POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

Bt Tebhor. — Onlookers see only the results of our work, and have no idea of the labour and anxiety entailed in the execution. Becauae of this fact many people go into the poultry business, who would leave it untouched if they had a littlo explanation tendered to them. — One man a short while ago decided upon starting a poultry fa>rm because he read in the Witness of the 200, and o\er, egg yield at competition, and very nearly changed his mind when he read a little later that 150 eggs a year was a good average production ! When I told him that 120 eggs per annum would pay handsomely if he could get that yield from a large flock, he wavered again. My hope js that this person will start slow, for he certainly has much to learn before entering into the business in a large »vay. — "Breeder," an Australian poultry scribe, says: "The race is not always to the swift." This is particularly true in connection with poultry farming. Better to meet with all the inevitable discouragements and failures witb 'rut x few .birds than wjth hundreds. — Chickens that appear backward should be inspected for vermin, and, if *bund, treated at once witfh insect powder. — When blood appears in the yolk it is the result of a rupture of a blood vessel in the ovarium, and whon in the white it is from a vessel in the oviduct ; such may be caused by over-feeding, by cold and damp weather, by the abuse of stimulating condiments, or by sexual excess. The treatment is eimple. Give the birds some Epsom salts in their drinking water—^enough to produce a saline taste — and feed the fowls sparingly; let them have plenty of grit and fre&h green food. If thi6 fails to cure add a drachm of tincture of iron to each quart of drinking water. — Mr Woodward, who is to judge again thie y&ar at Dunedin, declares in a letter to the poultry press that in judging white Leghorns he will favour large size. The standards reacls : — Size, medium, rather largo to be preferred, cons-isten'tly with symmetry and type. If Mr Woodward favours rather large consistently with symmetry and type he will be fulfilling his duty, which is to judge a-ecording to the English etan.d<ards, and consequently will pass blameless. Though there is no weight mentioned in the atandiard, Mr Woodward w ill, it ia to be hoped, remember that it i 6in the anitelieisite of a valuable 'breed to save it from, being bred into a Brobdingnagiian. All extremes are bad, and those who are afraid of the present- ctay tendency to abnormal fiizfl is Leahoins" (which: in-

