POULTRY NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14746, 31 July 1911, Page 10

POULTRY NOTES.

INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS. > :\.. ~-'*''j, '■■.-■ -; . -■'•■.'.■.•■ ■•■■■■■■.■ ■.•'•■. '. :' : ';v"''..' ' ' The-origin' of this breed is somewhat obscure,, but: it is generally 'agreed that, its introduction into England was made by '■•:» sea captain trading between that country «ftd tbo West ; Indies, and from this fact it ■at its name of Indian, the runner being *dded as a result !of i. its chief peculiarity, ; ; namely, the rapidity 'of its movement over. the ground. , There are three varieties—the fawn and white, the brown and white, and the white —and the most popular, as well as the most handsome of the three is the fawn and white. The Indian Runner is a first-rate forager, being ever on the r outlook for food, so that if natural food is available it requires very little feeding at the hands of its breeder. It is also a useful duck to keep whore »pace is limited and water scarce,, though under these conditions it, ot course, con-: tumes more food and does not lay quite » well. It« strongest point is it« capacity for winter laving, and its eggs, being of a delicato flavour, and at the same time white or light-coloured shell, i many who object to the ordinary green-coloured shell of ducks' eggs, will eat those ot the Indian Runner with, relish. .:•'.. Its small size does not make a favourite as a table bird, but its flesh is, nevertheless, of first-class quality. Many breeders cross it with the Aylesbury, and \h© result is that at the early killing age Vhe cross-bred bird is scarcely inferior to \he pure-bred Aylesbury, though if allowed ]o grow to the stock period the Aylesbury would far exceed the Indian Runner-Ayles-bury cross. % '/■■'•'

EARLY FEEDING. There are exceptions, it is said, to every rule, and this certainly applies to early feeding. This is when opportunities are . Riven to the birds to forage for themselves. It is in the early morning that these will find most insects, sings, etc., which are their natural animal food, and if they are v.. not fed early there will be the more induce- > ment to look: for them. . This is especially the case where the birds have the run of newly-cultivated ground, or can forage amongst low bushes or scrub of almost any kind, or can get amongst the; crops. Such •birds get a. rich harvest at dawn of such . food as will most induce them to lay, and only need topping up later in the day. But * this is impossible for birds penned up in * yards in which opportunities for foraging > T «M» limited, and it is with these that the early morning feeding is so very important . in aid to egg-production.

-* DRY MASH. ; ;_. ''.-■ There are a good many who are inclined . to give the drv mash feeding system a trial. To do so it -is'necessary to feed the chickens T from the first on dry mash. As a rule, the dry mash used by breeders is made of pollard and bran,' to which are added wheat - screenings, ': the.refuse -of all sorts ■; of grains. „ A far better method would be ■to grind the % chicken mixture before given to a fine meal, aa.it contains more food value than bran V•- and pollard."■ The chickens eat the dry mash r •very •■ slowly. Every : mouthful they take rof •this dry, "powdery mixture must bo moistened with saliva: before it - can '• bo swal''lowed. This in itself is ;an excellent pro"v vision, because the moistening with the ' saliva ensures the first process of digestion. : - ~r. That is, ) fife action of ; Ptyalin, a ferment,; or . : \j diastase, contained 'in saliva, which turns f the starchy portions of i the! mixture into ' , sugar. The slow consumption of dry mash ■■'.'* safeguards over-eating or crushing the • food.-"-As tike chickens'.grow older the dry mash ■Hi? can -be mad*, .of 7 cheaper foods. - The dry '£/ mash *is used ; for egg-production, and ; is fed - in hoppers provided with a trough. Grain >'" is fed at night. It is best suited to the light •T>breeds-—the heavy breeds, especially in cpnv finement, eat too much and become too fat

