POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

By Terror.

— When ax© fowls too fat? For laying or for table they are too fat when they have accumulated internal fat — i.e.. about the heart, gizzard, and abdomen. When fowls get weight in, that way they are handicapped in the laying business, and inferior even as table birds. When fat becomes deposited internally it is a sign thai the birds are being over supplied with a too fat-form-ing diet, and have also too little range ; or that they have so much food of any description that'thev have no incentive to exercise even where there is range to do 60. It is a mistake to term fowls fat when they are merely large meaty birds, strong and active. Birds such as these do not show, whsn killed, any accumulation of yellow fat, but are fleshy, weighty, and good-condi-tioned. Fowls which are weighty in this respect oarmot be too much so, for it is good condition, and they cannot be in too good condition either to lay or to be killed. When a fowl ih being- cleaned out for cooking it is a simple matter to judge by the appearance of the internal organs whether the system of feeding is correct or not. Birds should be liberally fed even when nof, laying, and when laving the feeding should be more liberal still, otherwise the drain on the py^tem then going on cannot possibly be 'ong continued. W n€Te f° w^ s have plenty of scope for fossicking for such food as worms, insects, and green growth of all sorts the supplied food should not be any regularly given quantity, but i«st co much as is eaten with avidity. There are seasons of the year, notably spring, when Nature provides, where there is range, food of the best sort in abundance, and fowls will, naturally, eat more of what Nature supplies if their mash and grain food are for Hie time being restricted in quantity. Remember only that to be profitable laying hens must be kept in pood condition, and if they are doing well don't be -too prone to listen to those who say your fowls are too fat. The too-fat bird may have practically no meat on its bones ; on the other hand, the weighty bird will earrv no superfiuotis fat at all. The best way to reduce overfed birds to a decent and profitable condition is to feed them on oats only for a few weeks, and light meals at that. — It is always interesting to know what is being done in other countries to advance poultry-keeping and kindred interests. Mr Edward Brown, the well-known English poultry expert, recently paid a visit to Sweden to inquire into the condition of the poultry industry there. As to the influence of poultry societies in connection with tho raising of fowls tome interest] tig facts are recorded, which serve to show how much we in Australia lag behind. Dealing with the work of one of these societies — Malrnohus Country Poultry Association. — MiBrown records it*, objects : — (1) "To elevate the poultry industry in Malmo county ; and (2) to bring producers, retailers, and consumers into direct touch with eaoh othw. It accompli 'he* these by ' exhibitions, premiums or prizes, lectures, distribution of literature, organisation of egg and fattening societies, etc. Any person interested in poultry 'keeping is admitted to it« membership, and the subscription is 5 kroner (5s 6d) per annum, which entitles him to all its privileges." How many of our poultry societies bother about these practical phases of the question. Then in tho work of the oj-dinary agricultural eociery poultrykeeping is not overlooked, and we are told of one organisation — th ft Malmo County Agricultural Society. "This great sccjoty receives a share of the taxes on drink, tlio grant last year amounting to nearly £14,500. In addition thereto it has other sources of revenue, one of which is from the splendid cattle markets at Malmo. whioh it owns, and it* total income ie 500,000 kroner (nearly £28.000) per annum, all of which is expended on the development of agriculture in its district, and of this poultry receives an edequate proportion. The society deals with every aspect of the question : educational, experimental, and organisation, and it has done much foT the improvement of breeds of poultry. As mentioned aboTc a part of its funds are expended in the distribution of selected stock. As an indication of what can be undertaken by such a society as this may be mentioned the fact that crows and rats are tho chief enomiee of poultry-keepers in Sweden, causing an enormous amount of loss every year, both by birds kUled and food consumed, the lastnamed forming a veritable mague. This year the Malmohus Agricultural Society proposes to make an extensive attempt over » considerable area to eliminate or reduce- these peste by the use of a rat virus, which will involve the expenditure of several hundred pounds "

— The fourth month of the Sydnoy Mail egg-laying competition was concluded last weelr. The four months are practically kno"vrn as the winter test. The leading pen of six pullets is Mrs A. Craig's white I»eghorns. They produced 112 eg-^s during: July and a total of 427 fax tie full neriod. Mrs

Ardill's white Leghorns are second with' 419, Mr A. Emmott's silver Wyandottea third with 398, Mrs A. Powell's white Leghorns fourth with 393. Mr W. Mann's black Orpingtons fifth with 385, and Mr A. Warne's white leghorns sixth with 379 eggs.

