promotes digestion and leads to a greater consumption of food. Furthermore, there is less danger of crop sickness 10 which birds in a f: tte nug pen are very prone. It is often found that birds taken out of a l.iv iig shed or horn free range, will fret a good deal of cooped. This gives a decided setback to any fattening operations. It is therefore recommended that tiny be starved to-, say, twenty-four hours; by that time, they will be hungry enough to have forgotten their impo mdi .g and eat from then on ravou in-ily.

A mistake ; s often made 111 that r ocd is kept cbntinuilly before tte Lirds in the fattening pen. After each meal all that remains should be removed. In iliis nay burls wll eat readily of each meal and the appetite will not be impaired, or the edge taken off it, which often happens \\ hen food is continually before them. As was shown last week, there will be a ready demand for table poultry from, now on until Christmas. Good prices are paid for the bird in good condition. There yet remains about six weeks to prepare birds for the Christmas market.

There is an inclination always to just get a little careless about details towards the end of the hatching season. It is a busy season and routine

work increases considerably as the number of hatched chickens grows. Work multiplies in all directions and so it may happen that the last chickens do not get by any means the attention they should. They need it probably most of all. ' Perhaps the brooders are not cleaned out as often as they should be. Thus we find that these later chickens do not make the progress they should. All sorts of reasons are given for their slowness in developing. Barely do breeders admit that perhaps they could have given more attention to the last hatch. Added to the neglect we also find that tile runs are seriously fouled by preceding hatches, and this in itself can be the cause of high mortality amongst these late comers. If it paid to hatch out these chickens, surely it pays to give them a fair chance of surviving the dangers which beset them during the first two months of their existence. Better not to have given them life, if they are not worth the extra care and attention which all late hatches need.

According to the New Zealand Poultry Journal, had the South Island exporters of eggs not been , thorough!}’ organised this season there would have been a heavy glut of eggs throughout the country. The whole season has been one of considerable anxiety lest it should be impossible | to get shipping space for eggs intended for export. Despite, however, I great difficulty, space lias been securied for at least 10,000 cases of eggs j representing something over a quar- { ter of a million. This is not by any 1 means a large total, hut it is suffijcient to at least prevent what could have been a catastrophe for egg producers throughout the country. It is claimed that hut for export, eggs would now he selling at Gd per dozen, at which price the position would have been disastrous to all concerned. This should lead more poultrymen to think seriously. Export seems to he the only way out. There is talk of quotas no doubt; but until such operate every available egg in excess of norma] demands here should he sent overseas. It is only hv organised effort that it can 'he done. Hence the desire of the Poultry Board for producers to unite to protect their calling from disaster. EGG-LAYING. i MASSEY COLLEGE CONTEST. The following aro the results of the thirly-first week of (he Massey College egg-laying contest:— SINGLE PENS.

• 102 123 35x 131 124 104 x (25) 619 “x” Disqualified egg weight clause. “d” Bird dead.

Section A. •T. A. Annan, W.L 0. H. Barker, W.L (6) 143 1 (5) 123 W. H. Barker, W.L 2 (5) 105 1 (3) 92 2 (2) 97 3 (5) 127 Mrs B. B. Cannon, W.L. (7) 174x Emery Bros., W.L (5) 128 E. M. Galvin, W.L 1 (0) 88d 2 (2) 117 3 (0) 58d H. Hutchinson, W.L (5) 138

C. W. L. King, W.L (5) 118 A. G. Mumbv. W.L 1 (6) 148 2 (6) 128 0 (0) 18d H. Moreland, W.L 4 (5) 156 (3) 112 W. J. McAIooj), W.L 15) 92 A. J. Shailer, W.L H. Williams, W.L (S) 124 1 (51 139x Whenuapai P.F., XV. T.j. ... 2 14) 116x (4) 157 Mrs E. Youngson, Bk. L. ... 1 (3) 33 2 13) 127 D. Kruse. Anc 1 (5) 106 2 (61 101 l'\ Lang-, Anc 1 (3) 102 2 (M 114 J. Smith, Anc .• 1 (2) 157 2 (5) 154 H. Williams. W.L 3 (5) 1.55 A. Straw-bridge, W.L (5) 144 A. R. Watson, Br. L Section B. (5) 123 Miss E. T. Somer, R.I.R. . (21 71 K. Mouldcy, R.I.R (5) 80 W. A. I,arson, B.O 3 (6) 92 T. Dowtlnvaitc, WAV. 3 (5) 132 W. A. Larsen, B.O 1 (5) 131 x 2 (5) 149 Mrs Waddell, B.O (6) 137x T. Dowtlnvaitc, WAV 1 (2) 65 TEAM RESULTS Section 0. 2 (4) 133

s. D. Morris. W.L. 114 ISO 49d 123 141 165 (30 742 A. J. Dayev, W.L. 138 117 135 134 101 ll r (30) 742 C. W. L. King, W.L. 103 137 122 92 99 142 (30) 695 J. Graham. W.L. 118x I04x 113 103 1C4 x 126 (28) 668 H. Pol son. W L. 122 67 11 lx 115 121 127 (25) 663 Mrs G co. Hillman, W.L. 147 116 133 115 30 121 (18) 662 Mrs B . A. Stewart, W.L. 110 70 130x 88 134x 12bx (25) 658 Emery Bros., W.L. 72d 132 148 77 90 133 (251 652 J. T. Hazelwood, W.L. 142 150 9x 121x 113 112x (23) 647 M. Stephenson, W.L. 82 _ 61 140 97 114 134 (30) 623 P. B. Harrison, W.L. 142 76 103 90 121 88 (30) 625 H. A. Lucas. W.L. Ill 92 55 137 52 108 . (24) 555 A. Strawbridee, W.L. 87 109 109 19d 101 117 (23) 542 IS. B. Wainscoit, W.L. 100 55 56 81 92 146 (26) 530 E. D. Wilkinson. W.L. 39 93 74 93 94 77 (31) 525 W. N. Laws. W.L. 92 93 78 66 68 107 (27) 504 J. Smith, Anc. 84 66 84 24 98 74 (20) 430 F. Lane, Aric. 73 86 43x 50 58 30x (25) 345 Section D. Miss E . T. Soincr, R.I.R. 142 172 161 63 169x 107 (31) 814 F. A. Dewhurst, lt.I.K. 95 113x 80 139 141 180 (33) 748 W. A. Larsen. B.U. 94 175 50 139x 149 63d (24) 675 W. E. Jones. R.l.K.