POULTRY NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14932, 4 March 1912, Page 10

POULTRY NOTES.

BRITISH EGG IMPORTS.

A JHOCAIOABIB- change has -recently been noted in the business, of importing eggs into Gtaafcßril»&fc § Sb*« jrea» ago the Old Country M gettiiiff ( from British « possessions 38 250 000 «ggs—practically all from. Canada iJwha»lMt'TM» it .-imported.; ill told, only 250,000. There » also- a ialung-off in th»; Imrorts from other countries. In 1910 fiSt Britain imported 800,000 fewer egg* than in 1909, although the demand had enormously increased. The reason the people over-was are not sending eggs ia that they want to consume them themselves. Their populations aro growing not only in numbers, but. to some extent in prosperity, and. they need more eggs than they did formerly.' -

IMPORTANCE OF GRIT. In many cases most poultry-breeders have to chance the means for their fowls, to obtain grit- Now, grit ia essential to poultry if they ftro to bo kept healthy, and therefore mere chance should not be counted, upon. Grit is, as it may be expressed, the back teeth" of poultry, for by it, when brought into tho giraard in conjunction -with hard food, such, for instance, as gram, the. grain is reduced to an element that is at once wholesome and easy of digestion. Without grit in the gizzard the gram would, remain so lons' undigested that the fowl would beconio dyspeptic and unresponsive to •he good food furnished it- At this season, iheri the moulting function is on and grain tteeomea a largo portion of a fowls food, tho presence of grit in tho gizzard is very necessary. Therefor© do not leave to chance v 4» matter of grit. Take steps for it to bo accessible to all fowls, and see that it is both hard and sharp.

FOWLS GOING THIN. When fowls which hare the germs of disease in them (such as tuberculosis or liver disease) have been laying well, and then cease and go into moult, they generally go wry thin, and mope about. '1 hey oat as much corn as they can get, very ravenously, at the same time walking stiff. When such birds are noticed, pick them up at once and examine their breast bones. If the flesh has wasted away it is a sure sign that, tho bird has an incurable disease, and it is waste of time and money to attempt to cure such eases. There are many diseases which can be successfully treated, but cases of this kind can never bo cured. Experience teaches that tho first loss is the. least m these cases.

THE LATE-HATCHED CHICKEN. > To the man who has not had the opportunity of hatching a*, the orthodox time, may bo reasonably said, "Bettor late than never," as chickens hatched during October, ';November, or even December, aro better ■ than none at all. The trouble with late P hatchings is the delicate state they usually tumble into when about a week or two old; i but, given a fair amount of care ana attention, they will get along fairly well, but 'growth will not bo so rapid as should tbey 'have come into light during July or August. ; With November or December hatchings two ! things should "be continually under personal ■ observation, viz., shade and water, food | now occupying but a third place. Ibis may "appear strange to many, but when we consider the difference -in the two seasons the reason will, we feel sure, be apparent «ith August-hatched birds food comes first and ~'">: water second, whilst, shade occupies but a .-mall portion i of attention. I During the early hatching, July and August, 5 the water, so' long as clean and m clean ..vessels, needs no other consideration, whilst - 1 shade is a small item, as then they require . almost all the sun's rays they can obtain. Chickens that are later out mitst hayo plenty of shade and water, which should be kept strictly away: from • the beat of the T inn. Food, of course, must play an important part. The. first and second points are not to bo overlooked or neglected. young chickens need shade during the heat of vV the day. The man who happens to have an < 1 'orchard is specially fortunate there -the. youngsters can :bo placed with the hen in a coop. Should the chickens be old enough to permit of their running" about with the hen, and should shade be available, they will Burely find it. But should the poor things be caged inside a shadeless pen the ' broiling W■-will give them a happy time, i m the inmate* will be seen running about : with their tongues wagging and beaks wide open. Late-hatched chickens must have shade. With it they will, thrive, without it die like diseased sheep. ' It must bo remembered that chickens can bo over-fed, and the fault is not the .chickens', but the attendant's. _ Tho chicken knows more about eating than it does about anything else. Its only mission in . life is to fill its crop, rightly or wrongly, and a chicken over-fed is a lazy thing' It will not scratch for anything, consequently poor growth and stamina, resulting in diminished size and poor constitution. To allow chickens to gorge themselves is a great mistake. They should always come , up with alacrity to their food, and it is a ' healthy': sign when they gobble iit down in an unmistakably hungry and ravenous fashion. The ; last meal in the evening should be a' good one, and as sustaining as possible, so as to keep-them .going v during the long hours .of the night. The writer does not allow r a full meal of wheat when roosting time -is close at hand. He finds V that a small quantity of mash 'beforehand prevents the g.ain from extending the crop sufficiently to do damage. A chicken hot over-fed will always do better during any time of the year than those receiving too much; which is wasted, to say nothing of the harm done. Another point worth considering now is the mother of the chickens. When three weeks old they (the chickens) can be taken •1* from the " biddy." It will be noticed that when separated they thrive more rapidly, are alwaye clean, and do not become overheated during the night. In all matters connected with chickenrearing a little common sense can bo added to the daily curriculum. Then success is '■■■■• i assured. . ,■'■■'-' ,'. ,

