POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22352, 28 August 1934, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

Bv Terror, ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS

“ Amateur.”—-The warts ou the face and comb of your two fowls are of a cankerous nature, ..and as the trouble, is likely to sprea,d you should separate them from the. rest of your birds. There , are several remedies recommended, but the best is said to be the. painting of, the growths with a solution made from Idr carbolic acid, 3dr sulphuric acid, and 4dr each of glycerine and tincture perehlorido of iron. A little sulphur and bicarbonate of soda in equal parts could with advantage be added to the food. Leghorn ” (Central Otago). The symptoms you describe indicate atrophy of the liver. This is not an uncommon complaint, and the authorities put it down to innutritions and insufficient, food. The treatment is uncertain, If the birds are taken in hand early and put under more favourable- conditions ,and supplied with nutritious foo<| and given, mineral tonics and stimulants they may be cured, but advanced cases are hopeless. Perhaps you are giving your fowls too much meat —rabbits, for instance.

Laying Power Inherited , The laying powers of a pullet arc, as .'a rule; inherited from the male parent, hence the importance of securing a bird bearing this characteristic inherited from his mother. He will be mated to a dozen or more hens, and the fact that from 200 to, 300 chickens may ,be bred from him in a season, and that these may be expected to bear half his characteristics, should serve to impress the importance attaching to his selection. Chick Losses

It .has been frequently pointed out by experts, that the first big cause of losses in chicks is weak vitality or lack of constitutional vigour. This may be caused by poor parent stock (and often is), by poor care of the eggs before they are set, or by improper incubation. Poor parent stock is usually the most serious of thege causes* It-is wonderful how eggs will hatch put strong, vigorous chicks, although by inattention or accident the eggs have been allowed to chill in the incubator, or been deserted by the hen, and there can be no question but that only eggs from parents of good constitution could hatch out under such conditions. The moral to be drawn is: Breed only from strong, vigorous birds. Such birds can bo found , amongst .the best layers, but do not let more laying power be the only, motive in selecting breeders. The sisters of the best layers, if suitably mated, produce , chickens of highest quality as layers, and the chances are that they will be of sounder constitution than the chickens of the highest producers. A South Australian Scheme The Employment Promotion Council in South Australia having , initiated a scheme for putting unemployed men oh the land have opened up five settlements for” the - purpose. The first was occupied in June,- 1933, and the last (fifth) in May this year. All the early settlers have grown plenty of fodder and vegetables, and' have been Sending' eggs to market for some time. Cheques' received for eggs have already aggregated more than £2OQ, and although the council provided. only a small dwelling' ,of three rooms, in nearly every case eettlcra Have made additions, and quite ' a number have been converted into comfortable dwellings. What was forest laud has now,., thanks to this scheme,' been cleared and rendered productive, and men who have been put of wofk‘forV.years have been given a chance to regain their self-respect' by means of healthy employ ment, and their families are bepg reared under the best conditions. ■: ,

Ventilation of Brooders Mr ,P. Rumbpldt (poultry expert), Queensland, . explains that:pr-‘‘ With some types of brooders many chickeps are lost due to lack of ventilation' and to overcrowding. Brooders which are usually made to hold 100 day-old. chickens are generally too small for the came .number of chickens a week; old.: It frequently happens also that the attendant makes no allowance .for additional ventilation .jvith the growth of,, the chickens, and although he has been successful in rearing them to the age of one week , they then start Crowding and dying. The lack bf ventilation has a great weakening effect on 1 both young and old stock. It causes the young to crowd, and renders the blder birds more 'susceptible to disease. When chickens have crowded they present a wet appearance in the morning, ' to which the term ,of “sweating ” is applied. Sweating is not the cause. The wetness is caused by the condensation of the moisture content of the breath which would have been carried away if proper ventilation had been provided; Chickens which have been overcrowded rarely recover from the ill-effects, arid it should be avoided at all costs.”

