POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21736, 30 August 1932, Page 4

POULTRY NOTES

By Tebeob. Fanciers and Utility Breeders of , Poultry are cordially invited to contribute to this column. " Terror " will endeavour to make this department as interesting and informative as possible. Contributions and questions for answering should be nd i dressed to "Terror," Otago Daily Times, and received not later than Thursday of each week. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS "B. H. K."—-Your very interesting information regarding electric incubators will appear in next Tuesday's poultry notes. " Terror," however.: cannot undertake_ to become an intermediate for the obtaining of orders, but suggest your making use of the advertising columns of the Otago Daily Times.

"All Roosters" writes:—Now. that hatching time is at hand and I intend setting a few hens, I wonder if you can tell me if there is any,way of knowing, from the position of the air cell in the egg, which sex you will hatch. What should the position be to hatch pullets? " —-No, there is no known method of detecting the sex of-the egg. The position of the air cell has nothing to do with the question. All schemes for detecting the sex have been tested scientifically and found wanting. The belief is that the sex is not determined till some days after incubation starts, and then the egg would have to be opened and examined microscopically in order to learn the truth. "Amateur," Green Island, writes: "I have been told that July is uaually a better egg yielding month than August. Does this apply to White Leghorns in this district? Will 'you give me an idea in what order the best layingjnonths usually occur for this breed ? Further, is fat good food for hens when down in condition during their laying season?"—My experience over a number of years is that August and September are the best eggyielding months if the birds are well looked after. iThese are Nature's months for reproduction. "In the winter months a little extra fat will do no harm, as it helps to create warmth and energy,' but if Amateur's" fowls are down in condition I suggest a tonic such as Parrish's Food in the drinking water.

Many people have been encouraged to increase the number of the birds they kept because of the good results achieved during the first two or three years with small flocks. With the increased number of birds the average egg yield has decreased and some of the owners have not only wondered why, but in disgust have got rid of all their stock, Baying, " Poultry keeping does not pay." Others without increasing their stock of birds have also found, after the first;two or three years of. good returns in eggs, that, in succeeding years, the average yield decreases, and they, too, with still more warrant, arrive at the conclusion that " poultry keeping does not pay." Why is it that there is so much encouragement the first year or two and so little subsequently? It may be due to the fact that poultry-can flourish on new ground—i.e., on ground rich in elemental matter which they need—but cannot do so on ground; denuded of such matter by previous generations of fowls which have been restricted'to the same area; or it may be due to the mere fact that the ground, instead of being "fresh," as it was at first, is now poisoned by droppings. I do not. think ■ there should be any doubt respecting the necessity of having the" ground for poultry clean and fresh if first-class results. are to be obtained. '

My.own experience has taught'me that moving fowls to new ground always, improves the appearance of a .flock and increases the egg,, yield. Whether it happens merely because the new ground is clean or because it is rich in some elements of which ithe old ground has.been denuded is a question to be solved. Sir Edward Brown in respect to the above question some,years back said:—"Reference has recently been made to better results \obtained by littering out the houses " (he .is speaking of places where fowls are confined to sheds) "with fresh earth instead of the usual chaff or straw, and to the fact that the inmates were all the time busily engaged scratching among it, just as they would be in the, open. Wonderment' has often been felt and stated at what hens find in the soil. 'ln that respect more knowledge is; required. It may be that fresh earth contains some elements. which are as important as .are vitamins, the discovery of which would revolutionise . our ideas altogether, an 3 thus lead to a. better understanding of the business and of the, requirements of our poultry, which, irom, want of knowledge on our part, it may be, are deprived of what they, would obtain under natural conditions."; ;'•.••■

Fowls like a grass run the first year or so that they are on it, but in after years ■they will eat any grass.rather than that which grows under their feet. Even, after the grass has been washed by heavy rain and made.clean of their droppings they still, prefer grass from outside their runs I think we may gather from this fact that even the grass, in the *run—elean as it may be^—lacks the., elemental matter which the fowls need simply because the last generation of fowls had already impoverished the soiL To improve matters it seems, evident that deep trenching, is necessary where fowls have occupied an outside run-for any'length of time, and that the soil in a scratching shed (under the litter) should be renewed from time to time! ";■ ', V S'.\. . , *'•,

