THE POULTRY FARMER

Northern Advocate, 8 January 1938, Page 13

THE POULTRY FARMER

by Geo. H. Ambler.)

(Written lor the “Northern Advocate”

Crooked Breast-Bones In Chickens THE QUESTION GF EARLY PERCHING. So much space has been devoted to this subject in the past that I hesitate to discourse further on the subject. Yet it is a question Dial has to be faced over and over again, for not only dees each year bring its 'crop of recruits into the field, but in the spring and summer season the subject becomes of importance to us all. Perching- Is Natural.

It is only, therefore, after consider- ! ation that I venture to bring the early perching question, and its relation to crocked breast bones, forward for discussion. If my readers find themselves at variance with my views, I would mention that all that follows is merely my opinion—derived from my own experiences—and that in this world of uncertainties is just as likely to be wrong as theirs. Perching is the natural way for a fowl to “go to bed,” and there can be little or no doubt that this is really an instinct to keep off the ground with a view to safety during the dark hours. The question arising then is: Is th»> modern domestic fowl possessed of sufficient robustness to follow the natural instincts and example of its progenitors? Does early perching cause the breast bone to become dented or “crooked?”

The general, or more or loss general, assumption that this “deformity” is the result of allowing the birds to pencil before the bones harden is by no means proved, and the fact that the trouble will even be found in the case of youngsters who have never so much as seen a perch, would seem to knock the bottom out cf the theory. Cases pan be cited of hardy stock, living in a semi-wild condition, perching in trees and bushes, and proving perfectly free of the deformity. On the other hand, one finds crooked breast bones in youngsters which have never perched, and in cases such as this there can be no doubt that it is the result of a constitutional weak-

ness,

If some of these chicks were allow

ed to perch, and crcoKed breast bones did develop, the perches would be blamed, and this is very probably why early perching is attributed so widely to be the principal cause of this deformity.

Let us lake two separate cases of : the methods employed on well-known ! poultry plants and it will be seen that on the face of it there is little to choose between the two methods. | On a large Auckland poultry farm the pullets and cockerels are sorted out in the usual way at an early age. the pullets being run in small flock -houses, with dropping boards provided, but no perches. The cockerels are turned out into the fields with rough shelters provided, but every encouragement for them to roost in the trees, { and live as wild a life as possible is j provided. Both the owner and the ; manager of this plant claim that the 1 percentage of crooked breast bones is very small amongst their stock, and I | am quite willing to accept this statement. But, surety, one is apt to say, i “What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.” The cockerels are encouraged to perch, yet the pullets : are prevented from so doing. The whole method to me seems illogical, and I doubt if it has any, or very little bearing on the results obtained. Another Picture. Next let us examine another farm’s methods. They form a complete contrast to the previous one, and yet are quite satisfactory- They allow all the young stock to perch as soon as they desire to after leaving the brooder house. They do not attempt to help them to perch, by placing one or two up as a guide to others, but simply provide all the young stock houses with perches, and leave it to the birds themselves to perch or not, exactly as they wish. What Is the result? Simply this, that they do not get any more trouble in this direction than those whose methods are the direct reverse.

Here, then, are two entirely opposite methods, and what seems to be the logical conclusion .to be arrived at from the results. Surely one would say that the age at which the youngsters are allowed to perch has little bearing on the matter. A well-known authority recently declared that “you cannot prevent crooked breast bones by compelling your young stock to sleep on the ground,” and I entirely agree with this statement.

At the meeting of a certain society one member put forward the view that it may be permissible to allow light breeds to perch early; but heavy breeds —No! His contention being that the extra weight and size of the heavy breed chickens would throw a greater weight on the breast bone, thus increasing the risk of deformity. I cannot agree with this point of view. The heavier the bird, the heavier the frame in proportion. It might be said that the weight of an elephant would be sufficient to squash its feet flat. It probably would if they were the size of our feet; but its own are constructed in proportion to its size and bulk. I would suggest that the same applies to all living things, and such was the gist of my reply. Try this experiment. Place perches in the houses. All those who wish to perch to do so. Practically without exception they will be found to be the most vigorous and strongest, and those which are huddled down in the corner will be weaker, weedier specimens. What About Food.? I am of the opinion that the development of the breast bone, as also the rest of the body, is dependent mainly on good housing, feeding, and general management. Malnutrition, poor rearing, use of inferior foods, all weaken constitutional vigour, and have much more bearing on the real cause of the trouble than early perching. Apart from all that has been written above, when the youngsters perch a free current of air is passing round them, which must, on the very face of it, be more health-giving than the hot, foul fumes arising from a whole mass of living things squatting down in the corner of the house. And, further, I would suggest that many cases of roach back, wry tail, and other similar deformities are the result of following the “no perch” method.

I do not suggest that narrow, sharp perches be used, but either broad, flat ones, or else 2 by 2 well rounded at the edges. Healthy breeding stock, themselves straight-breasted, and bred from straight-breasted birds, well-fed, wellreared birds, should not come to any harm by being allowed to perch as soon as they desire to. If the points above arc given due consideration, and the constitution of the chickens is above suspicion, some other causes must be found in cases where the .defect occurs. That is to say, some other causes than constitutional; and I would suggest that in many more cases as this early perching would probably develop, caused by the former condition. In conclusion, it should be mentioned that if Ihe floor of the young stock ; house be of earth (wood is far better S and safer), the fact of the youngsters ■ perching decreases the danger of I death from rats and oilier vermin.