POULTRY BOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14565, 30 December 1910, Page 7

POULTRY BOTES.

i «, .* ■ ■: /: m THE BEST FOWLS. - ;'.'| I"he more important characteristics "whlcba ■ , 'i'.Jg distinguish a weak from a strong fowl./ -' ]| whatever tho variety or ago, may bo stated ;'M as follows:—The actions of a fowl probably; ' ! ;w best indicate its physical condition, Thoj " [}£ physically weak is inactive and "dopey,"! -a and is more likely to squat than to standi ,~'m It does not scratch or forage actively. Ifej IfII is the last to get off the porch in tho morn-'. '-; M ing, and tho first to go to roost at night, '■% and frequently is found on the perch during, ,?w tho day. The loudness and frequency ofj )§ the crow pi the male or the song or cackle '. ;| of the female is a reliable indication off g strength. The weak fowl seldom crows or •|| sings, and is lo?3 likely to do so when in* ' -I th» presence of a strong individual of tha 1 same sex. Gallantry on tho part of thw '~-.-;% male ia shown in his generosity and com .|| s.ideration towards females, as indicated byj ; £1 his calling thorn and giving to them thoi ■ $ tenderesfc morsels to cat. This is one of If the surest indications of physical vigour--on) - p the part of the male. - g — -J SELECTING- CHICKENS. V Selection should bo continued whenever, | a chick shows weakness. This is most likely! p to occur when about 10 days to two weeks; •/Jj of age. Irregular or incomplete feathering, : k when chicks of tho same variety ai© coca- ■■■■% pared, is , characteristic of tho physically , y| weak. Tho wing feathers of a chick grow ; J| first, then the tail feathers. These should ;-) :| alwaya be in proportion to the size of the .-| body. A weak chicken may fail to develop .. f its body as rapldlj as its wing featbess, \| which makes the wings appear large and oat -'- § of proportion to tho size of tho body. Sach, -\ ,/$ a chicken should be so marked that It can- ;4% not by any possible chance got into the, /1 breeding flock, even if it should apparently ;!*§ overcome its weakness. It should not bo J | allowed to live beyond tho marketing ago' [ ■ i in any oventv and in most instances should ij bo killed! without attempting to raiso it J /even to "the squab broiler size. Weakness} j is a trouble to bo prevented rather than.; ■*s}| cured'. .. // — POULTRY AND WATER. § A variety of wholesome food and pur«i '|| , •water is necessary 'to keep fowls healthy., ".'-£] The average fowl will require from 3oz toj - {J| soz of dry grain daily, according to size] -; ; g and appetite, and in addition to this needsi meat food,ggri t charcoal, etc., and puroj .'' : »gj water. Do not water fowls at a filthy pond: .|| j or running stream that may be fouled in .;| any -way. Where diarrhasa. is troublesome iti .(■:/$: ; is "often advisable to boil all drinking water'; .£} used for them. Be sure to supply all focd( --'_ ■ and drinking water in dean receptacles. ' i*3 FATTENING DUCKLINGS. . '; Ducklings should be kept well fed and) vfj growing, and at about six weeks old tho . \s-, ; most forward should- bo selected and housed.! :-~M in small, well-shaded pens, and provided J with plenty of clean straw. Feed on om> - \ part bran (always first scalded) and two '| parts pollard, ground barley, and oats, anc»| ■;; about one-third* bulk of cut green food. j* This, may be mixed with hot milk or water, j >"«, Fresh fat (mutton suet or sweet tallow) at : ';-' the rate of lib for 40 ducklings, may bo carefully mixed with the soft food daily. .-A Give sufficient drinking water, which musfei :jv be cool and clean, and available at all times. . :';| Keep inoach pen a dish containing small . j;jl charcoal, shell, and gravel grit. Give the , V ducks a swim tho day before sending in. j Clean plumage is desirable. Chickens) '• "4 should be fed on bran (scalded) and pollard, V*/| barley meal, ground oats, maize (a little '._'{■} only), adding cut green food and a little ' ; >J Jj fat. Mix with hot water or milk. Keep ',"-:%! a supply of small charcoal and: grit, and keep) ' ',-_ the drinking water .fresh,. cool, and clean, 1 :wvltj| Feed liberally. Poultry, while . fattening,• •-';. "i^ mako better progress if! kept . quiet, . ants <"*% shaded, semi-darkness praferred. Have thai .•;.'& fattening coops out of sight and sound (i£( . ,-f| •possible) of. other poultry. Scrupulous cleans ".-•.'< liness must bo observed. Food and water .; ''.pjS, vessels need frequent cleansing and scalding. • .•'* |Do not allow «ny tniconsuuied food to re- .js j main, it will ferment, and cause trouble. ;.. '% I Keep all yards and coops- clean, and.disin.