POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1893, 2 March 1888, Page 8

POULTRY NOTES.

The ovary of the hen is said to contain 600 embryo eggs. About 20 of these mature the first year, 120 the second, 135 the third, and a decline follows as the hen grows older. Old Hens.— Do not keep too many old hens. Select reliable sitters and mothers, as many as are needed for that purpose. Dis. pose of the rest, and keep early hatched spring pullets to lay in winter. Sunflower Seed. — Sunflower seed are the best of feed to stimulate egg production in the autumn and winter. Being rich in oil, they take the place of meat to a great extent. But they must not be used too freely. Capons as Mothers. In a curious old book by M. de Reaumur, written in the early part of the last century, the author tells of a plan successfully adopted by a woman of great skill, who had charge of a poultry yard, for inducing capons to take the place of hens in the rearing cE young chickens :— Her method, he says, is neither to pluck the feathers of their belly, nor to rub it with nettles, nor to make them drunk ; although nothing of all this is contrary to the intended purpose. She keeps a capon alone for a day or two, in a pretty deep but not very wide bucket, which she covers with boards ; she takes him several times a day out ©f that bucket to put him under a basket where he finds some food ; soon after she gives him for his companions two or three of those little chickens who have already some strength, and are fledged so far as to have some feathers in their wings, and even an appearance of feathers in their tail ; she leaves them with him, and takes then together out of the bucket to put them under the cage, and makes them eat together there; if he abuses them, she parts them for that time and the next day puts the same or some other chickens with the capon into the bucket which lets in but very little light. By means of these operations, repeated several times a day, and for some days together, the capon will contract a habit of living with two or three chickens; the number of these must be increased by degrees ; he accustoms himself to the company of the last as he has done to that of the first ; and when you have at length put seven or eight chickens with him, and he seems to have taken a liking to them, you may afterwards give a greater number to him without any risk, he being now brought up to the point of showing the better satisfaction as the number of the chickens put under his conduct shall be greater. He may then be set at liberty, and will sit on them as hens do on their chickens whenever they stand in need of being warmed; he will lead them to the places where he thinks they can find any food; he will cluck like the hens to call back those that may straggle too far from him ; he will redouble his clucking when he finds some dainty bits, to invite them to come and share them with him ; if it is a piece of bread, or a long worm, he will divide it into many small portions for them, be enchanted to see them eat it greedily, and will deprive himself of it for their sake.

The first days of his education are the most difficult ; they seldom pass without the death or laming of some little chicken ; these dismal scenes must be expected without being disheartened by them, as they are not to be repeated afterwards; they are tha price of the instruction of the capon.