HEALTHY POULTRY

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1682, 25 May 1904, Page 71 (Supplement)

HEALTHY POULTRY

Poultry, says an exchange, are subject to many diseases, and, as a rule, ar© much neglected when unwell, as they get much abuse from their own companions, and the owner often says they must take their chance, live or die; and therefore tiie poor sick bird, or birds, are left with the healthy, and driven about and pecked till they pine and die, unhelped and uncared tor. All poultry-keepers should he acquainted with the different diseases fowls are liable to; if not needed, so much the better, while if the owner has sick birds it will often save pain to the fowls and loss to himself, as if most diseases are treated at once many valuable fowls may, be soon and easily cured that would die if left alone, and also prevent the disease from spreading to the healthy fowls. One stitch in time saves nine. Just so with the sick fowls. If the first is saved, there is little doubt about the remaining ones. When a large number of poultry are kept it is well to have a small bouse by itself, so as to isolate the sick birds' at once, as most diseases are infectious. Any kind of house will do that is clean, free from draughts, and well ventilated at the top. The best thing for the floor is clean straw or moss peat, the latter, having ■ the perference, as it is a disinfectant, and also keeps the fowls warm and dry and prevents any excrement from sticking to the feathers. The mosspeat is invaluable for these purposes, and the house or qoop can be cleaned out so much easier, as the peat absorbs all excrements. Some disinfecting lime or camphor should also be used in the houses to prevent the attendant from carrying the disease amongst the healthy poultry, unless the moss-peat is used'. This is the greatest boon to poultrykeepers of anything that has been used!., It does away with all smell, and at the same time is such a comfort ta the fowls. They dust themselves in it in the diaytime, and if it is cold and wet they run into the house and their feet are dry and warm at once. If it is put from 3m to 4in thick on the floor of the fowl-hous® and turned over occasionally, in the wet

and damp -weather it is very comfortable, absorbing wet at once. If the fowls are very thick in the house, in bad weather it is best to remove the excrement from the perches about two or three times a week. In the dry weather there are rarely any droppings to be seen, as the fowls scratch them ail about and the moss-peat absorbs them, so that there is no smell. Unless fowls are kept very thick in the houses, four time a year is often enough for them to be cleaned out; R should be swept out thoroughly clean, if not, vermin may harbour in it. We have kept it in a house six months as an experiment, and when it has been remjoved there has not been a particle of smell. We kept birds in it, and did not allow them to perch, and they kept very clean. We kept two pens of Hamburgs on it this year without any perch, and they did remarkably well. We cannot speak too highly of it. • In the first place it saves time in cleaning the fowl-house out, it keeps it sweet, it prevents the fowls from injuring their feet when they fly from their perch, it prevents the eggs from being broken when they drop from the root, as they often do. as when they, are broken the fowls usually start eating them at once. This is what often causes fowls to become eggeaters, which is a very serious matter, whether few or many are kept. It is warm and dry to their feet, especially the feather-legged tribes, as their feathers get very wet. and cold. When it is taken out of the house it is very valuable tor garden purposes, especially for flowers. It is much the same as our English peat for flowers, only so much stronger. We have used it on vegetables and find nothing to equal it. N'o poultry-keeper ought to be without it. Flor early thickens it is invaluable to put in the coops.

The house is better not heated, as diseases are often traced to artificallywarmed houses. Poultry should be kept as much as possible in one temperature, and, therefore, if the house is heated, the runs should correspond, being made warm and as snug as possible. This may appear unnecessary, but to those who have tried and studied it it remains a fact; for when fowls come out of a warm house on a cold morning they stick about plose .together and look miserable, while if it is a mild morning or a warm run they will be busy and picking about and enjoying themselves. Fowls roosting out of doors do not feel the cold nearly so much, and keep free from disease, but If roosting in a warm house the cold nips them very much, and they stand about and refuse to eat which checks their growth and the production of eggs, and brings on disease, and more especially cramp and roup. One of the miost important things to keep poultry in health is to keep their houses and runs perfectly clean.