Fir«t-year Hen* , '.-... The question is often asked whether it is worth while keeping fowls after, their pullet-year? "What is meant is, Does it pay to keep them as first-year hens?'l am certainly in favour, of keeping some, at least; of the firstryear hens, for, though they may lay fewer, eggs in the year than do the pullets, they have not to be fed for six months as- pullets must be before they commence.to lay. Experiments . conducted scientifically have proved that pullets are the most profit-, able egg producers. First-year hens, however, lay larger eggs, and their eggs are better suited for hatching purposes. Whilst on this question, a point well worth' considering is whether it would not be good policy to retard or. at least not force for heavy laying'during the pullet year, so that the first-year hens would be in a better' condition to put up. a aood yield. I have often been assured by breeders that their hens were laying as well as their pullets, and there can be no doubt that this was because forcing methods during the pullet year had not been followed. .One thing is certain: the breeding pen should consist, of hens and not pullets.

The Anti-vitamin in Oatmeal Quite recently several writers have been busily engaged in endeavouring, to prove that oats and oatmeal are not suitable for poultry feeding. They are led to do so because of the alleged discovery of, an anti-vitamin in oats, the contentions of these writers will not be accepted by poultrymen who have fed oats to adult fowls and oatmeal as a first! , feed to chickens for many years with satisfactory results. _ As concerns , the I protein and carbonacious content of pats they are practically a balanced, ration--more so than wheat and. barley—provided a good sample is fed.to. the birds, whether of the white or black varieties, 1 anVT there is not too much husk, there is no better grain for fowls, Oats may not compare with wheat as an egg producer, but for health and constitution production, there are many experienced pouitrymen who will contend that the oat stands any comparison, with other grain. From time immemorial oatmeal has been regarded as Nature's greatest food, and as one writer says, it comes as a nasty, knock to tradition to find that oatmeal is not just what it had been thought to be. Professor F. Gowland Hoekins, of-Cam-bridge, published in 1912 his epoch-mak-ing research on vitamins, and. since then vitamins have played a very important part in the consideration of foodstuffs for poultry. The modern detractors of oatmeal as a food hold that oats contain an anti-vitamin which destroys the food value of milk,'liver, cod liver oil, etc., containing the valuable vitamin D. It acts as a clog on the growth of the chicks, and is the cause of borie disease, etc. They also hold that the beneficial" qualities of the proverbial Scottish breakfast of porridge and milk is weakened if not completely. nullified by the anti-vitamin of the oatmeal. The vitamin D of-the milk cannot function. In the place of. oatmeal these writers recommend the use of coarse ground wheat as a substitute as it contains" no anti-vitamin. AM poultry rearers are conversant with the mysterious vent pasting which often appears iu chickens. It is often very prevalent in bantam chickens, but wise rearers take the precaution to; clip away the soft down . round the vent as'soori as the chicks.are hatched;, which saves a'lot of ' trouble

later on. This vent pasting often occurs in chickens that have been given little or no oatmeal, so the oat cannot really be blamed entirely for this trouble. It is certainly the result of the digestion of the chick having been upset. ' ■', _. It is for every poultry feeder to give this-matter closest attention.. The old hands. will cling to their faith in oats and oatmeal, arid the old theory that they build-bone and muscle. At least they got the credit of- doing so in the oWen. days, and it is doubtful if even enj altered conditions have any deteriorating effect on their good qualities. At the moment the majority of poultry rearers are in favour of the use of oats and of oatmeal, in spite, of the warnings, of the scientists. They could, however, exercise care over the quantity. fed to their stocks. It would mean a greater variety in the grain feed, which, of course, would' increase the. appetites of the birds, which would mean a point gained and would' certainly have a bencficient effect on egg production. Favus

: Favus in poultry is indicated by a white powdery deposit on the combs of birds. It is sometimes caused by an overheating diet or by lack of sunshine and fresh air. To cure, give plenty of green food and add a little flower of sulphur to the mash. To prevent a recurrence of favus, see that some light'> arid air are admitted to the poultry hoyse arid that no dampness prevails..

A stock solution of permanganate of potash (Coridy's crystals) can be made by adding 10gr to one quart of water. Whenever there is.danger of infection in the flock the drinking water is generally the means of spreading the trouble. Therefore add two tablespoons of this solution to every gallon of water.

