POULTRY NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11605, 20 March 1901, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

There are still reports of considerable mor- j tality among chickens. ■ A common fault in the arrangement of perches" in most houses is that they are. placed too high. Two feet and a-half from the ground is quite high enough, and in the case of heavy birds like. Cochins, ■ they should be placed considerably lower still—about one foot from the ground. . . . Tho Scotch greys of Scotland are esteemed for their hardiness and laying capabilities. Scotch grew are good all-round birds, as they are capital* sitters, and not to bo despised as table birds. They average between seven end nine pounds in weight. Their plumage is cuckoo-colour, with white or black legs. A fowl allowed its liberty has a better flavour than one confined and fed up in a coop, but it certainly does not put on flesh so quickly, nor yet so thoroughly plump and tempting-looking when trussed ready for market; therefore chickens fattened for sale should be kept in coops, and fed up, while those for house' use should be allowed their liberty until wanted. It is useless attempting to fatten weakly, ill-fed chicks. Birds destined for the table must have good food and plenty of it from, the first.

On the subject of mortality of chickens, Mr. G. M. Morecraft, Church-street East, Palmerston North, writes as follows: — can tell you in one word the reason why so many chicks have died this wet season. I have had over 30 years' experience in rearing chicks In England rnd New Zealand. My plan is different to some- of the so-called experts. First, I find incubator-hatched chicks much more delicate than those hatched under hens, and for stock birds I would not have them. For rearing chicks in this windy country in a wet season I find the best plan is to get a roomy coop, without bottom; place it in a shed with an earth floor. Keep the hen in for i - . month. If the weather is wet, let the chicles have liberty. If you cannot be bothered to feed them five or six times a day, place some good wheat in a box, so that the chicks can help themselves. Give them some porridge and meal every morning; feed the hen twice a day. "When the coop is in a dry place- it will not hurt them if they run in the rain, but when the hen has to sit on them on damp ground it is fatal. Move the coop at least'once a week. Give plenty of clear water or milk. Soaked bread and pollard are all right when they are five or six weeks old, but I don't like it for young chicks. I reared tome chicks this season, hatched on July 3, on this plan, and at 17 weeks old they weighed 121b per couple. They were a. cross from Plymouth Rock hen and Dorking cock. My ducks at 11 weeks at Christmas weighed 111b per couple. There is too much nonssnse written about over-feed-ing chicks. They will not hurt if they have a good run. I could take you to a place whore the man has made £100 a year out < of three hundred hens, and they get as much i wheat as they can eat. If you get-eggs from healthy hens, you will get healthy chicks, and if you can keep, them dry and away from the other stock until a month old you will havo no trouble. I have no interest m writing' t'his—only a pure love of fowls. I have reared thousands for the London market, so I ought to know what lam writing about. For London,' Dorking crosses, or Houdan pure,v or crossed, are the best, but any breed will do if they are young and fat. (