POULTRY NOTES. By Terror

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES. By Terror

— One of the most interesting and instructive papers read at the Reading Poultry Conference; which by the courtesy of Mr Rogen I am now in a position to quote for the benefit of Witness readers, was on the " Results of Experimental Work in the United Kingdom," by G. E. Parhanr, lecturer to the Bucks County Council. In his opening remarks the lecturer, after speaking of the benefit derived from experimental work properly conducted, made reference to the fact that there were few poultry-keepers who had not tried experimental work and who had not derived 1 thereby much valuable information. "But," he added, "experimental work is necessarily a costly proceeding,' and I believe the most successful poultry-keeper is one who allowß his neighbour to carry out an experiment and makes use of the information the following year." I ("Terror") think that " utility men" particularly will do well to weigh carefully the foregoing remark by Mr Parham. They are bent on pecuniary profit only, and fanciers — those properly so-called — may well be left to make the experiments; or, lacking fanciers, there are the numerous experimental stations established with the single object which their name implies, the results of whose experiences are published broadcast as coon as the? are ascertained. — The first experiment referred to by Mr Parham was one conducted at Theale (Reading) by the UrJversity College to test the growth of chickens to marketable weight. Thirty purebred white Wvandottes, 13 Favorelle-buff Oi'pingtons, 11 Indian gamebuff Orpingtons, and six Indian Kame-Favor-elles were selected for the experiment. The final result showed a net profit of £2 5s 2d on the 30 purebreds, and of £3 4s 2d on the 30 oroasbreds. As between the erossßrede the Favorelle-buff Orpingtons cave the be3t results, and Mr Parham considers, that no doubt it is because of the result of this experiment that this particular cross has become so popular of late years. — Thirteen of the purebred white Wyandottes were reserved for a further experiment — viz., to ascertain the cost of growing pullets to a laying age. In this instance the laying- age proved to be 19 weeks. They were hatched on March 7, and the cost of food was Is 7£d. "Suppose," says Mr Parham, "we add another seven weeks to this, making 26 weeks the average time at which fowls beerin to lay, the cost would have been 2s s^d each.

— Another experiment referred to was on the value of poultry manure. The results went to prove that a farmer having 100 hens and six male birds would obtain in one year four tons of manure, and that the value of the manure Der fowl would be Is ld per annum. Further, it was calculated that a poultryman lookinpr after 500 hens and breeding 1000 chickens should have £36 13s 4d deducted from the amount paid for his labour per year. The value of the manure was estimated on the following basis : —Nitrogen, \ allied at 12s ppr unit — i.e.. 1 per cent, per ton : phoaphorio acid. 3s do do; potash. 4s do do. — Speaking of experiments conducted by the County of Cornwall, the lecturer laid stress on the tests made of various foods. It had been found that the value of maize when mixed with other foods had been confirmed afc every stage.

— Experiments made with a number of pens of ' lavinar hens, each pen being- of four birds, had shown a clear profit for the year in one case of £1 Eh Zd and in another of 14s 6id. No mont'on is mada of the breeds tested, but I take it that Witness readers may do well to consider from the results mentioned the utility of availing themselvrs of the host method^ known for dividing Ihe layer,-, fjom the weig-ht-makere, so that each nwy gel the

special treatment they require. The good and the bad layers in the test were all fed alike, with the result that the average profit owing to the presence of the poo? layers was reduced from £1 8s 2d per hen to £1 Is 4d. Had timely culling taken place the saving of 12 months' feed on tho one hand and the gain which might have been made by marketing on the other would have considerably enhanced the profits. Th"c Hogan system of testing fowls, of which Mr Fred. Rogen is the agent (as per advertisement above), does not, as a matter of fact, separate the good from the bad, but distinguishes the flesh-makers from the ejtgmakers. It shows the birds to feed for eggs and the birds to feed for flesh. Both kinds have their value ; and, as regards the latter, it is no secret that if a heavy, beefy bird fetches no more in the local market than a worn-out layer, it is because there is practically no dependable effort made to meet -the demand for a table 'bird or fo create a dlcmand if such does not already exist.

— The experiments on the effect of age on the fecundity of different breeds of fowls produced .i striking lesson as to the ycarlv diminution from the first to the fourth year. Can "the fecunidity of fowls be controlled by management? With free range five white Leghorn pullets had laid in 1902 609 egg 3. whilst five of the same breed confined to a pen of 8 polee laid only 299. In the. following year, however, when at liberty they laid 696. — Th-3 County of Antrim had experimented on the value of breeding from selected layers, and in 1906-7 ascertained from four egg-premium stations that one stocked with birds from selected layers supplied 2309 eggs, whilst the returns from the three stations stocked from ordinary sources were 1310, 1095, and 1273 eggs respectively in the same time. It was reported that in the first year of using the traps one bird had laid 221 e«rg«, while another in good health laid only 57. Judging from this fact, it should not be surprising to anyone to find tested hens doing 100 per cent better than untested.

