POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 50

POULTRY NOTES.

Bt Terbob.

TO COEESPONDENT,

X. Y. Z. — Feather eating rarely occurs in. pens that are not overcrowded or where there is plenty of range ; but failure to supply meat food to closely-confined birds sometimes causes the habit. Apply lard or vaseline, mixed with powdered aloes, to the feathers near the bare spots. Disagreeing with the bitterness of the aloes, the birds are said, to soon discontinue their evil habit.

— Arguments and inducements of a purely theoretical order to farmers to take serious interest in the poultry industry are now needless and out of date, for the practical stage has fblly commenced. The farmer's trouble row, in many instances, is not as to whether poultry-keeping can be> made to pay, but how best to fill some ' of the. offers swarming in upon him for both eggs and poultry. Exporting firms are now freely circularising the producers, quoting prices and terms. Agents offer crates fr<Se, and the railway freight is nil on accepted birds. The price to be obtained by the farmer on birds that have passed their profitable laying stage is not phenomenally high, but it is a further profit, and >% greater the sooner" ! Producers should consign their birds to the Government Poultry Depot, Dunedin, first notifying their agents of dispatch. Consigned otherwise, tho stock does not escape railway charges.

—Mr De Beer, of Roslyn, will be to the fore again this year with black Orpingtons. He has 'just a nice number for proper management and accommodation, and 1 ail are exactly what fanciers of the breed aspire to — i.e., short-backed — better in this respect than last year — black-eyed, blccky, and not too tightly feathered. They are Orpingtons in every sense of the word, and Langshans nor a bit.

—Mr Omand, of.Roslyn, of Minorca and white~Leghorn notoriety, has a tremendous crowd of young fetoeE all bred from his best pens. A few silver Wyandottes from the trio mentioned in my last notice are aroongst them. In. a few weeks' time, when culling is over, I shall be pleased to make another visit, and duly admire Mr Omand's selection for show and breeding.

—Mr George Aitchison, of Kaitangata, has imported a trio of partridge Wyandottes from Sydney. These ere a desirable acquisition to the fancy, and will, with Mr Roberts's importation, enable breeders in this part of the colony to breed correctly from the start. I was unfortunate in missing r^n opportunity of inspecting the new arrivals whon passing through Dunedin. — Readers will please notice that Mr Roberts announces by advertisement that he has decided to accept the first reasonable offer for his poultry farm, house, furniture, and stock. The £1500 asked last week would not near cover the actual outlay upon the property, but Mr Roberts, being compelled for domestic reasons to leave the colony without delay, is obliged to face a sacrifice.

— Professor Gilbprt, of Ottawa, whose conclusions can hardly be questioned, gives the following reasons why poultry are valuable to a farmer: —

Because hs ought, by their means, to convert a great deal of the wdote of his farm produce, into money in the shape of eggs and chickens for market.

Because poultry will yield him quicker returns for his capital invested than any of the other departments of agriculture. Because, while oereale and fruits can only be successfully grown in certain districts, poultry can be raised for table or egg proauction in all parts of the Because poultry raising is an employment that the farmer's wife or daughteis can engago in. leaving the fawner free to attend to tho other portions of tho farm work.

Because it brings excellent returns in the shape of new-laid eggs, j'ielding a cash return every week.

Because poultry-breeding requires only a small amount of capital, and can be successfully worked with little cost, proving a valuable addition to the returns ot the farm.

Because the poultry manure, is on© cf the most valuable dressings for tho farm, and will ensure a strong growth with either cereals or root cropo.

— One of the secrets of success in the management of poultry in. confinement is giving them, plenty of exercise. I believe there is no exception to the rule of managenient, if success is to be attained, for both largo and small breeds are greatly benefited by agreeable exercise every day throughout the year. Large fowls, particularly the Asiatics, are inclined to be inactive, and lay on fat if generously fed, and excessive fatness is sure to lead to disease sooner or later. Domestic fowls are in better condition the year through if th&y have ample.

space to exercise, and whon they can have this healthful and agreeable recreation, are seldom troubled with disease. It is not absolutely necessary that fowls should have unlimited range to do well and be profitable, for they seldom go beyond reach, unless forced to seek for their living. However, ample space is needed, and if they get this, and the place is kept clean, pure, and fresh, + .hey will do well. — Geese »houH' fin 4 a place on nearly every farm where poultry is kept. Unlike turkeys, they do not roam far from home, but will stay near home if they have a plot of fresh grass and a pond or stream of water. They are also easily confined, and delight in a piece of low, moist ground. They will live almost entirely on green grass, requiring only an occasional meal of grain or pollard, when plenty of soft green gra=s is available. The goslings are vejy hardy, and require little care after they are two or three weeks old. The old birds can be kept for many years as breeding stock, and th&y have been known to live for over 50 years. Toulouse and Embdens are the largtet and most profitable breeds to keep, and will attain up to 251b each. Either of these breeds can be used to cross with the small common varieties, and in mating a Toulouse or Embdon gander should be placed with the common geese.

