POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

• . • The Australasian Poultry and Dog Gazette says :—": — " Oar intercolonial friends will have-agrsnd chance to score in Victoria this season, lor not only is stock scarce but many breeders ha?e given up and gone away, whilst olhers have been unfortunate in reariDg. We have visited several yards lately where we used to see from 50 to 100 chicks at this time of the year, and now a few that could be counted on one hand have the bouses and runs to themselves."

Each with a trace of mineral matter. Albumen is the actual flesh-former. Starch and fat produce heat and give force. Mineral matter contains phosphates necessary for bone and feather-growing.

LAYING PROPENSITIES OF MINOROAS. TO EDITOB FANCIERS' COLUMN. Dear Terhoe, — For the information of poultry-breeders and others, I wish to say that I have Minorca pullets, five months old, which have been laying for some days. From my experience I consider the Minorca the best eggproducer, the eggs being both plentiful and large. I think these birds should receive more attention from our farmer?, as they arc very easy to rear, very hardy, and so active that in a large run they will keep themselves. I think the first step to improvement is the introduction of Minorca, cocks into the farm-yard. — I am, &c , Thomas Scurk. Moray place, Dunedio, April 8. AN INCUBATOR EXPERIENCE. EDITOR FANCIEKS' COI.UIIN. Dzab Tbrroe, — I notice a letter in Witness of April 1 over the tignature of "John F. Robert?, Abbotsford," in which the writer refers to my previous letter on " Incubator Experience." It is quite true that I mislaid the printed instructions how lo work the incubalor-, which, on application, Mr Roberts supplied with tho results stated. Mr Roberts now wishes to know through your columns, for the benefit of other breeders — 1. " What became of the chicks hatched, and not turned over to broody hens ? " As stated in my previous letter I set 50 eggs per week under five hens, and tested them on the seventh flay. On an average this lest would leave 4-7 fertile eggs. In 14- days from testing this would average a batch of 4-5- chicks. After "3o hours in the drying box I would feed and remove to a f cst&r-mother. I may say here I use one of the maDy made by Mr Roberts, and find it gives every satisfaction. After a week in the fo3ter-mother I place usually 15 chicks with three henp. So you see that working the incubator with hecs I have plenty of hens to mother the chicks. Previous to working as I am doing now — that is, when I hatched with hens as well as the incubator — I placed the chicks iv the foster-mother for three weeks and then removed to an after-brooder, which I

made on a plan supplied to me by Mr Roberts* aud from which I had the best results, one sup* plied as a pirn by Mr A. Beck, Padley Bridge^ Cbristehurch, being also a very good afterbrooder. Ducklings I place in a home-mads hydro-brooder made from a kerosene case aad( stone bottle filled with hot water. I believe Mr Roberts sent an almost similar sketch of ai brooder to the New Zealand Farmer in Augusts tear, though his, I believe, was a home hydrobrooder for chicks, and I believe it would ba very useful indeed.

2. " What per cent, lived to maturity, taking an average of chicks from incubator and foster mother ? "

Eighty-one per cent, and 79 per cent, of chicks with hens as mothers. With ducklings I h<».d bad luck, only 12 per cent, living.

3. " Which gave the best results — hens or iucubator ? "

Well, as I said in my previous letter, not? that I am using bens for setting and incubator for hatching lam getting splendid results. Of course, you must understand my hens are as quiet as possible — in fact, visitors to my yard always seem surprised at the way I lift off and on broody hens at any hoar of the day. Still, considering all this, I would not do without the incubator if I intended to raise poultry for the table, and if for eggs I think it would be very hard indeed to do without the incubator unless a person wanted only a stray setting and brood of chickens occasionally.

4. " Which was the cheaper of tbe two— to me hens or incubator ? "

I find there is very little difference so far as food and disinfectants for hens Rud kerosene i'or lamps are concerned, but there is rather more work with hens, though the manure com* pensates for the extra labour. 5. " What does he find the best feed for young chickp, and how often does he feed them?"

