The POULTRY FARMER

Northern Advocate, 8 February 1936, Page 10

The POULTRY FARMER

(Written for the “Northern Advocate” by Geo. H. Ambler.)

FOWLS IN FEBRUARY

February finds the fancier in a good position to review the past season’s work and to form a good idea of the quality of the year’s crop of youngsters. Many of the earlier hatches will now be coming into good condition, and he will find keen enjoyment in sorting out and placing in proper quarters those he intends to try his luck with at the shows.

Some may require shading from the hot rays of the sun, which in practically every coloured variety, is necessary to preserve the richness of colouring. Many strains of white breeds can withstand the sun, but, on the other hand, there are a great number which will not, and the sun will turn the top colour, especially in males, to straw colour, which all the washing in the world cannot remove. Thus, large numbers of otherwise quite good specimens have their chances of success quite spoiled. Those who have any natural shade in the shape of shrubs or trees are more fortunate than the breeder who has to confine his most promising birds to a‘ house or covered run. I

have often made quite satisfactory shade by attaching to the house a wired run, placing across the top a few stout slats, covering the whole of the top of this run with old wire netting, and on top of this long grass or hay cut from the runs, with a few sods to prevent its being removed or blown away. The sunny side can be boarded up or otherwise covered.

For Confined. Birds.

Where it is necessary to confine birds they should be allowed outside in the late evening for a few hours when the sun has lost its power. Be careful to have every available window open during the day to allow as much air as possible to get to the birds.

Green food is very necessary where birds are confined. A freshly cut sod thrown to the birds is relished as, in addition to eating the grass covering it, they pick out from the earth heaps of things they require and which form the natural minerals intended for them. Continue to obtain growth by feeding to them a good growing mash.

Wet mash should be given morning and midday, with a feed of equal parts oats, wheat and cracked maize at night. Tit-bits, meaty bones, or other scraps from the table should be given occasionally, and the birds made to come up and take them from the hand.

Handle each bird now and again. Get them thoroughly quiet and tame, and when the time arrives for showing they are no trouble to train for the show pen. A fancier can spend hours with his birds, studying the various points, comparing them in his mind’s eye with the winning birds he may have seen, weighing up and bal-

andng good points, with perhaps small defects. Kemcmber, we have still to find perfect specimens.

Erect Show Pens,

A few show pens can be erected somewhere and promising birds taken through their paces in these. Many quite good birds are left out of the money or even cards at shows through being wild and frightened in the pen when the judge is making his awards.

Those wishing to succeed in the show pen must devote much of their time to the care and preparation of birds.

A bird may look much improved and a far better idea of its points and quality formed by placing it in the same surroundings it will be in when facing the judge. See that your “penning house” is reasonably well lighted and free from draughts, and have the show pens bedded up with cut chaff or some other material to keep them clean after washing and preparing for a show. The washing and other preparations I shall deal with nearer the winter show season.

When production of eggs is the main factor, pullets from now onwards will require careful attention. Many of the light breed pullets will now be coming into lay and greater care will have to be taken in the housing and feeding of these. If they have not already been moved to their permanent laying quarters they should be taken there at once so that they may settle down and be made quite familiar with their new surroundings. A great deal of the trouble and consequent loss through neck or partial moults later in the season, when eggs have reached a price where really

decent profits may be expected, can be avoided if pullets are moved to their laying quarters some weeks before the first eggs make their appear-

ance. Growing mashes are used much too long by some poultry-keepers. One of the leading breeders, and probably the most successful man in laying trials today, feeds his pullets a large proportion of bran some weeks before production commences. It must be remembered that in popular laying breeds, such as Leghorns, Wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, Sussex and Orpingtons, laying qualities have increased to a very, great extent during the last twelve or fifteen years. The laying organs in these highly fecund breeds now come into operation at a much earlier stage than they used to do, more especially if growing mashes with a fairly high protein content are fed to the light breeds after twelve weeks old, and heavy breeds after sixteen weeks. If warm weather is experienced, this, together with heavy feeding, has a greater tendency still to bring pullets along too quickly unless care has been paid to their feeding.