TREATING , POULTY FOB LICE. The lice which live and "Breed cfa poultry are commonly distinguished as body lice and head lice. The former are small active vermin which infest all parts of the fowl's body and breed prodigiously. It has been estimated that in eight weeks' 'time one louse may father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather 125,000 descendants. These lice do .not suck the blood, but eat the roots of the feathers and the scales of the skin, causing great irritation and restlessness to their host. : x Sometimes they are found in the nests : among the cast-off; feathers, upon which they can < subsist; for a long while. To destroy these lice frequent applications of good insect powder .are effective. Care must bo taken to use 31 powder not injurious to the eyea of ? the owl. One of the best for the purpose is Persian insect powder, also known as ;buhach. This powder loses its virtue if exposed to the air or kept too long. .In buying, get it' from dealers who are likely to have it, fresh and strong/ The reliable pou|try-houses' also keep good lice powders. ' .■■:-■"■"".r,\ : \-':i',:^,':'■:. ,1 ■'.[/■ \ In applying, the powder should be worked well into tho roots of the feathers, especially about tho neck, rump, between the thighs, under the wings, and,. the fluffy feathers of the fowl; after which it, is well to wrap a sack ; closely about the '- bird for* a few minutes, that the powder - may do its perfect work. All sitters should have a thorough treatment for lice a day or two botf<>T« tho proper eggs are placed under them; and again after hatching, the chicks being previously put in a warm basket and liberally sprinkled with insect powder. Head Lice: These are la-go grev lice and true blood-suckers. They are not active, like the body lice, but fasten themselves on the head, throat, and rump of fowls, and may bo mistaken for pin-feathers. They much prefer the tender chick, and if pre•ent will leave the mother-hen and locate on thto chicks M soon as hatched. They JhTttST IOD m *> t , l > roU(ll the ski » into the blood-vessels and literally sap the life tLSsands^arlf ICk ' C ™ >me tho d *» th <»' ne?esstrf ba A ™1"? lk ° r 6OlllO % Qwi s alve is Tiecessary. a mixture of one part sassafnm to six parts sweet oil come* WW. . mrnuled; also carfflaS rSflill "Vl whatever is used mils be u««l In J But tion and applied with T« u? o **?' feathers stuck up with uivwlj V™ the will kill the chick. To mention ° Kr thing to use is coal oil Tr ' U - 1 * best of soiling and sticking up th f«H down A bit, of „ t i-i p tno leathers and crown, a bit of soft clean »pon«e or t-ulu SSS J be squeezed out of thV "Sal oil «„ ! Jightly applied where needed ft.l . / ind perfectly harmless on the most delSf 11 , ls Supply small chicks a? «.«it =„ i and matwe fowls with Loft i 8 A arger . ones that are kept ZrJffi dust,llacc! *. damp.: Even tiny SicE S' i a l d *}« M 7 ; low dairy; in Bu i Jg" «» *»* and wafthe ..flock.*.:,"wSh 8.., ellm, . n » i «d from • du.ti n »-plao, «, Sltfe i enu ?"' P«>per W uSt Sr d ii^SbC nd