— Next week I purpose quoting Professor J. E. Rice in "Results of Experimental Work in America," and if space will permit making some reference to the discussion which followed the two papers. — Reilly, Scott, and Gill, Central Produce Mart, report for week ending Saturday, the 16th : — Poultry supplies have been heavy, quite a number of the birds being consigned direct to the poulterers, and prices have suffered. At our sale on Wednesday last we had a fair yarding, but sales were slow and prices hard to maintain. Hens realised from 2s 6d to 4s; ducks, 4s to se; ducklings, 5s to 6s; old cocks birds. 2s 6d ; cockerels, 4s ; spring chickens, 3s 6d to 4s 6d ; geese, ss ; goslings, 5s 6d tb 6s od— per pair; turkey gobblers made 9d and hens 6d per lb. Egga have been coming to hand freely, and owing to merchants anj speculators having secured their requr-ements for preserving prices ar« easier. Fortunately, we held shipping orders, and were able to clear our case eggs at lid and other lines at Hid to Is per do?., thus securing our consignors Is 2d per dozen over local rates. Pigs are m short supply, and high prices ruling for any lots on offer.

FOWLS IN THE STUBBLE FIELD. We always advise farmers to put their young birds out in the cornfields, in houses, co that they may pick up the loose grain. At the same time they clean away wireworme, slugs, beetles, and insect* of all kinds, which form the best of food and help the growth of the chickens very much. Many people have noticed, however, that after they have put their fine grown chicks out on the stubble fields the first fortnight they lose weight, and when a few of tho birds were caught to send to market they have been found to have become much lighter. This ought not to be, and should never happen if the owner knew how to treat them-

It must be borne in mind that the chickens had, up to the time of going out, corn of the previous year's growing ; but the new corn they pick up is jjuitc different, as, with the dew and moisture from the ground, it has become soft, particularly if the weather be showery. We wish our readers to understand that new corn of this kind relaxes the bowels of the chickens too much, and it frequently brings on diarrhoea, and this is why they lose weight. When the birds are put out in the itubble fields, the first thing they should have thrown down to them 16 a little Indian corn each morning for a fortnight. Thi<s will prevent diarrhoea, and induce healthy growth. The Indian corn counteracts any ill-effects from the new grain, whether wheat, barley, or oats. There is another mistake farmers make in taking their fowls out into the stubble fields. First, they put too many in a house, and fowls never thrive or do so well when they are too thickly in the roo«ting-hou c c.

The next mi-take made by many is that of takinor the houses out in the middle of the field when first they go out. This is a great mistake, as the fowls are strange, and they will not go away far from the housf, and the sun. in the middle of the day is very hot; but if there is one corner whore the sun is not out on them the bird's will be co\ering that spot, which 6hows that tho chickens would seek shelter if they had it.

Therefore, when the birds are first put into thp field they should never be more than 30 or 50 yards from the hedge or boundary of the field, and they will soon become accustomed to get on the bank or under the hedges, out of the sun, and thoroughly enjoy themselves; and when they have well picked the corn up some distance from the house and all round about, it should be removed; but in all cases when the fowls are in it.

If it is moved farthet on in the day time, and the birds are not looked after at night when they ought to go to roost, (hey will return to where the house 6tood, and very few will go into the house unless driven there. — Farm, Field, and Fireside.

THE ,FEEQ PROBLEM. Tn connection with the feed problem the following from a Sydney paper is interesting reading: — "The famine prices for feedstuffs have struck a heavy blow to poultrykeepers, and the rapid advances th.i 6 week can only be stood by those favourably placed in regard to feeding on comparatively cheap lines. It is no wonder, therefore, to see hens and half-grown young «tock being rushed on the market. Even the fact that eggs are about 3d per dozrn above the Octolic-i averaee does liot fully compPii-ate for tho tnh«incrd roct of ftedin.g. Take the ta-c of .Mi L\ EHj* who-e

farm is stocked up to its full capacity. He is realising about £6 per week more for eggs from about the same number of hens and ducks than he was obtaining this time last year, and yet he estimates that his feed bill is £12 per week more than it was 12 months ago. Of course, a largo portion of the feed is going to the growing stock. At present he is running about 10,000 head all t01d— 3250 laying hens, 3000 chickens and young stock, 1300 laying ducks, and 2500 ducklings. Mr Ellis, too, is probably feeding as cheaply as anyone on the average. Succulent green lucerne finely chaffed ie forming a considerable portion of the ration. He ha 6 a luxuriant growth of this on a two-acre irrigated patch, and the lucerne is being used in place of bran. The required amount of bran at present market prices would cost £2 per day. so that those two acres are a little gold mine in what they save. The mash for th« laying hens is composed of one part white pollard and three of lucerne chaff, mixed with 6oup, and a little meat added. The duck* get three parts meat and the balance of the lucerne with pollard. Having hatched over 4000 chickens, many of which have been marketed, Mr Ellis is keeping most of his machines going on duck eggs, of which he has 7000 or 8000 down, ami the number would be doublo that only reliable hired labour is becoming a problem The ducklings' diet may be useful to those now rearing-. For the first two or three days they are fed four times a day or* bread soaked in cold water and squeezed out dry. To this a little oatmeal is added, and the whole is dried off with pollard* to a crumbly mash. After the third day they are fed three times a day on brain and pollard jnash, with greenstuff, a little meat and maizemeal added. When they reach the fourth or fifth week they are fed on the same ration as the old duoke. From the start they always have access to grit, troughs of running water, and as muoh greenstuff as they will take. "It i« a great point to keep them moving," saya Mr Ellis. " Put the feed as far away from the water as you can, and keep ther* running from one to the other."