POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1855, 10 June 1887, Page 8

POULTRY NOTES.

Ground Bones.— About a tablespoonful of ground bones fed to each dozen fowls once a week will add to their thrift, and stimulate their egg-producing powers. When the breeding season arrives, bone meal fed to the young chicks will greatly aid in their development, especially on the larger variety of fowls.

The barnyard fowl /does not thrive when massed in large numbers ; and only reaches its highest perfection when allowed to follow the customs of its progenitors in the Indian jungles, and wander at will in small flocks. This is one great reason why many poultry farms become failures.

CAPONISING.

It is a well-known fact that we are far behind America and France in the matter of caponising. Since, however, the visit to this country a few years ago of Farmer Miles, an American professional castrator" of consider able notoriety, and whom the writer had the pleasure of interviewing, the operation under notice is becoming day by day more popular, especially in certain districts — notably in the great chicken fattening establishments of Heathfield, Burwash, &c, in Sussex ; and the fact that Mr Mark Dier, V.S., of Hayward's Heath, has successfully caponised considerably over 5000 head during the past three years, speaks volumes in its favour, and the probability of its universal as his success becomes known.

Mr Dier uses Miles' instruments, and caponises 30 head per hour with ease. Similar to the American , tariff, his charge is 3d per head, taking all risk of death by paying for each bird which dies at market value. The mortality has never exceeded 1 per cent. Enormous weights have come tinder his observation, and 121b average in several lots have been noted. In operating he secures the wings by passing a weighted cord round them, allowing the weight to swing just off the ground when the bird is on the operating table. An attendant then takes the neck of the bird in one hand and the legs in the other. The operator on the other side of the. table then. plucks a few feathers from the side of the bird and passes a wet sponge over the adjacent feathers, so as to thoroughly expose the flesh. An incision is then made with the special knife parallel with the last rib ; into the incision is placed a pair of reverse action spring forceps, which keeps the edges' of the wound well open. Another pair of forceps are quickly passed, and the testicle nearest the operator is grasped and twisted off. This done the forceps are withdrawn with the testicle enclosed within its jaws. The same operation is performed upon the remaining testicle, and the bird set at liberty.— C. H. Huish, in Poultry.