POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22826, 10 March 1936, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

By Terror

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS T. M., Milton. —The reason your fowls have stopped laying may be because they are startling to moult, or you may have been feeding them too generously and they are now overfat. If the latter, you cannot do better than give them a dosing with Glauber salts (sodium sulphate), as this acts as a liver tpnic and gradually brings overfat birds into condition. Dissolve half an ounce of this in a quart of warm water, and use the solution at the rate of eight tablespoon fills to each gallon of drinking water. Give ev<yy third day for a fortnight. Cut down any fattening foods in the mash, give no maize with the grain or mash food, and give oats instead of wheat for a short time. If the fowls refuse the oats the first time it is thrown, let them go hungry and they will not be so particular the next day.

The Breeding Stock A great deal is paid and written every year as the breeding season approaches respecting the necessity of selecting for the breeding pen birds of vigorous constitution and properly feeding them. Mr D. F. Laurie, who is one of the leading authorities in Australia, in a recent reference to this matter in the course of an article, says: “it may be definitely stated that poor methods of even seemingly small deficiencies in foods and feeding will have an adverse effect upon poultry, more especially breeding stock. An insufficiency diet will prejudice the breeding results, often so much as to make people doubt the laws of heredity. In general there are among most flocks many birds that arc not what is commonly called ‘ up to concert pitch,’ despite the fact that they have access to food, water,' etc., and are of approved breeding. It is courting disappointment, to say the least, to include ns breeders any birds of doubtful health. Robust, vigorous stock birds are what every noultryman should breed from. Many are led awav by too close regard to laying records and record pedigrees, and disregard the fact that without constitution the ability to lay well over long periods may not be transmitted. The fact that a good many of the problems that are facing poultrymen are due to lack of firmness in selecting the breeders should make pouitrymen more careful. Far better to breed from a smaller number of reliable birds than from a greater number, some of which will breed inferior stock only. It is important to note that wrongly-fed breeders cannot impart to their progeny the vigorous constitution that jvill help them to resist disease. All the breeders should be good representatives of the breed they belong to.” Another writer, Mr Harold Hart, who was awarded Supreme Championship Harper Adams Laying Trials, in the course of an article headed “ The Measure of a Fowl’s Worth is Not the Record of Her Production,” says: “What we as breeders ought to study is the part that can bo played in the prevention of disease and degeneration by objective breeding. It is now almost generally admitted that breeders have yielded, often against their better judgment, to the demand for high-record stock; and to have mated up their breeding birds on the strength of their record of production alone. Many of these breeders now bitterly regret the throwing out of numbers of excellent birds which possessed the rare qualities ,of the virile breeding bird. How often ’was the bird with the stay-red_ eye, the deep body and firm win" carriage, and sound through and through, condemned as a breeding bird just because the record was not high enough to suit those misguided folk who thought that the measure of a bird’s worth was her record of production? ”

Exhausted Land Sir Edward Brown, who is persistent in cautioning poultry-keepers against the evils resulting from intensification carried to extreme lengths, writing anent exhausted soil, says: “Much lias been said about disease and mortality, and their importance is, to some extent, at last being recognised. Yet. until a great change can be brought about and the causes removed, wo cannot hope for the prosperity of former years to be regained.

" In my judgment, one of the most important factors is the relation of poultry to Mother Earth. In that connection Dr G. Arthur Stephens, of the British Medical Association, has said: “Our animals are being fed on exhausted soils, with the result that their vitality is lowered and the germs of disease are given every chance to flourish.” “ Britain could maintain three times as many poultry as are now found if these wore more widely distributed, and without displacement of any other stock or interference with crons. There is abundance of land available, yet many, perhaps a majority, ,of poultry farms are overcrowded. In spite of that fact, schemes are being advocated which carry intensification to an extreme. Many of these alarm me.” During the Moult

