POULTRY NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23703, 10 January 1939, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

By Terror

Hot Weather Pests

It is generally recognised that during the hot weather (which we may expect soon) the feather-eating habit is contracted owing to the mites which infect the birds, irritating the roots of the quills. To deal effectively with the trouble isolation in necessary. One method of treatment is to rub creosote ointment—ten drops to one ounce of powder will often remedy matters. If tincture of quassia is lightly rubbed on the remaining feathers, featherpicking will cease. A teaspoonful of flowers of sulphur added to the soft food for a few weeks will assist in allaying irritation. Of course, vermin cannot be classed as a disease; but at any rate they are one of the causes of disease, for they sap the resistance and render the birds liable to take any sort of complaint that may be about. Cleanliness and increasing vigilance are the best weapons against this source of evil. When you are cleaning out the poultry house take everything out of doors you can possibly carry. You can see what you are doing in the daylight, and many a little crevice which harbors pests will be discovered and effectively dealt with, which would not be the case if all the work were done inside the house. Moreover, it is easier to limewash if the inside of the house is clean. Feather-picking is not always due to the presence of vermin. It may be due to a deficiency in the diet which the blood in the quills serves to satisfy; or it may be overcrowding, or again to overfeeding, both of which produce idleness and this often leads to evil habits, but whatever the cause the remedies suggested above should be tided, and the cause or causes removed.

Ring all Broodies Do not be too eager to dispose of late broodies, they will lay a good supply of eggs after their rest. Put a ring on the leg of every such bird, so that when the hens are culled they can be given a chance to continue their production. No matter of what the quality of the individual hen may be as a layer, it is a fact that almost every hen or pullet is a good producer for a month or so after a spell of broodiness. This is easily understood, for the broodiness has provided a rest for the internal organs and all surplus fat has had a chance to disappear. With the eggs being laid during a rising market there is a chance to make some profit from such birds, unless they are marked, however, one is apt to forget that they are late broodies. By all means try to cure broodies quickly, so that they come into lay promptly, but if that fails give the best of them a chance to put up some production figures after the rest they have secured through the broody period. More Winter Eggs Higher yields follow forced moulting of over-year stock. It would be an exceptional season if all producers were in a position to rely on their pullet flock alone to fill the winter baskets. Therefore many over-year birds will be retained to meet requirements during the winter months. An Old Country writer says:—“To succeed with over-year- hens they must be given a two iponths’ rest, starting from about the second week in July (January, mew Zealand). One of the best methods is to compel the birds to undergo a complete moult, lasting from seven to ten weeks. Here is a brief outline of the methods which have been successful during the past five years and which have never failed to result in high production during the months of peak prices. “Birds intended for forced moulting should be in robust health. Having birds, the next step is to restrict them to a house, the size of which is slightly too small for the number of birds occupying it. , It should be well ventilated and lighted. “ Feeding should consist of but ohe good feed of wheat per day, broad bran being available in the mash hoppers. The idea of giving only one feed in place of the customary two is that the birds should be taken from their ordinary routine hours of feeding. This change in management, combined with the total absence of protein in the food, will result in the birds casting a few feathers within a week of the start of the treatment.

“During the second week a large proportion of the birds will be found to have entered into a rapid and thorough moult and, at the end of the week, they should be liberted from their houses and allowed to take their usual amount of exercise. A return to balanced rations should then be made. A small proportion of linseed jelly, given in troughs at mid-day, is a considerable help to feathering. “The birds will not come into lay until they have regained their feathers, and a little protein may be added to the mash in the form of white fish meal if they appear slow to come into production. . “There seems to be a widespread belief that when forced moulting is carried out an essential part of the programme must be the prevention of the birds having drinking water for at least two days. Such methods, in addition to being absolutely useless, are to be strongly denounced on the grounds of their cruelty.” Sawdust in the Mash

Sawdust may be all right as litter, but is not often recommended as food for fowls. However, it was once suggested by a poultry breeder that a little sawdust added to the hot mash had a beneficial effect on certain types of birds, “ Yes,” spoke up an expert, “ I’ve heard of that before, and a friend of mine once tried it on one of his Orpingtons. A few months later she hatched out five chickens with a wooden leg a-piece, and a couple of woodpeckers.”

expectation of Laying From now on the falling from the peak average of production will continue from month to month until May, when the lowest output for the year is generally reached with average flocks. Many beginners do not know that this gradually falling rate of production is a seasonal factor, that nothing they can do will prevent it, and furthermore, that changing the ration, or any staple article in it will not only fail to prevent a lower rate of production but is more likely to accentuate it. There may not be a reduction in the number of eggs laid by some individual hens, but a failing average of the flock is inevitable. Theories have, been formed and practices have been resorted to, having for their object the prevention of this seasonal fall in production, but none has stood the test of time in general practice, and only careful management during the whole of the seven months mentioned will prevent a slump in production. The highest general average of egg-production is usually reached between the last week in September and the middle of October, the latter month showing the highest stage of the year. It may be added to the forgoing that although the Asiatic breeds do not lay, generally speaking, throughout the year as many eggs as the Mediterranean breeds they can be relied upon, as a rule, to prove good producers when the Mediterranean breeds slack off. Also that old-time fanciers often keep two breeds, so that one breed took up the running when the other rested. All said, however, the months mentioned above are the ones during which eggs are scarce and prices high.

