POULTRY NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11713, 24 July 1901, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES.

Greex food of some sort is a necessity to poultry. ■"■.' ■ '• . ■"■■, Shelter in winter is just as necessary as summer shelter for fowls. Sharp grit, is almost a preventive to indigestion and other diseases. The excreta of mice are deadly poison to pigeons whether eaten or not. , ; A dust bath is just as necessary for the hen as another, sort of bath to human beings. New Zealand is going in strongly for the export of poultry, says an Australian contemporary. Duck-breeding is to be made n specialty. It fits in with dairying, and pays better than pig-breeding. -" • .Copperas, is cno of the best disinfectants for the manure compost and for the . fowl/ hcuse. It will suppress the offensive smell, fix the ammonia, and make the manure more valuable. - .■"■.— ■„'. .■'■' " ' .

The most common causes' of v failure in poultry farming are under or over feeding, impure water, poor ventilation in the houses, filth, and vermin (the result of the neglect in cleaning out the pens and the houses). Worst of all, indiscriminate in-and-in-breed-ing # 'N ■■ _ - ' The dairy farmer who wishes to make butter of. the best quality, and to the best advantage, avails himself of the ' best dairy breeds.' . The' grazier and fattener select '■ the breed that tends to lay on flesh. Neither will select mongrels that are suited for neither one nor the other purpose. Taken all in all, the best breed is the one best Buited to, the end in view, and which receives the best feed and care. The same rule.must be followed in -"breeding. For general purpose fowls, some of the common breeds are most desirable. The perfection and cheapening of incubators and brooders renders less necessary the services of hens for raising chickens. But as many still cling to the old original way, perhaps for all purposes, eggs, table poultry and as mothers, none can beat the Plymouth or the Wyandotte. The Game breeds are also excellent as mothers. The Indian Game has many good points, and deserve the attention of breeders of business poultry. 7 It is only by keeping the best of the pullets that the quality of the stock can be kept up and improved. Every farmer knows the value of quality in cattle and sheep-breeding, that only the best should be bred from, and that keeping the best pays. .. The '■ same is true of poultry. A poultry breeder says: — " I am not discussing breeds ; by best I mean well-grown, healthy specimens, that .come from•::, healthy stock, bred ; for laying ; or table points, or both. . Such birds; can be relied on, while some cheap purchased; stock is an unknown quantity know nothing of the pedigree of the birds or if they are constitutionally sound." .." ? The principal cause of simple catarrh is exposure. to cold, or dampness, or : roosting in draughts of cold air. These influences may be further aggravated by insufficient nutrition and lack of exercise. It is therefore best prevented by \ keeping the birds in the winter in warm, tight houses, free from draughts, with good feeding. For treatment the mouth and nostrils can be washed" once or twice a day with either of the following solutions:—Boracic acid, '15 grains to one ounce of water, or a one per cent, solution of creolin. ■;■ Those solutions can be injected into the nostrils by using a small oil can and a, camel's hair brush used to apply the solution to the affected parts of the mouth or eyes. As a tonic the following is highly recommended:— _, *' ~ Drachms. Gentian root - : •...•• w ... 4 :..■.■. Ginger .i. ; ... ' .... >## : ... 4. , Sulphate of iron ....... ..." 2 Hypo-sulphate of soda ... ... 1 Salicylate of soda ... ';■.: .„• ... 1 Pulverise and mix well, ard give three to four grains daily. ■. V