Weaning

When chickens are from four to six weeks old it is generally necessary to remove them from the _ brooders to make room for Others. This is also necessary to protect the soil from becoming too foul and the ehickeris too soft by prolonged supply of heat. > Correct brooding will materially assist, the weaning process, as the heat should have been gradually reduced. The chickens were trau-ed m the early stages of-brooding, and training is again essential. • , . , ' Poultry are largely creatures or habit, and can generally with care be trained to act as required. When once they form a habit—good or bad—it is difficult yto alter. A little time spent in seeing that chickens take to their new quarters during the first few nights will amply repay the poultry keeper and prevent losses that occur when growing chickens crowd into corners, etc. Heat and Cold During Incubation There are differences of opinion as to what the temperature of an incubator room should be whilst incubation by machines is in progress, and many will no doubt be glad to read the opinion of Mr Golden, a breeder of great experience in England, although it may sound rather drastic. He says:— "1 have proved, by bitter experience, that one of the most important principles governing rearing results is an abundant supply of fresh air. I therefore run all my incubators as near, to the open conditions in Nature ns I can get. I use ; a lofty, large incubator room, and the air in-the room ns fresh ns I can, regardless of cold. . . . The, British race and British live stock arc acknowledged to be the hardiest in the world—brought about by our climate, which is highly variable —which proves what an, important principle variation is in building up vitality. The incubation of-eggs in a steady, even temperature, especially where the room temperature is nigh, is one of the most dangerous principles it is possible to apply." ' _ The Australorp In England every breed of , fori,, as it is introduced to the public, is represented in the most favourable terms by the introducers, but, in due course, those depending on the popularity of other breeds bestir themselves. and the public learns that the new breed baa its faults., Some: one at Home has ventured to remark that the Australorp (Utility Orpington) is not a commercial proposition, and in doing so raises the ire of s general farmer- who points out that “As a free-range breed for the general farmer they are unbeatable, giving’ excellent flock averages, with most eggs when prices are highest.” He adds: s As regards the table side of the breed I sell most of my surplus cockerels, old hens, etc., in the local auction mart, the buyers beipg chiefly London pens and seaside buyers in season. I have penned Australorps, Susses, R.I- Reds, and White Wyandottes side by side, all of the same age and weight, and on many occasions Australorps have fetched tpp price, and always hold their own as' regards price. I know of no. other breed that will produce dairy, palace, and club show winners from hens with records of 200 to 235 first and second grade in 48 Weeks, or of any other breed- that can so justly olaun to be EnglaudV’best dual purpose breed as the Australorp.” Other farmers have written in similar vein. It will be, noticed from the foregoing that the Australorp is being boomed in, the Old Country just now, but as it is generally acknowledged that there is no " best ” breed,: we can rely upon it that the fanciers cultivating other breeds will voice themselves and their own particular interests.

Incubation: Many people will be starting their incubators this month, and in 1 the case of new machines it is a sound rule to follow

the instructions as closely as possible, while exercising individual judgment with regard to such matters "as moisture and ■ventilation. -With a well-constructed ’ iria;chine, reliable-: thermometer, and regulating instruments, and vfrfesh and; stronglyfertilised eggs, there is no grerit. difficulty in artificial hatching. It is just "a matter of exercising common sense. Chick and Adult Feathers

- The following information by Mr : W. .Qweß-Powell... is . well worth ■ noting "by poultry keepers: Mr Owen-Powell says: “ A little knowledge of handling and anatomy as applied to maturing pullets, will be helpful to tell whether a bird is precocious or, Ijkely, to lay at.io.o early an.age. By the natural order of things a; pullet completes, her plumage before egg production commences. „By stretching put ■the wjrig; feathers, examining the tail, arid brushing aside the ,body .feathers to. see if any new ones are coming! through .the handler knows about the stage each pullet is'in as regards plumage.” He. then, proceeds to' explain using, a, Rhode Island Red pullet as an example,-though a" pullet of another breed, vyould have answered his purpose just as well. He says: “Take a .two, months’ old Rhode Island Red pullet in hand and stretch out to the full its wing feathers. These are in two, sections: (1) The primaries or flight feathers that.' are' tucked away out of eight as the wing ,is: closed, and (2) the secondaries, which are seen when the wing is folded. Count 10 feathers up from the outside brie, and you . will, find an “index” feather that divides them from the.top secondaries. This dividing feather is not so long as the others, and. you may test' ,your observation powers-on an adult hen’s'wirig to locate it .more readily. Don’t get alarmed if in .an odd bird-you find: 11 primary feathers; there should, be 10. - : ' " -

