POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

Bt Terror.

— Ths Hon. Mr M'Nab, Minister of Agriculture, when inspecting the Milton I poultry farm a week or two back, gave Mr Carr .great praise for the conditions prevailing under his management. In his opinion this farm is the leading , one in the Dominion, and will soon be self-sup-porting. A portion of the farm is to be devoted to^strictly utility purposes with the intention of showing what can b© done with fowls from a farmer's point of view. Houses on this area will be built on economical lines, and the birds will be kept for egg production only. The produce will be marketed in the ordinary way, and no extra" revenue sought by sale of sittings. Possibly this area of the farm will run 1000 birds. Mr Carr has had a very successful season in the rearing of chickens, and the whole stock, thanks to Eh© favour-

' ablo weather of tho past few months, is in really splendid condition. — Every poultryman who- can boast of a year or two's experience is aware of the fact that green food is necessary for profitable results from poultry. The old fowls want green food just now to help them through the hot weather ; it is good for their blood, and consequently favourable to continued egg production. And the young stock want it, and must be supplied with it freely, or growth will be slow and the laying retarded. But though all know of the necessity for green food few appear ►'to realjse^he fact that variety in this respect is of utmost importance. Birds in even extensive grass runs lose no opportunity to escape bhrough a gateway to eat the growth outside of their bounds. Evidently they relish the- greep stuff unsoiled and untrodden by themselves, and the eagerness .with which they reduce a cabbage which may be thrown over to tbem to a mere stump should teach their proprietor the same lesson. Variety, if it means nothing else, means satisfaction and contentment, and these, though they contain no proteids, are essential to "greatest possible profit. —Mr E. Scott, of Woodhaugh, is, I am glad to see, leading in recent -weekly results with bis white Leghorns at the Blenheimcompetition. — I understand that so far the executive of the South Island Fanciers' Association have received no report from the Invercargill Club respecting -difficulties discussed at the annual meeting of the association. 'The sooner this report is forthcoming the better for the fancy, as internal troubles of this kind cause much dissatisfaction, and the lotnger they are prolonged the worse for all concerned. N — Liver disease, which has increased to a great extent during tEe past few years amongst poultry, is brought about by close confinement, irregular feeding with too stimulating & diet, and want of exercise. The symptoms are dnlne3s and listlessness, paleness in comb, lobes and face. The appetite is irregular,. Sometimes the bird will eat greedily, wTule at others it will rush at the food, take a small portion and then- stop feeding altogether. The correct treatment is to give the affected birds a dose- of rhubarb (about as much as can be placed on a sixpence). Give an unlimited supply of green food, and soak all^Rrain in lime water- before feeding. Rich or stimulating- diet must be avoided. The rhubarb dose may be repeated twice a week until an improvement is noticeable. 1 — The chickens that were hatched in the early part of the season should now have grown into good, large birds. It is generally "agreed that chickens are reared more 'satisfactorily when' they are kept •apart from $he stock fowls:' Yet it is a" very common ' practice to . turn them ' in with the general flock "as soon as the mother forsakes them, and they are _ then pecked and otherwise, ill-treated, with a consequent check to tHeir growth. Those .of .the breeding stock] thjit will not be required for another year .can .often be disposed of at this time for. . fairly, .remunerative, prices. The breeding . yarjds thus vacated axe most 1 valuable for chickens. . Ten or a dozencockerels or pullets in .a comparatively -small run will grow much faster than the same number p.f birds that are allowed their liberty among the older fowls. — The house In which the chickens roost must have plenty of ventilation overhead. However warm it may be necessary to keep young ohi-ckens when they are just hatched, partially-grown chickens require a great deal of .air. It is as well not to allow the young birds to perch too soon. Crooked breast bones are generally , regarded as hereditary deformities, though it is by no means common to see a newlyhatched chicken .troubled in this way. In ducks and seese it is quite the exception to find such a thing. But amongst the largest perching fowls, such as the turkey, and even down to the comparatively small Hamburg, this disfigurement is frequent. It would appear, therefore, that it is caused to a large extent by the perch. The finer and larger' and heavier the chicken the more likely will 'it 'be to suffer in this •way — if allowed to roost while the bones are soft. But if the youn? birds are kent in a well-ventilated house that has do perches, with the floor well littered with straw or peat-moss, that is often cleaned out, crooked oreasts will be of rare jeeurrence. The growing, chickens /Should be fed three -or four times a day. _ They should not have tco much at a time, only as much as they can eat readily at each meal. Th© day a^oirld be commenced with soft food of -some description. For whole grain wheat is always liked-, and is always beneficial. By - way of chance some barley and occasionally a few handfuls of maize are good. The young birds much appreciate a variety. If they are kept in a small space a "gobrl s"upply of preen food must bo provided. They must also have plenty of srit. Nothing 'keeos them in better health than this. Even if they "have" a free, gras^ range a barrow load of coarse grit thrown down once a week or so will be of great value. —If the chickens are crossbreds or mongrels the cockerels ought to be fit for tho table when, they are four .months old. They are often at their best for eating at that age. Ifc is so imnortant thaj: the yound birds should not be overcrowded that if they are purebreds all wasters should bo weeded out as soon as possible. The norice -will experience som<> 3i£R<svilby in knowincr which- are his best chickens. ~ Considerable experience is required to become a good iudge of young stock. But he can.not go far wrong' if he disposes of all > those that are palpably undersized, and also those that have twisted combs and wry tails. Shelter must be provided from the sun _'n hot weatber, particularly for any promising youngsters that look like making up into show birds. Sunburn is fatal to tho chance of prize-winning. — During the lifetime of a healthy hen she will lav from 300 .to 500 eergs. Her best laying capacity is during her 6econd year.