—No matter what breed of fowls you go in for, there are none that you can put on the market at as early an age as ducks, and, taking the year right through, they ar© always 'worth from Is to Is 6d a pair more than fowls. The lorses in the young stock are not nearly so large, and the expanse in providing houses and run's is also far less than is required for poultry. The English market requires an almost un* limited supply of ducklings for table purposes, and if the quality and size of our breeding stock are up to tho mark, there is no reason why we ehould not be able to have a share of the receipts fivm this source. One essential point is that the ducklings st>nt Home must be large and wellshaped, and, to obtain this, it is necensary to select good stock for our breeding pens. The best-shaped ducks are the Pekina, and, if crossed with Aylesburys, the stock are hardy, quick to mature, and well-suited to the requirements of th> British market. In making up the breeding pen, tho beet plan is to mate Pekin ducks with an Aylesbury drake. The ducks ehould be as large-framed as ca.n be obtained, and of good shape. They should not be deformed ii 1 any way, and should have a fair length of breast, with straignt and deep keel. Both"' size end shape in young birds are in almost all cases derived from the ducks, and every care must be taken to have nothing in the pen weedy or inferior.

— Potatoes fr>r Fowls. — On several occasions we have seen this subject very freely discussed in the correspondence columns of one or other of the poultry journals, some people contending tnat the analysis of the potato shows ifc to be a very unfit food for use, while others maintain that practical experience proves it to be most useful. We favour the latter. Judiciously given and blended with a little common sense, we considor the potato one of the best additions to our fowls' bill of fare. Only the day before writing these notes a ease came under our notice where two neighbours both kept fosvls, and both had the same number, variety and accommodation. From 24 hens one was getting 20 eggs a day, the other 10. The former attributed the better laying of hie birds to the use of a boilerful of warm potatoes mixed with his morning meal. It has always been our custom to use potatoes in some form of other, and we look upon them as both good and cheap. One plan we often adopt in the winter time is to instruct the poultry lad to place a boilerful on the kitch&n range every evening after tea ; these cook during the evening,- and by the time the lire goes down are done, and the little heat left and their own steam keep them warm, and thus they are ready for mixing with the meal in the morning earlier than they would be if not prepared over night. At other times, when not feeding potatoes as above, we have a, boilerful served round whole as an "extra" at midday, and find they are much relished. — Poultry Monthly.

— A fowl fed on damaged food may suffer from lack of nourishment, and at the same time have its digestive organs disordered from overloading them with matter -which mu&t be avoided, as it is unfit to be taken up by the system. It is not necessary that the disease shall come directly through th© food, although this may happen. Feeding in such a way produces debilitated fowls, which are incapable of resisting disaase, and once let sickness get a foothold in such a floek 1 , it is almost impossible to combat it with any hope of success.

— Regulate the quantity cf grain for the evening meal by the condition of the stock. If they have a free run they require very little grain if eggs are the object. A fat hen cannot make a good layer. — Oats as a poultry feed are very valuable, in spite of the fact that so many poultry-growers never feed them. If the men who think tho fowls do not like them will put o,ats where the hens can ge>t at it at all times of the day, they will soon find that the hens have discovered <hat there is virtue in oats. Oats' are as valuable for hens as for horses. Being so well balanced as to proteins and carbo-hydrates, they furnish a most nutritious and excellent food. Some advocate feeding oats in tho morning with a mash, having soaked the oats over night in water, an improvement on the ordinary method of feeding oats. — Speaking of scaly legs, Poultry says : A good remedy, and one that will cure under a week, is that recommended by a Yorkshire correspondent in our 18S6 volume. 11 is: — Take a pint of paraffin and a pint of water and boil for tc.n minutes, add half a poxind of soft soap, and allow to gently simmer until thoroughly mixed. The mixture when cold is ready for use, and may be applied to the abnormal scales with a., feather, d* better still with the hand. If the legs aro very bad they should be gone over twice a day for a few days, then once a day until bettei. The mixture at once kills the insects, th© scales begin to peel off, and the legs become as perfect as before they ww r er© attacked. Our correspondent adds : "The inexpensi-\jeness and efficacy of this simple remedy will at once recommend it to your subscribers. It is an excellent plan to go over th© legs of all the fowls m tho autumn ; it then acts as a preventive of this irritating disease." — The following is the recipe foi making "Vale's Roup Pills," a popular English roup remedy: — Hydrastin, 2 grains; sulphate >f iron (dried) and sulphate of copper, 3 frainr of each ; powdered capsicum, 12 grains ; oil of copaiba, 20 drops ; Venetian, turpentiae and calcined magnesia, oi

each enough to make 24- pills. Dos© for adult fowls, one or two pills night and' morning. A popular pill for treating roupy colds is made as follows: — Half a drachm) each of cayenne pepper, ginger, mustard ; of plain vaseline oi dear lard ; mix thoroughly, and add enough flour to make a tough dough. Make into pills the size of a pea. Dose, one night and morning.