“ Next make yourself familiar with the diffeperices between chick feathers and the adult ones that.follow. The chick, feathers in the wirig are poitatbd and soft; the adult feathers are broad and stiff. In the two months’, old Red pullet you may find all the wing 'feathers soft and pointed. Now take a White Leghorn pullet of eight weeks, and. below the “ index”, feather you may find one or two stiff and broad feathers.

“Remember that the new stiff feathers come in pairs downwards from the “index” or division feather to the tenth or outside one. This latter seems to change very late in some pullets, so can be ignored. Next take in hand" a four-montns-old pullet and count the number of broad feathers, deduct it from 10, and you will know how many narrow, chick feathers have still to drop. “The secondaries, or feathers above the “index” one, are also replaced in pairs, working upwards towards , the body. A pullet is not ready- for laying, with normal conditions and feeding, for growth, until all the wing and tail feathers are fully developed. By that, time she should have completed her body plumage. If there are still many narrow and pointed chicken feathers "in the wings to be dropped there should also be, new feathers growing all over the body. '

“A new feather can be ascertained by the soft sheath at its base through which it is shooting; when completed, this sheath dries up: The point I wish to emphasise 1b that, so lon£ as feathers are grbwingi the bird is still developing. I’he ideal pullet is the one that is up to Standard size for the breed by the time all the wing,- tail; and body feathers are completed. The next move will then be egg production. The ideal cockerel is the one that is i»p to standard size before its feathering is complete. : “The precocious pullet shows definite signs of too early maturity by getting her more adult wing feathers completed long before the other birds. Whilst still undersized, she may have almost a full wing of stiff, broad fegtjhers,, Her body plumage may, also be completed too soon. • The chicken feathers on the body parts are soft, whereas the adult one arc broad, rounded* stiff, and definite in outline. One can, therefore, again note the stages reached. Examine the breast feathers of any growing chicken,, and you will see the soft baby feathers and the stiff, founded’ ones that are coming through?’

Reilly’s Report.—A good yarding of’ poultry : came forward . for our weekly sale. Prices were firmer with, the,exception of turkeys, of which there wag a heavy penning. Values fop these Were back id to Id per lb. Bantams—B at 3s; 2 2a, 15 Is 10d, 2 Is Bd, 12 Is 6d; lieng:— 13 10s, 12 Bs, 4 7s 2d, 11 7s, 6 6s lOd, 13 Os Bd, 2 6s 6d, 7 6s 4d, 34 6s 2d, 23 6s, 12 5s Bd, 15 5s 4d, 8 5«.2d, 11 3s 6d. 2 2s; cockerels—lX 10a 2d, 210 s, 5 Bs, 4 7s, 2 6s Bd, 12 6s 6d. 19 6s, 4 ss ; 8d; 3 5b 2d, S’ss.'2 4s 2d/12, 3s 6d, 12 3s-2d, 14 9d; pullets—s 6s 6d, 15 fis 6d, 13 5s 2d, 2 ss, 13 4a 6d, 13 4s, 3 3s; ducks—--7 5s 6d, 3 6s. 2 7s 8d; geesc~r2 7 S 6d, all at per pair-, Turkeys: Gobblers—U 9d, 3 Bfd; hens—l 7 Bld, II Bd, all at per lb. ’ ' ‘ :