Minerals in Foods ' The mineral matter in foods, so often referred to as necessary to constitute a full diet, are sodium, potassium/calcium, iron, magnesium, chlorine, phosphoric acid, silicic acid, sulphuric acid, carbonic acid, and fluorine. . This sounds a formidable list for the poultryman to, be concerned about/but he need not be, for they are all represented in the various foods he supplies if he gives a varied dish. In foraging for their food, the wildfowl obtain green stuff, insects, stone grit, shell, etc. —all they require for the maintenance of their bodies and for the formation of the few eggs they lay—but the domesticated fowl cannot obtain all the salts and minerals that are necessary to enable them to lay the large number of eggs we require from them unless bone, shell, grit, and salt, which contain them, are supplied. Feeding Hens With Brains

It is an old story that when a celebrated artist was asked with what he mixed, his colours to obtain such brilliant results, he replied, "With brains"; and it is equally true that in feeding poultry the best results are obtained only when the food is mixed with brains. To feed any class of live stock properly is not merely to take the first thing that comes handy and putit before them somehow. The food should be selected to. suit the age/and condition, of the stock, their environment, and the weather. It should be placed before them in such a manner as to prevent waste, and in sufficient quantities. All this is an art, but although 6ome are born feeders, the ability to feed correctly and economically can undoubtedly be acquired. One man's stock looks well on food cost'"" 3d or more per head per week; another's looks equally' well and even more liViisperous;and thriving at a cost of just over 2d; when the number of crops to fill runs into hundreds, the difference in the cost

Avill soon buy a freehold farm. Dirt has been: defined, as matter in the wrong place, and 60 a single grain of corn or an ounce of soft food lying about is, dirt, beyond question. The. right place for it is - in some bird's crop, and: the fact that it did not .find' its. way there is evidence of mis-' management,, on the. part of the .person responsible" for feeding. .The manufacturers do not make their money but l of the mustard that is eaten, but out <of that which folks leave on their plates; eo, too, no'small part of the. corn dealer's ,■ profits arise from wasted [ food—wasted-; either. because too much is fed, because it! is' unsuitable, or because it is given' in a wrong way. • On 'Ducks ~' ';'■. ': . ~,.'..■.■'.'...^..: ^l

The Aylcebury.—The Aylesbury, is by far the best and heaviest of all our'table ducks; it has been bred for a great while, and it is a very rarej occurrence to breed a bird of this variety which is not true to colour. There are two distinct types of this breed. : The. heavy exhibition type, which is very large and'has a deep keel which nearly touches the ground, and the utility type, which ia a smaller, bird with'less keel, and a higher carriage. Both types should have pure white plumage, orange-coloured legs, and a delicate flesh-coloured bill. Avoid any bird for breeding purposes which has a yellow bill, as it indicates the introduction of Runner or Pekin blood. The Pekin.—-The Pekin duck without doubt originated in China, as its name indicates. The Americans have made this breed into; their most useful heavy breed, >b"t in'this country.! - it has never been able to compete successfully with the Aylesbury, although it is a better layer, and is still quite often used: for crossing purposes with the Aylesbury. This breed has a high carriage and a distinct touch of yellow in its plumage; its' legs and bill are both a rich orange in colour. The Buff Orpington Duck.—The, Buff Orpington ie the nearest approach to a general-purpose, breed which we have. While the ducks nearly equal the lighter breeds for egg production; the drakes are quick growers and reach;a nice weight by the time they' are 10 weeks of. /age. The ducks of this breed should be an even shade of. buff all over, while the,drakes have a darker-coloured head and tail;, their bill should.be yellow and their'legs oranse coloured.'.- Unfortunately, they, do not breed quite true to colour, as they.., tend to hstve white round their necks, and in some' cases they revert to the .w.iiii duck marking. ...... ....

Reilly's report:—All birds -'fonvarde.il are, readily placed.at fair values. Eggs— Unwisely, in. our opinion prices of eggs was reduced to Is per dozen, and nothing like sufficient supplies .pouring forward to meet the demand. We sold:—Hens 5 at 9s, 13 8s 2d, 13 6s 6d, 9 6s, 115 s 2d. 11 ss. 20 4s lOd, 43 4s Bd, 24 4s 6d, 10 48 \4d. 14 4s, 2 2s; cockerels—l2 at Bs, 7 7s ~4d, 6 6s'lod, 4 6s 4d,. 8 6s 2d, 12 6s, 2 ss. Bd, 4. 5s 4d, 2 4s 6d, -4 '4s 2d, 2 3s 6d, 2 3s 4d, 2 3s; pullets—6 at 6s Bd, 2 6s Od, 2 6s 4d; bantams—2 at 4s—all. at per pair. - Turkeys: Hens—3 at Is, 3 B|d, 3 BJd; gobblers—l at B|d, 4 BJd, 7 Bd—all at per lb. :,'