My first Bie&l to yocEg chicks and ducklings consists of fresh Sesh worms ; second msal-^ oatmeal scalded with milk, chopped lettuce, and eggshells added ; third, flesh wcrms ; fourth, breadcrumbs ; fifth (and last) meal, canary seed. In winter, of course, I feed differently, aa I cannot get flesh worms. I then add a V3ry little meat chopped fine and mixed with soalded oatmeal. Afterwards I vary this food with oatmeal and bran, barley and pollard, with hemp aad canary need till three weeks old ; then soaked oats and wheat ab night;. I always soak the corn or scald it and allow it to steam, according to the weather. 6. " What kind of coop does he use ? " I use & long coop made from an axe-h&ndle case, about 4ft long, 18in deep, 14in wide, wire mesh in front, and well ventilated on the sides near the top for chicks running aboub with hens, and for incubator chick* I use the afterbrooder made on Mr Roberta's plan. 7. " What sort of food does he use for his stock birds and for fattening ? Does he grow it himself, does he sell the fowl manure, or make use of it for any crop ; if so, what are the resalts P" Chopped onion and coke grit are placed firsfc thing every morning in each run and fattening pen on separate dishes, and I assure you tho birds enjoy their firet meal of onion and coke. In five minutes remove the dishes. Then growing and stock birds get barley meal and potatoes mixed hot, then as a change peameal sometimes and pollard and bran at others, mixed with swedes or cabbage. Bait always, and sometimes a little sulphur. At midday buck wheat, sunflower?, or peas (blue Prussian), thrown under straw to keep them ecratching> and hence well and healthy ; at night wheat or oats (duns) soaktd or steamed. Fattening birds, barley, and peameal with a little suet mixed with scalded milk. Second meal : Buck wheat and rice boiled. Third meal : A little linseed mixed with crushed oats ; hot-boiled wheat at night. I grow two sacks of buckwheat, half a sack of linseed, one sack of canary seed, a quarter sack of hemp seed, six sacks ot" peas, half an acre of sunflowers, a bed of lettuce, two tons of swedes, a quarter acre of cabbage, and one and a-quarter acre of onion?, from which I get the thick necks, and a lot more. I clean out the houses once a week, and keep all the manure, which for growing roots has ao equal, as I have tried several manufactured manures and found poultry manure the best. I always supply the birds with animal food either in the form of flesh worms, minced meat, or hung up in the run in wire netting with a mesh basket of green food always hung in the runs, and a gocd damp dust bath handy. Finally, "Will he help to settle the Texed question • Does poultry pay ? ' by saying if his poultry up to the present have paid him for all his time and trouble ? " Yes, I do consider poultry a paying producfc of the farm, especially if worked in with other things such as fruit and onion growing, roots for fattening stock— in fact, generally mixed farming. Poultry with ma has been the bestpaying product of my farm, and I grow all roots and such cereala as wheat, peas, oats, &c , and have in addition bought as much as 20 sacks of wheat in a year, also 20 sacks of oata and half a dozen oacks of barley. I always screen my wheat very heavily, so a3 to give the birds the best seconds. I always us 2 first dun oats, second barley. Now, dear Terror, I have gob through, and* I sincerely trust that the information I have given your readers may be of advantage to those who, like mjself , are in the poultry business ; and I would also like to thank Mr Roberts for the high opinion he holds of my qualification to answer his queries, and trust my answers will give satisfaction. I would be quite willing to explain how I get flesh worms eight; months of the year. — I ana, &c, Edwin Reilly. Willowbank, Studholme, April 11.

The Mayor of Masterton declares thai between 25 and 30 per cent, of meat cos* sumed in that borough is diseased,-

1001b Flesh, giving Starch Mineral Forming. and Fats. Matter. D^tmeal 18 63 6 2 Middlings (pollard) 18 53 6 5 Peas 25 43 2 2 Potatoes 6& 41 — 2 Data 15 47 6 2 Barley ... <« 9 65 5 5 Wheat 12 70 2 2 Screen crushed bone 15 42 10 8

ANALYSIS OF EGGS AND FOODS. La average egg contains 600 grains in the white • • „ » 300 „ >. yolk , 100 „ „ shell 'he white consists of — 85 parts water „ „ „ 32 „ albumen 3 „ fats 'he yolk consists of— 54 „ water „ „ „ 36 „ albumen „ „ „ 30 „ oils and fats.