Whilst the birds are dropping feathers and before the new ones start to grow, the food should be of the plainest description and nothing should be given that is likely to stimulate eyg production, [n fact, a mash of plain bran and pollard with abundant green stuff might scarcely be improved upon, with the usual grain at night. About a tablespoonful of sulphur to each dozen birds mixed in the mash twice weekly ig beneficial. A watchful eye should be kept on the birds, and as soon as the new feathers first appear the ordinary mash can be restored with a little extra meat or milk. Testing the Thermometer The thermometer should be tested before incubator hatching is started. This can be done at home if one has a reliable clinical thermometer; otherwise it is better to take it to the local chemist and get him to tost it against one of his. If the testing is done in a glass of warm water the two thermometers should be suspended in the glass so that the mercury bulbs are both at the same level and in the centre, otherwise there will be a difference in the temperature of the water, and one will not get a true reading from both instruments. It is quite likely that there may bo quite a considerable difference in the temperatures shown by both thermometers, but if the clinical instrument is new and of a good made it can be taken for granted that the incubator thermometer is inaccurate. It may vary up to three or four degrees either way—quite enough to spoil a hatch. So long as one knows how inaccurate one’s instrument is, that is all that is necessary, for one can always make the necessary allowances. If it shows 104 deg. when it should only show IGOdeg., then, of course, in order to keep one’s machine running at lOSdcg. true, the defective thermometer will have to show io7deg. Therefore, when the thermometer is tested get the chemist to make a note of the dusci cpaucy. Pullets With Laying Cramp Pullets may be cramped or unable to stand up during the laying of their lirst six eggs, but seldom afterwards. A very satisfactory treatment for this complaint is, we arc told, 15 drops of Easton’s syrup in a teaspoonful of water for two or three days. The possible cause of this cramp is the egg, especially the first one, pressing on (he nerve and blood vessels where they descend into the leg. Jf from other cause, abdominal pain makes the pullet unable or disinclined (o use its legs.

What is a 200-Egg Strain A 200-egg strain meiiiis that tho pullc*(« hatched each year, with proper care, housing, feeding and general management will average 200 eggs each in a working oggman's year, autumn to autumn. This means that for every pallet laying 175 eggs there must he one laying 225 eggs; for every 150-eggcr (here must he a 250egger: and so forth to offset the deficiency. “ Poultry,” Australia. Fractured Bones Fractures in the shanks of fowls are easily set by replacing the broken bone in position and supporting with splints formed of folds of porous brown paper coated with white of egg. Fractures in bones in other parts of the fowl are very difficult to mend but bandaging may he attempted to get the hone into position.

Turkey* Turkeys are not the delicate things they are usually supposed to be. True ior (he first few weeks of their lives they must be protected from wet weather and damp grass, hut this is not a difficult matter. Once they have “ shot-thc-red ” they are (he hardiest birds on the farm, and can be practically left to look after them-

selves for they are great foragers and Pud a great deal of their own natural food. “ Shooting the red is a term applied to the period when colour appears in the face - and little red carbuncles show on their necks. This is usually noticeable when (hey are 10 jr 12 weeks old. They can then be given full liberty.

Function of the Gizzard Workers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture have made some interesting observations on the function of the gizzard in aiding digestion in the fowl, according to Poultry Tribune. Several fowls of each sex were subjected to a surgical operation by which the gizzard was removed. When those fowls had fully recovered from the operation they were used in making digestibility trials for comparison with similar trials conducted with normal fowls. The operated fowls were able to digest but 25 per cent, of the organic matter of cracked soya beans, whereas the normal fowls digested about *3O per cent. With cracked yellow corn the comparative figures were 8G per cent, and 34 per cent., but with finely-ground yellow corn the digestibility of organic matter was 85 per cent, and 84 per cent, respectively. Similar results were secured with respect (o the digestibility of ( protein, fat and nitrogen-free extract. On the basis of these results it is concluded (hat the gizzard functions solely ns a grinding organ. Incidental to this grinding action, however, is Jts remarkable filter action, by moans of which only such food material as lias been completely ground is normally permitted to pass from the gizzard into the duodenum. 'The foregoing is interesting and instructive to a point, hut (ho statement in the last paragraph, viz., that the gizzard functions only as a grinding instrument may mislead. Certainly, we do not need scientific investigation to tell ns what is obvious, ft has often been stated m these notes that fowls have gizzards instead of teeth for grinding purposes to compel them to swallow stones, in using which as grinders they obtain the necessary silica which nil the feathered creatures require for feather-making and to maintain their strong leaks and talons in working condition. The stones in (he gizzard are themselves, to an extent, worn down to an impalpable condition capable of being absorbed into the blood.

Rcilly’s report: Heavy supplies to hand for our weekly sale, including a large percentage of poor qualify birds which were difficult to 'sell. Hons: 17 3s 2d, 4 3s, 4 2s TOd, 23 2s Sd, 8 2s Od, 20 2s 4d. 190 2s 2d 93 2s. Cockerels; 1 6s, 1(5 ss, 7 4s Bd.' 7 4s (id. 9 4s 4d, 22 4s, (5 3s 2d, 18 3s, 9 2s (id, 17 2s 2d. Ki 2s. Pullets; (i os Cd, 0 4s 6d. 2 3s. 6 2s 2d. Bantams: 5 is, 2 2s. Ducks: 12 4s 2d, 6 4s. 9 3s 4d, 32s 6cl. Geese: 4 (is. 4 ss. All at per pair.