variably leads to poor laying) do not, on ' the other Hand, want the breed reduced to bantam size. What they waafc ie to pieeerve the utility of the breed; and con- ' j sequenuy, the Leghorn proper— i.e., a mci dium-sized bird. Mr Woodward will not, he says, favour long legs. Probably he sees that such indicate foreign blood ; and, for the preservation of the breed for utility j purposes, it is to be hoped he will join in the cry now being- raised by leading i men at Home and discourage abnormal size of body. The standard, he will do well to remember, cays:— Size: medium; rather large preferred if consistent with, type and symmetry. The tendency objected to is not "rather large," but i "large." j —The best preventhe of soft-shelled ' eggs is to supply plenty of shell-forming material, and not too much soft food or grain, wiiioh is likely to 'atten. - It is recommended that an iron tonic be given to the bird on alternative days, and that she be fed solely on grain, such as wheat and barley, and a gcod proportion of oats, a small handful for breakfast and a similar quantity for tea, with plenty of fresh gTeen food in the meantime, and occasionally crushed raw bones. Exercise is essential, and it can be provided by scattering the grain on some loose material, so that the bird will have to work to secure it. — For_ acute diarrhoea m fowls the following ie recommended as a cure : — Four to six drop 3of ohlorodyne in a little milk, repeating the dose every six hours. — Lucerne chaff made from the best soft, green, leafy hay is a handy form of green food, and practically as good as the fre-s-h-cut article. It should be as free from the harsh, stalky parte as possible. Some people just steam this chaff over night witn boiling water, but it is best boiled I well for a few minutes, ajid then mixed off with pollard. Without boilinaf it is ap<; to cause a very offensive di-aorrhcea. — The chief cause of scaly legs is uncleanlinoss, but a clay soil will frequently cause the trouble. Why, I don't know. It is said that the direct cause is a parasitic infect. If the fowls' legs are much disfigured, stand them in kerosene oil a minute or so, then bind their legs with a cloth upon which you have spread a mixture of sulphur and lard. Renew thie frequently, but do not continue the keroeene oil treatment. Clean out your poultry houses and remove those birds that are affected. As long as there is one scalylegged fowl in the yard there is danger of the disease spreading. — Ducklings can bear a considerable amount of exposure after they are three weeks old ; they should always have an abundance Oi fresh air. Many " duckers " keep them in houses built like pig sties, with an open yard in front. A.nother method is to enclose plots of ground, about eight to the acre, with wire netting a foot in height. In each ran is placed a small house, which may be of the simplest character. Packing cases answer excellently for the purpose with a little alteration, the lid forming the door, and a few holes being made for ventilation, additional cases being provided as the inmates require increased accommodation. But during the latter part of the period of growth such protection can be dispensed with, and they may be allowed to remain in the open day and night. Under such conditions it is sometimes necessary during the prevalence of high winds or driving rain to hang sacking over the netting as a. measure of shelter. In America more elaborate provision is made, in that long langes of shedding are pTOvided, divided inside into compartments by boards a foot high, and having small runs outside, formed by wire netting. Under such a system there must be a considerable waste in the manure produced, and an increased danger of the runs becoming tainted. As these large houses cannot be moved the plan of movable pens is to be preferred. Water is not required for ducklings for fattening. The absence of what is their natural element does not decrease Ihe productiveness of ducks; but it is found that ducklings bred from birds kept entirely on the land are less vigorous, do not giow nearly as fast, and are more subject U> disease. It is therefore advised that stock birds should be allowpd access to water after they are a fortnight old. But as far as young birds for the table are. concerned they grow more rapidly >if they aic denied water except for drinking purposes. The great majority of English ducklings marketed during the spi ing and early siiminer have never beon in water, though sometime? "duckers" .allow the young birds a bafh a day or two before they are killed. — The black Hamburg is the most successful of the Hamburg- stii'ins. The golden and silver pencilled and spangled Hamburgs are the prettiest breeds, but they are small compared with the blaoks. This , breed i.s well-known on account of ite laj ing qualities. There are fhe varieties of the Hamburg breed. Years ago the Hamburgs were called everlasting layers, but owing to inbreeding tliPir size has been considerably reduced, and their laying qualities also ha\e suffered. The black Hamhurgs were always the largest of the -varieties, and now lay much larger eggs than formerly. Ihis we attribute to the increased interest taken in poultry-breeding generally, and the wish to improve the laying qualities and value for utility of the particular breed to which one has been attached, and we find that the result lias been of value to everyone who has taken up the variety we have now under consideration. The black Hamburgs have plumage of extreme brilliancy, and when looked at in the sun they appear to have bright green feathers. They -are sprightly-looking bird 3 with an important carriage. They have small white ear-lobes, neat rose combs, terminating in a point over the back of their head, bright red faces (which should be free from any suspicion of white) and their plumage should be free from white or reddish-brown feathers. Their legs are black during their first season, but when they are over a year old they turn to a slatey blue and this is common with all black breeds of fowls ; they have four toes on each foot, with toe nails, and they are perfectly free from any trace of leg feathering. They are non-sitters and excel- j lent layers. Of course, they are no use } on the table, as, although they are plump, they are not tender and juicy, as good ; table fowls should be ; but they can be ; kept very profitably in small runs which ' w ->uld be of no use for heavier breeds. They are very active fowls, and do not get fat internally, as many sther breeds do, and give a larger percentage of profit in egge for their food than any other breed. Black Hamburgs answer well in close confinement, and are equally profitable for i laying if kept on a large estate where they i •

can have a free range, and are, fn thestf circumstances, found to be one of the most handsome breeds of fowls. — The Central Produce Mart, Ltd. (Reilly, Scott, and Gill, proprietors) report 1 for the week ending Saturday, February I:— Poultry have been arriving freely, and duckling* nave been iv excess of requirements. At our saJ© on Wednesday we catalogued some 6+o birds/ and good sales were affected, especially for young cockerels. Ducks _ and hens are arriving in very poor condition, and such are neglected by poulterers. Eggs are in good demand. We strongly advise consigning all eggs in patent crates, thus avoiding breakage. Eggs consigned in these cases realise more satisfactory prices. Butter is in good dcv mand. Pigs are wanted. Rough and rendered fat commands high prices. Honey is in fair demand. We beg to quote : —Hen* 2s 2d to 3s 6d, young cockerels 5s to 5s 8d", chickens Is 4d to 3s, pullets 2s 2d to 6s 6d, ducklings 3s 6d to 4s 6d, ducks 2s 6d to 4s, geese 3s 6d to 4s— all at per pair; 1 turkey gobblers Bd, hens 4d per 1b; eggs Is 2d to Is 3d ; butter 7d to 9d ; pige bid for prime sorts; honey 4{d to 4*d in bulk, 5s to 7s 6d in sections; fat, rendered 20s to 22s 6d, io-ish lSe to 20s per cwt.