Another Remedy for Crop-binding A poultryman recommends a paste made of soot and lard. He says he has found this mixture most valuable for crop-binding and sour crop if the birds are caught in time. Summer Water Supply

During a hot and dry summer bpth young and old birds appear to drink more water, though it is not fair to put it all down to consumption, as evaporation is answerable for a great deal of the loss. The water vessel which served during the winter will scarcely_ suffice for summer work, and if possible the drinking facilities should be doubled. The alternative, of course, is the more frequent filling of the single water vessel, but there are times when it stands empty whatever the fillings, and this is bad for the growth of pullets or the production of eggs. With dry mash feeding the water trough is of as much importance as the mash hopper, for when there is no water available little pr no dry mash is consumed. Drinking water, pure and cool and in a nice shady place, is of vital importance to all poultry stock.

Simple Medicine Most of the medicines that are really required for a flock are relatively simple in nature and application. If cne only can have (says Hoard’s Weekly) on hand some castor oil, epsom salts, and permanganate of potash, the principal needs are filled. The list of medicines could be easily added to, but it is a fact that in cases of serious trouble, one has to consider whether it is not more profitable to kill the bird and give the flock a chance.

Nothing New Under the Sun Sir Edward Brown, in his last work, “Memories at Eventide,” tells an interesting story that'happened during his American tour in 1917, showing, as he remarks, that there is nothing new under the sun. At several meetings claims were made that Americans had discovered the fact that an infertile egg kept longer than a fertile one. This encouraged him to relate at one of these meetings that several years before, when going through Columella’s works at the British Museum, he found the Roman author had stated that if it was desired to keep eggs, these should be obtained from hens which had not been running with male birds. Therefore, Sir Edward remarks: “ It was my interesting duty to tell our American friends that they were only 1900 years behind, because the fact had been known in Italy about the time of the death of Christ.” A further example, he states, was at Fyallup, in Washington State, where a certain Mr G. R Shoup was credited with the discovery that by illuminating poultry houses m winter hens would lay more eggs than would otherwise be the case. Every credit should be given to Mr Shoup for this discovery, but unfortunately m this case he was more than 100 years behind the times. A Cause of Summer Colds

Summer colds that cannot be accounted for by faulty ventilation or overcrowding may be brought about by nutritional deficiency, says Gordon Guttridge, an English authority, writing in Feathered Field. Mr Guttridge states that on more than one occasion he has seen summer colds completely cleared up by adding one to two per cent, of a certified cod liver oil to the mash. The deficiency in such cases, he states, is almost certainly that of vitamin A. Alternatively to feeding the oil in the mash, it can be given in the grain feed, but when this is done it should be mixed only a short time before feeding, as cod liver oil gradually loses its food value when exposed to the air. The authority referred to also deprecates the practice among some poultrykeepefs of underfeeding growing pullets on account of the fear of forcing them into early production, the result being that, getting below par, they become susceptible to catarrhal infection. Having removed the cause c, tne “summer colds,” it is recommended that the houses be sprayed with a solution of formaldehyde, one part of formaldehyde to 49 parts of water (z per cent.). ... As colds are spread from one bird to another quite a lot by dry mash feeding, Mr Guttridge concludes by advising to change over to wet masn during periods of infection.

Removing the Spurs It is very necessary to remove the spurs from the legs of an adult cock, because they are not only in the bird’s way when waking, but also can cause serious injury to the hens mated with him.

The oldest method known is by the use of baked potatoes. First ■ bandage the shank in proximity to the spur employing tape, or fitting thereon a protective shield made of leather. Then examine the spur closely and you will find that the part nearest the shank is dark in colour and the remainder light. The spur sheath is actually attached to a main stump nearest the shank, and if with a pen-knife the sheath is gently cut all round to facilitate its removal’ later, so much the better. , Have two baked potatoes ready and push one of them right home over the spur and up to the protective covering. Leave it .on for some time before removing. Then give the spur a decided twist, when it should come off its stump. Another method is to use a fretsaw and to saw through the spur just where the light colouring is observed, about an inch from the shank. Have a redhot iron ready so that it can be applied to the point of the stump after the removal of the pointed end. Round it off, and during the operation again have the shank protected with tape or a shield. Some cockerels have very sharp spurs, and it is possible to round off the sharp points. It is of little help to find one or two valuable hens with torn backs before noticing that the male’s spurs are the cause. Then it is too late, and the hens will be out of service for a long time. —A. J. P., in Poultry World.