INTESTINAL DISEASES OF POULTRY.

It is quite possible for a fowl to b-=. suffering from several different diseases *.t the same time, and when this is the ca«e it is not an easy matter to decide which to treat the bird for. Obviously you cannor give two or three kinds c.i medicine, ail intended for different diseases, at the sani'-" time. The best plan, therefore, is to selees the most serious symptom and deal with that first. Now, it is quite a common thin-r to see a fowl suffering from congestion of the liver (which is shown by the black comb) and from diarrhoea both at the same

lime. There is probably come connection between the two, both beinsr -dependent for their presence upon an impure condit : on of the blood l .

Now, congestion of the liver needs to be treated by aperients, but how can you gi-o •aperients when the bird is suffering at tbo same time from diarrhoea? If you do so, you run the risk of converting the diarrhff-a into dysentery, its more aggravated form and ths bird may die. But suppose you feel convinced that the diarrhoea is one of the symptoms of the liver complaint itself — for it is so in many cases, — what is the best course to adopt? There is no doubt, that in that case castor oil should be given, although it is an aperient, because it is ' probable that tho diarrhoea is being caused by the inability of the liver to get rid of the burden imposed upon it, and so • half-assimilated matter finds its way into the intestines and sets up the irritation which causes the diarrhoea. Now, diarrhoea may be due to a variety of different causes, and these causes represent the various intestinal diseases to which poultry are subject. We have already seen 'what is- sometimes the cause of simple diarrhoea — congestion of the liver, -it may be, or less than +hat, simple indjgestio i. Poultry very often get into a condition known as "crop-bound," in which the crcp becomes stopped up with food, and th-s. - food begins to ferment; if steps are' not "taken to remove it. intestinal trouble is set up at once. The way to deal with a bird which is crop-bound is, first of all, to try mi.d measures, such as pouring a little warm water down the throat and kneading -the crop with the hand to try and loocen tho mass and persuade it to pass on and digest. Then, if this does not answer, an incision will have to be made through the skin, imo the crop, and the contents can then bo taken out with a bone mustard spoon; tho crop, after being washed wita a littie wfak solution of permanganate of pottesium, can be sewn up again, care being taken to sew up the crop-sac first and then the cuter skin, with different stiches, so as to avo : i sewing the crop bag to —The Outer Skin.— More- serious, perhaps most serious of al.!,a 1 .!, intestinal troubles is enteritis or inflammation of the intestines. This is .due to thj presence of disease germs, and can be distinguished by the anpearance of the'exero tions, which are jelly-like and tinged with blood. The bird at the same time exhibit.* intense thirst — which, of course, is an indication of a high state of fever — and it also loses flesh very rapidly, pines away, and dies. Enteritis ih this form seems to bo epidemic, and is, of course, in most cases due to the presence of something poisonous, either in the water which the fowls 'drink or to some evil odour from a drain. Let it be borne 'in mind that a Ifed smejl will give poultry -or animals epidemic disease just as it will do the same for human beings which are exposed to its influences. , 'Some pi these cases J of, enteric disease "are undoubtedly of tuberculous origin. Then it is important that such tainted stock should not be used for breeding purposes. It may also be mentioned that inflammation of the. intestines, closely* resembling enteritis, may be set up by irritant ,poisons. If, for instance, poultry obtain access ,to unslaked lime or to' paint containing lead, or if they are supplied with broken pottery which contains arsenic or antimony — in any of these- cases they will exhibit all the ," ■ — Symptoms of Enteric Trouble, — but the probability is that they will eitherdie speedily or recover, and not go on for the length of time during which poultry suffer when they are afflicted with enteritis proper.

Whatever be the cause of the symptoms, the proper treatment obviously consists in giving, something to soothe the irritated intestines. Liberal draughts of weak barley water or ordinary water will do a. great deal to soothe the sufferings of the thirsty bird. Frequent half-teaspoon doses of sweet oil will also help, and gelatine capsules containing cod liver oil and quinine are also desirable in order to keep up the strength of the bird arftt to reduce tho fevered condition. - Very little food, indeed, should be allowed, and what is given should bo of a semi-liquid mucilaginous nature, such, for instance, as boiled English wheat or groats boiled up with milk. On no account give any solid grain 'until every symptom has disappeared. If the complaint be taken in its early, stages it will most likely be cured by this treatment, but if it be allowed to go on too long neglected ifc is almost certain that the victim will die.