POULTRY NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10969, 25 January 1899, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

llexs' feathprs aro good fertilisers. Kerosene roosts, upper and under side, ovcry week. Maize-cobs charred and pounded aro greatly liked by fowls. If fowls leave part of their breakfast in the dish, remove it. Close, crowded liousos in the summer are dangerous to the health of the fowls. Tim Lowborn, Minorca, Andalusian, and Spanish are recognised as the best egg-pro-ducers. Now in the time for preserving eggs for winter use. We have at different times published several good iccipes for this purpose. It ha.- been of late demonstrated repeatedly that fowls, rightly managed, aro the mod profitable slock on the farm. 11l order that chickens may develop properly they should ho kept growing, and to keep them growing it is necessary to feed them at regular intervals with all that they will readily cat. A writer says:—" My wife has raised chickens for the last 17 years, from 100 to 200 a year, and has never lost olio with gapes, while her neighbours on every side have, lost more or less, and sometimes all. 1 know' not the secret of her success, unless it is in the mod' l of treatment, which is very simple, rilie always feeds the liens regularly on maize, and the chickens on scalded maizo-incal mado into dough." Mr. F. Redmond, the well-known enthusiast in fox-terriers, came out in a new light I at the Watford Show, where ho carried everything before him with his smooth fox-terriers. The new departure was in the poultry classes, where he won first with an Old English game lion, and fourth with a cook of the same breed. lie also showed somo homers in the pigeon, classes, but hero had to put up with barren honours. Those who prophesied several years ago that the fashion of keeping fancy fowls would Iw very short lived, must acknowledge their n-istake. Truo, the ujis ami downs of fashion will affect fowl-keeping, as ovorything else; the liking for poultry, however, is not dopendent (in fashion entirely, but is founded Oil an innate fondness for animals, which will last as long as humanity lasts. In many cases the would-be prophets liavo caught the | mania. Soak an egg in very strong vinegar until the shell becomes soft; when Quite soft it may he extended lengthwise without breaking I it, and so put carefully through the neck of a small bottle, when by pouring cold water upoi it, it will resumo its formor shapo and hardness. Though one of tho simplest of tricks, thir is really a curiosity, as to those who are not in the secret, the question, "How did the egg get into the bottle?" is a complete puzzler. It is scarcoly necessary to refer to the importance of cleanliness in tho hen-coops, feeding dishes, etc. Hut lost anyone might think this is non-important, wo dosiro to remind the reader that want of attention to this point will be fatal to success. The coop ought to be thoroughly cleaned out evory day, to have fresh soil placed in it. This, with a good lime-washing after ouch brood has boon taken from it. should keep down insects, which are so prolific a source of trouble. Last week a correspondent inquired about what ho thought was leg-weakness in his fowls. The following may be of uso:— euro weak hock joints, put the bird by himself, and give him a few drops of tincture of iron in his drink, and put three grains each of quinine and red pepper in his ground food daily. Bathe his hock joints with the following liniment (which is one of the beet liniments ever used for man, quadruped, or fowl): Alcrhol, i pint,; oil of olive, 2oz; oil-of spike, 2oz; genuino British oil, loz; camphor gum, loz; spirits ammonia, loz. Mix the camphor gum and alcohol and then add tho rest. Those who are in tho habit of frequenting ptiblio restaurants for meals must have frequently noticed the extraordinary demand which appears to bo always present for eggs in some form. So frequently has this been noticod that wo recently made it our duty to trv to fathom tho extent of the egg trade m Auckland per week. The result of our investigations is that quite 40,000 dozen of eggs come to the Auckland market every week in tho Bummer season. Nearly half a million of eggs per week for Auckland is not bad, Mid givos rural settlers somo idea of the extent of the trade in this branch of farm produce. Though a very largo portion of this great quantity of eggs are consumed in Auckland, a goodly supply goes from hero to the Wollir.gton market.