Notes for the Poultry Keeper

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6918, 23 July 1932, Page 9

Notes for the Poultry Keeper

THE EGH-LAYOTS CONTESTS (By M. Watson Stewart, Massey Agricultural College.) There seems to be some difficulty among poultry keepers interested, though not competing, in the egg-lay-ing trials being held at the College, as to the exact significance, of the .figures which arc published in these coiumns each 'week. Section A is for pullets of any light breed, each contesting against the o‘hcr. Where owners have sent more than one bird for the same section, they arc so numbered. Opposite each is printed the number of eggs that pullet has laid, to date, since the beginning of the test on April 1. Section B reads the same as • uovc but was open *1 any heavy breed pullet.

Sections G and .U arc for teams consisting of six birds in each team. The numbers under each owner’s name denote, first, the number of eggs that each of the six birds in his team have laid to date, then the total the whole team laid last week in brackets, and last, the number the team has collectively laid since the commencement of the contest.

Weight of Eggs. All the eggs from these birds are carefully weighed cacli week, and the sizes vary at present from 20 oz. to 30 oz. per dozen. It will have been noticod that somo numbers, last week and this, are marked with an asterik, and this, according ta our rule, shows i— these birds have not laid a 2oz. egg by the beginning of July, and arc therefore disqualified. This clause is most necessary, Jest we have a hen which lays “marbles” winning the test, when she fins actually laid less weight of egg material than another bird half way down the list. Only by this method can we achieve the ideal for which the laying trials were instituted —i.e., to show the commercial producer, the farmer and the amateur whero best to go for his breeding stock. The hen which lays “pullet” eggs may be useful enough on the commercial egg farm, but she is certainly no good for breeding from.

Intensive Rearing. Although so many hens are kept intensively, that is entirely confined to sheds with no uncovered run, there does not appear to be much intensive rearing of chicks attempted here, of course, whero clean fresh grass is available and the weather good, there is no point at all in providing the larger house accommodation necessary for keeping chicks intensively. But, where the only grass available has been run on continuously by adult birds where the ground holds water badly or where the chicken runs are in exposed, cold places, better results would probably be ■ procured by keeping the spring chicks indoors. Certainly, where the ground is known or suspected of being infested with coccidiosis, worms, gapes, or any disease, it is in intensive rearing that lies the only hope of controlling these scourges, as well as greater probability of preventing outbreaks among hatches altogether.

For Hens or Brooders. Do not confuse intensive rearing with battery brooding, which is only suitable for the commercial egg farmer dealing with v zvy large numbers. The former cau be put. into practice, usefully, with broody hens and their chicks as well as artificial rearers, for wlncli it .is generally used. Three or four amicable broodies can be housed in a cabin, say lift, by Bft. With larger numbers the ideal is a two compartment shed, each 12ft, square, and not too lofty, for 300 chicks. One room contains the stove —either a double burner or blue flame type if for kerosene, and should bo sufficiently snug to maintain a room temperaturo of 05 degrees when the chicks are in it. The other compartment the chicks go to after four days, that is, when they need sunshine, and its greatest essentials are fresh air and direct sunlight on the floor.. The flooring of both compartments is best of wood. Concrete is cold and needs to bo so well covered in litter that small chicks get lost in it. Earth is difficult to keep sanitary. If it lias to be used, a wooden platform should be let 'into the ground for the house to be placed on. Feeding. The greatest nuisance with intensive rearing is'toe pecking, tail pecking, and, indeed, cannibalism, but with carefully regulated diet these need not occur. Unless milk is fed ad libitum or dried milk is more than .15 per cent, of the mash, then 5 per cent, animal protein should be fed after the first week. Also boucmcal, crushed limestone and salt —together —being 2 per cent, of the mash.

The great advantage of this system is that it helps the chicks to avoid chills, through wetting or cold winds, and disease, up to an age of eight weeks or so, -when they are fit and able to resist them. They should then, wherever possible, have free range or grass runs until ready for laying. It will be found that with no set back in the early stages they grow more evenly ana mature earlier and that instead of being less hardy, as some suspect, their vitality will be greater, being not undermined by perhaps internal parasites or other infection of the overcrowded yard. Tho numbers mentioned for the above sizes of house allow for the cockerels being removed at from eight to If weeks, and the pullets being culled and run on in the same quarters for laying, a brooder house making thus a good “general purpose” house.

Gutters. A Oft. gutter costs about 2s at least. l Why not buy a Oft. by 3ft. fiat galvanised sheet and make seven, each sin. wide, for about 4s? Don’t try your hand at longer lengths or joints, but

for small houses it is easy to do as 1 suggest.

Tho tar drums emptied when road repairs arc going on may be acquired for a nominal sum, and mako quite serviceable butts when one end is removed (cold chisel) and the outside of tho drum red oxided or painted with other preservative paint. This 36 gallon butt is big enough for a 6ft. by 4ft. house. Use two for a larger one. Using your roof water saves puddles in the run very often as well as the carrying of water.

EGG LAYING CONTEST.

Section A. W. H. Barker 1 30 2 40 }) 3 53 E. M. Galvin 1 04* if 2 83 G. H. Cross — 30 F. Ecob 1 78 „ 2 57 3) 3 73 A. B. Watson 78 C. Goodson — 18* L, B. Maunsell 1 47 2 08 3 58 Mrs. Stewart 1 44 o 53 ff o 07* S. G. Batten .1 08 K. B. Cannon — 02 Miss Mitchell 1 00 » 2 01 „ 3 00 •1 50 if 5 74 ff 6 (0 T. Bruce 1 42 t) 2 07 a 3 24 A. J. Shailer 1 03 1) 2 01 H. Eushton 1 50 if 2 t>2 ff 3 03 if 4 02 S, G. Batten 2 47

>1 a 79* » 4 48 „ 5 71 » « 40 » 7 54 Section 33. Mrs. Hcllaby 1 ■iO 2 ?> w 73 Mrs. Youngson — 59 Larsen Bros. 1 85* O ** +* 26 „ 3 43 » 4 94* T. Douthwaite — 35 E. M. Galvin ■ — 0* Teams Results. Section C. F. Ecob— 74 09 71* 56 45 70 (23) 385 M. L. Boyce— 61 54 63* 65 43 38 (18) 329 M. Macrae— IS 52* 72 20* 65 44 (12) 271 Mrs. Stewart — 55 16 32 41* 26 53* (25) 233 P. B. Harrison— 49 58 28 9 26 15 (21) 185 Section D. Mrs. Hellaby— 40 80 59* 47* 51 65 (20) 342 McLean and Whitworth. — 24 48* 70* 23* 56* 65 (IS) 286 W. Bish— 70 2* 15 36 54* 43 (10) 210 W. E. Jones54 15 35 26* 13 —* (29) 195 Larsen Bros.— 11 33 20* 29* 10* 17 (16) 120 *Signiiies disqualified for egg weight clause.