f GREEN FOOD FOR; CHICKS. ■?:*■ Chickens eat large quantities of green food. .' -Watch'' some chickens at ! large in a grass?j;, grown garden, and note how they cat all • sorts of fine growths. They select the growV ing ends because they are tender, and prob- " ably because nature . has informed them of * the fact that the growing tips are richer in : nitrogen than the old .growths. A variety i of green i food can be grown upon small plots of rich ground. Barley grass, barley, ;'.<'iettooe, 'lucerne,-rape, thistles, maize, etc., :|l when young and tender, should he chopped <V into quarter-inch' lengths and '■ given, freely ■; several times a day. 5 Small; bundle* of green food or a lettuce may he hung.a few inches -;,;*;"from'','-; the ' ground, so that: the birds ' may ' peck at it when so disposed. The endive •/it (a species of lettuce) is zrown ,in parts of America as green food for poultry. Ameri'j3. can breeders speak highly of endives, which contain a high percentage of valuable salts. -'*iv Where modern brooder, ; houses are used, ':■ the 1 inside runs are best floored -with scratching .' litter. The outside runs should " have ''■ the V soil well loosened, so that the chickens•may scratch therein -on fine days. Grain , mix- ■* ture and grit may nbo scattered on the soil. -- - Olesa observation will' show . that the little birds find a variety of small life as well as •V, grit in the soil.

FEATHER. PLUCKING. Fowls rarely contract the habit when at full liberty, bat in confinement it is not at all uncommon. This ;rather points to, a lack j< of something which the birds crave. Many writers attribute 'it to the depluming, mite, others to lice, and whilst both of these might cause it, a full supply of: meat has «,t been known 1 to stop it,, and even a little salt in ; the, food; but salt must be used with f-J great . caro for it aeta as a poison to fowls. First, thoroughly clear the* system - with Glauber salts, full dose of loz ,to eight fowls. Then ;make; up the ? following > and ' give daily:—2ooz of Epsom salts, 20oz ;,;' Glauber salts, loz sulphate of iron, 2oa common salt. 'Melt and make a gallon. Half a pint daily to 100 fowls. Give as much aniv.mal food as they will eat for a time—fresh /J, imeat, ;dry meat meal, -and fish meal. Also -give variety of green food; grass alone in ; pens is .; not sufficient. : Any fresh garden refuse ; will do, and. mangels are excellent. Examine for lice, , and, if any are' present, . dress -with* fresh pyrethrum powder or yel- " low sulphur. Whilst they are in hand, dress :i with carbohsed oil on bare parts. Or make ■a bath of one of the disinfectants and water, and plunge the birds in, which would do all ...required at once. Most of above is merely fgood management, and would repay itself 'in any case. If all else fails, pare the upper mandible down to the quick just so that blood shows. It may be" only one or two that are doing the mischief. If bo, watch, and serve them like this at once.

POULTRY PERCHES. All the porches ■in a fowlhouse, whatever kind of house it may be, should be on one level, about half-way between the floor and the eaves. The old-fashioned "step ladder" system 'still maintains in some places. Tbia sort of ; staircase business looks very, ■well in theory, but practically ; it is. bad. There is always a natural desire in the hens to get as high as possible, and consequently the highest perches are always crowded and the lower ones empty. In the crush to secure top positions ] there ,is a squabble, and every now and then one falls •to tho floor, and in tho end ■' an overheated crowd are stuck up just where the air is most impure. All perches should be movable, so as to facilitate not only the cleaning out of the house, but also of themselves and tho slots'in which they are fixed, as the latter are just the places where parasites and vermin of all kinds congregate. Deal quartering, 2in by 2in, makes very good perches if the edges are nicely rounded off, or it may be an inch wider one way. Similar pieces with-inch slots for the perches to rest ,in may ;be fastened to the sides of the house. The ends of the perches arid the slots should Iw well dressed with paraffin occasionally, and especially ,in warm weather, when vermin breed rapidly,; as by so doing tho latter will be prevented not only from increasing m a convenient haunt, but also "from coming from other places and getting on the birdsi during the night, as they won't face the newly-applied paraffin. i