-K '- J ; J 1 feet with dry earth and ashes. :/;a(, ; '*J ■ -m POULTRY MANAGEMENT. ""* When fowls are given commonsenso manag*' JS '■] ment they are naturally healthy and hardy- ",^ji Practically all poultry diseases are prevent- ' '-'l able. The poultrymen should bear in mind that in oases of serious illness it is very -T.B seldom any fowls make a sufficiently rapid and good recovery to make prolonged treaty -,-t-i;' ment worth while. From a strictly practw :j4'ip cal and utility standpoint, the poultry-] keeper is taking long chances, and is unwisai - f to keep fowls that are over two years old-] '.'-" As a rule-the most profit may be mado dur-< 'p$ ing tho first two years of laying. You in- ,'' crease the chfjioes of having diseased . '"vq breeders on your premises-by keeping fowls! ; Jover the third winter. vVhai the .short , ".•'< period of useful life is considered there ia : '%M not much time allowed for doctoring sick , \J fowls. Usually, except in very mild cases\ v"i of illness, the best, safest, and meat eco- ' - %; ; nomical treatment is to kill tho sick bird ' .33 and bum the circase. This cures that case ' : - : ' ''i of disease for all time, gets rid of a possible j g source of conlagicn, and minimises -. tho " •¥-§ danger of spreading the trouble to thai •"(;/- balanoe-of the flock. - : -k r S . • AUSTRALIAN EGG-LAYING. ~: j:|i|i| The Australian twelve-months' laying competition has been very successful. TLo ; , ideal of 200 eggs yearly per bird has been, aii /;,,! but acliieved by the White Leglrorns, and .23 there aro many other elements; of great encouragement in the report. ISo "cosset- - ■■:] ting" was allowed. The superintendent :;;j wrote:—"The position of the pens i 3 ex- '■:£, posed and wind-swept, and, although the 'j:|^ yards are somewhat protected by the use- of V-% matting, still, -conditions are more severej "r than in most breeders' yards. The feeding! -\ is good, but no better than most of us use."l /S! The actual record is as follows. The order* is that of the number of birds; it is merely^ a coincidence that the ■ winning; .breed also* ■'%$ heads the list:— j', "'- Number of Egg aver-ai;^ .-, ' ".V birdii. Breed?. per hen, . ; € 0 390 White Leghorn _ ... _. 138.7 j : '-, 114 Black Orpington _. • ... ... 175.8 1 //:■ 30 Silver Wyandotte.. „. _ 183.2 24 Buff Orpington ... ._ ._ 164.2 ■' /Vi 2A AVhito Wyandofcte... _ ... 1573 ", .■£&£ 18 Sgie.-oorab Brown Leghora ... 167.15 - -'W< 12 White Orpington ... _. .„ 131.8. ( ■/ 12 Bosecomb Brown Leghorn «. 1&5.5 \ •: V© 12 Minorca - .- 159.5 j i.fej 12 Lanjishan _ .—• 175Ji . , ;?;S!j 6 Blaclc Leghorn — _. ™ 160.6 ' i -V-^M 6 Buff Leghorn ... ... — 123.0 • ";k 6 Ancona ... .- ... ~ 166.6 » ■' J'J 6 Andalusian - 1W).1 : i" 6 Plymouth Hock -. 178.1 It will bo seen that the Orpingtons* \.'J Wyandottes, and Plymouth Rocks, all heavy; breeds, have done better than tho light ones," except the White Leghorns. A leading English critic has said this must bo duo to the ill-effects of trap-nesting with tho lightbodied fowls, but the matter will be held by most to require further investigation. A TURKEY EXPERIMENT. Tho report of the Kansas State Board of. Agriculture contains the following:"An.; experiment was mado as to the gains by turkeys confined in pens compared with those at large. Those in pons were given alt they could eat clean of a mixture of wheab (two parts), oats (one part), and barley (one part,). In tho morning the grain was fed chopped and wet with milk, but ir. tho evening was fed whole. The turkeys were* apparently more fond of oatsi than of the other grains, so toward tho end of the fax- ./ tening period tho proportion of this grain ■>./.%£ was increased. A little grain was fed tho ;/'•?; turkeys which were not confined, in addi- "A tion to tho food which they could gather* ■ % The five turkevs in pons weighed on. an ';-:; average 6.551b each at the beginning of .tho ;;-;j ; test. During the 42 days of the feeding :'■. period tho average gain was 4.051b,.. 6lb of ;-£,; f;rain being eaten, and an average gain'wa* : .'*; riado of 1.85 per 11. of grain. Tho turkeys M running at large, 6.55 ib each. In both o£ -!■ these oases the greatest gains were made • -/J. during the first threo weeks. It is statedthat the penned turkeys when dseosedi: . shrank 5 per cent, less than those running !i'<i) ok largo, and that they were .pinmper 'asiO, •' - .'. were in- every way more inviting in appear-;, :■'.%' _ L auce." • '"' : J "' ;,„.. J i .. .'.'■•■'"..'• '.^.'^;'.;'sSsv!;t i."-.. '. . • ' v^i-J'A