POULTRY NOTES

Northern Advocate, 1 February 1930, Page 7

POULTRY NOTES

HOW TO SUCCEED

KEEP EGGS CLEAN

Dirty eggs and the washed eggs which sometimes result from them are perhaps the greatest cause of loss and annoyance to the egg trade at rainy seasons. The dirty eggs, of course, are repulsive and of much lower market value than clean eggs, while washed eggs are even more damaging than the dirty eggs. Washed eggs, when placed in storage, early develop musts and moulds and other forms of rot, and are, as a result, a complete loss. It is easy to avoid producing dirty eggs with reasonable precautions. If the hen yards are muddy there is usually no food in them anyway, and the wisest procedure is to keep the hens indoors until the yards dry up. I If it is considered essential that the

hens be let out, there should be plenty of good dry, clean little kept on the floor so that the birds will have a chance to clean their feet before going into the nests. Plenty of clean, dry straw should' be kept in the nests at all times, whether the hens are let out or not. It is impossible to produce clean eggs in dirty nests. Washing eggs is a most damaging practice and should never be followed. If some dirty eggs are produced it is far better to consume them at home or wipe them off with some steel wool. This does not damage the shell, but washing dampens the eggs and allows filth to enter through the pores.

FACtS ABOUT BANTAMS. It is not so very many years ago when breeding and raising bantams was considered generally as children’s play, and . whatever attention was given to it by grown people was just “time thrown away.” In fact, the question is often asked “what are bantams good for, anyway?” (writes “V.M.C.” in an exchange). They are too small for table use and lay comparatively few and small eggs. And the time was . when the few real bantam breeders bred them more for the pleasure derived from the care of the birds than with the idea of making the venture a profitable one, but the bantams with some breeders turned out better and more profitable than they expected, the result being that some are still at it. It would surprise many people to know what a demand there is for these little breeds and largely among exhibitors. And the profit lies in producing something that is exceptionally good, and as a rule it’s only these breeders of long experience who are able to raise and develop these fine specimens.

Besides those who make a business, of exhibiting, the best customers are found among doctors, lawyers and professional men of all walks of life. The time has come when few city people and many on suburban places, do not care to bother with a flock of hens for eggs and meat. But a small flock of bantams take but little space and are easily cared for and will furnish some eggs, three of which are equal to two of the ordinary sized eggs produced by the large breeds, and the feed required for these is of very small account. It has been found that five bantams can be fed on the same amount of food required to feed three of the larger fowls, and it is not necessary to have large buildings or runs for bantams. Almost all the breeds thrive in confinement.

I have always been partial to the Cochin breed and in. popularity it is one of the leaders in the bantam world, Blacks and Buffs being my choice. They are fairly good layers for bantams. For brooding some prefer the clean-legged breeds, but I have had most excellent results with the Cochin in brooding chicks.

In feeding bantam chicks I find for the first few days fine breil)|i crumbs and hard boiled eggs cut fine about the best, then after about the third day, feed four or five times of equal parts cracked corn, wheat millet and pin-head oatmeal. And if they are not allowed much range, feed fine beef scraps and green food in some form. Fine grit, shell and charcoal are required for bantams the same as for any of the larger breeds.

In starting with bantams, get good pure-bred stock from some reliable source, mate and breed carefully, then advertise your stock, offering* a square deal and you will have no difficulty in disposing of some of it at a good profit.

USEFUL HINTS. Backyarders using kitchen scraps in the mash should mix them with pollard, not bran.

If the chickens appear backward in feathering dust them well with a disinfectant powder. Insects may be troubling them.

The same care in breeding and selection is necessary to produce high-class utility stock, as in the production of show stock.

Those who have to rear young stock in intensive houses or in close confinement will find it advantageous to give the growing pullets a run in the garden for a few hours each day, especially when they are conditioning for laying.