UTILITY POULTRY NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12211, 8 August 1925, Page 19

UTILITY POULTRY NOTES

PULLETS FOR WINTER EGUS

BREEDING, SELECTION, AND . SPECIAL FEEDING (Written for the "Times” by (j.>H. Ambler.) ■- J It is common knowledge among ,-poultrymen and farmers that pullets lay the winter eggs. The poultryman who manages his flock’ properly should 1 have his pullets coming into production at the tinle the hens cease 'production. During thb ; fall ‘and "winter months When the majority of hens stop laying the demand for fresh eggs exceeds the supply, and prices always rise. The poultryman who keeps his production high during March, April, May and June sells his eggs on a good market, and records kept by demonstration farms prove that such poultrymen mako greater profits than the ones who produce eggs only in the spring when eggs are selling at their lowest price. BREEDING AND SELECTION , Poultrymen have been advised to batch their chicks early in order that they'-may have time to mature for-fall and winter production. This advice is sound enough, but it means that such breeds as Bocks, Beds and Wyandottes must be hatched during cold weather When it is almost impossible to 1 keep the eggs at the right temperature either before setting or after they have been placed in an incubator. The fertility is always low during the early months, and the eggs set are valuable at market price. Consequently it costs more to produce a chick and more to brood it at this unfavourable' season.-Farmers who use hens for incubation find it almost impossible to follow the “hatch early” advice. > A much better method is to breed for a rapid growing, early maturing strain that will develop in five to seven months. This can he done-by selecting cock birds that mature early, and pallets that mature and 'begin laying at from five to seven months of age. If this is done the incubation and brooding can bo don© during v the natural season, and the costs of production can bo materially decreased. Pallets should remain on free range, where there is plenty of green food .and insiects, until . they are fully mature and have stored up a surplus supply of body fat. There .should J>e plenty of shade on the range; this can' be provided by trees, bushes, edrn and weeds. The cockerels should be removed from the pullets’ range at the. broiler age to prevent them from chasing and treading the pullets. FEEDING THE PULLETS It is essential that growing chickens be supplied .with the necessary food elements for rapid growth. This can be done by keeping before them in a selffeeder at all times a dry growing mash ■which contains meat scraps. It is sometimes advisable to force tho growth of late hatched, slow: growing pullets by forcing the food consumption. This can be done by mixing the mash with sour milk or water until it is just crumbly, and feeding in the middle of the day. Care should be taken not to overfeed this wet mash. 'Only a small amount should be fed at first, and the quantity increased -gradually. They should never be. fed'more of the wet mash than they will eat -at: one time. ;, s: ■ Scratch grain- may be fed to. the pullets ’ to advantage * mornirig ' and evening on the clean 'ground, v or-in a few inches of clean, dry litter 4n the hotfee. The morning feed should '-be-‘very light,• or entirely eliminated, find the evening feed, just what the pullets will -clean up, never More than'that, lit-Should be remembered that the saratfch grain is ordinarily a supplmentary feeding, and should not he depended upon alone to produce mature pullets. Animal food such as-meat scraps ann milk are necessary for proper * growth. Insects and worms are provided by nature for this animal 'food. The supply from this source, however, is not sufficient to feed a flock of. several hundred chickens. The pullets should have access at all times, to clean, fresh ■water, except when milk is substituted. Poultrymen who have mature pullets in January or February should delay

egg production until April or. May; in order to prevent tlie winter moult, which almost invariably occurs when the pullets begin laying too early. One method of delaying the egg production is'to remove the animal food frbm Jthe mash, and give only water to drink, or the mash may be removed and dnlv scratch feed given. Tho scratch feed will fatten the pullets, and they Will consequently bq in good condition 'when they are put in, the laying house and animal food is again fed for egg production. Pullete will make a good winter record if a surplus 1 supply of fat is stored. The apimal food, however, should not he removed’until-the pullets are fully matured, and then not except as a means of delaying egg production and to fatten the. pullet?. • THE LAYING HOUSE The laying house is the home of the pullets, nnd too much attention cannot bo paid to this home and its require-

.mqnts .which ..a^e Plenty of. fresh air, hut free from draughts. Muslin curtains should be used only to keep put rain, 2. . An abundance of sunshine through windows on the north. 3. At'least three square feet of floor space-per bird. 4. A deep, dry litter Of straw for the .birds to exercise in. 5. A nest for every four pullets, and plenty of roosting space. 6. Dry mash hoppers or boxes in sufficient numbers to allow at least one-half the pullets to eat. at once. l . -The last' requirement is- too often overlooked. Egg production' fs largely the result of food consumption. Actual room for - eating is often not provided, and where this eating space is limited the egg production will be reduced. This! factor is no doubt, one. reason why small flocks lay more eggs than large flocks. FEEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION Animal food is necessary for winter egg production. This is supplied by feeding a dry egg mash containing meat scraps, or by giving the birds nothing to drink but sour. milk. The moat scraps can be reduced in case sour milk!, is fed, and can ..be entirely left .out of the mesh if plenty of milk is given. No .water should be given if milk alone is the source of animal food. Oyster shell and grit should be kept before the pullets in self-feeding boxes. It- should be borne in mind that grit is the hen’s teeth and should be hard and insoluble, while oyster shell is to manufacture egg_shell, and is fed because it is soluble. Each serves a definite purpose, and should be supplied at all times. Qreon food, such as cabbage or vegetable peelings, is beneficial ;in securing good winter production. They aid in the digestion of the grain, and increase the amount of water taken into the hen’s body. FORCING FOOD CONSUMPTION The difference between spring and summer egg production and winter production is largely the result of a difference in the food consumption. The winter days are so short that a .pullet cannot’ consume enough food to maintain, her body and at the same time make van egg. The food consumption can be increased in the winter months by feeding the birds a wet. mash in the morning. Any mash mixed with water or milk until just crumbly may be fed. The use of electric lights to lengthen the day is another mekns of increasing food consumption by, giving the birds a 'longer eating period. The lights may be used either in the morning or evening. The tendency is to use the lights to excess. A ’ fourteen-hour day should be the standard. At the present prices of eggs 500 mature pullets will pay for a lighting plant, in, increased egg production, in a year. Specialised poulfrymen should use lights more than is now their, custom. THE POULTRYKEEPER SHOULD KEEP ACCOUNTS No poultrykeeper’ can' hope to meet with success unless he keeps strict account of- his receipts and expenditure, the moneys spent on appliances and feeding stuffs and the number, of eggs his birds produce. No business, iiian would dream bf selling lias merchandise without keeping a careful account of all that lie Stlls, and. yet we find numerous poliltrykeepere without the slightest knowledge of how they stand. At the end of the year the poultrykeeper wonders liow much profit lie has made; how’is he to know? By noting carefully day by day how much he spends, how many eggs he has received, and how many lie sells. If possible . also note . which hens laid - the eggs, as this information is invaluable when mating np the, next season’s breeding pens. While accurate recording of egg-lay-ing is essential, the keeping bf mating, and incubation’ records is even more so. It is important that these details be known, otherwise much valuable time may have been wasted. Beeord? of brocidinefls are also useful, and should be carefully noted for further reference.