— The New York experimental station made a series of experiments in the feedins of salt. The bulletin on the subject cays: — "The number of eggs laid during this trial is of no great significance, as it was about the end of the laying season, and the hens were old. The salt used was ordinary barrel salt, though not coarse. Should rock salt be exposed, or salt thzt contains large crystals or fragments as large as the particks of gravel an<? gri-t >?aten by hens, it would, of course, .iot take long for a fatal amount to 'be swallowed. For mature fowls it is probable that salt at the rate ofloz per day for 100 fowls could 1 , under ordinary conditions, be fed without injury." —Mr Prince T. Woods,' an American authority, writing on chicken-rearing, says : "The best methods of feeding and oa-ring for young chicks is a subject that interests all growers of poultry, particularly at this season of the year. While in this article we practically confine ourselves to one method of feeding, it is only fair to state that there are many plans o chick-feeding that prova successful and give entirely satisfactory results. It would be unwise) however, . to incorporate too many methods in a briel article intended more especially for beginners, for fear of confusing the reader &n<| rendering him unablo to decide which course is the wisest for him to follow.

"Undoubtedly the dry method of feeding, or feeding chicks on a <lry grain mixturcl of chick food, is the easiest, safest, and also moat economical method of feeding small chicks for the beginner with poultry. Feeding mashes or moist dough to either young or old stock always has an element of danger — the liability of throwing the digestive organs out of condition, and so ruining the chances of the flock. Skillful feeders meet with remarkable success when feeding either raw or cooked moist mashes and so-called johnnyoake, but rhe wisest course for the beginner will be to confine himself strictly to the dry method, usine a carefully prepared chick food made from sound, sweet grains. The farm wife, whose rugged little broods are usually hatched out under hens in the spring of the year, when the grasa is ereen and all things favourable for chick* growing, often is successful in growing hen brood on corn meal dough with an occasional feeding of breadcrumbs and mrds. but where this method has been attempted! by others who either do not or are unable to give, the chicks .she same tender care -and! motherly attention the results are far from satisfactory.

"Chick-rearing under what may be termed! normal and natural conditions should be a. comparatively easy matter, though oftentimes even the most careful managers meet unexpected reverses and serious losses! A fact often lost sight of is that everything does not depend upon the food and care. It is a matter of great importance that tha ohiok should be well born, should be norroallv hatched from an egg that is out of) healthy, sound, vigorous breeding stock capable of imparting- an ample .supply o2 vitality to their progeny. "Vitality in tho chick, meaning that it possesses vital force, the power which renders it capable of living, is the very foundation of our ohick-> growing. To get this vitality wo must begia with Jie breeding stock and even generations back, breeding ea<;h year from only the best, healthy, hardy, and most vigorous specimens that we can obtain. This sturdy, healthy breeding stock must be kept healthy by good care and management. The vitality which they impart to tho eggs nwst be pre«erved by careful treatment of the egga while =avinp; them for incubating purposes. It is a matter of importance that the eggs should be handled ac little as possible while paving tliem for hatching-. The daily turning of ec«rs so frequently recommended by some authorities on artificial incubation is, in our opinion, a serious error. The less handling the eggs receive the better. While being saved for hatching, th© eggs must not be exposed for too long a tame fo a. warm temperature or to a very cold one. The safest temperature for keeping eggs i* a fairly uniform one, between 40deg and! 60deg F. Prolonged exposure of the eggs to a temperature above 70deg or 80deg, or frequent warming and cooling of the eggs, is almo-t certain to impair the vitality of tho germ so that when, such eggs are hatohed the chicks arc weaklings.

"Another matter of great importance in* preserving the vitality handed down by healthy breeding stock is that the eggs shall be properly incubated. Where e^ggs are incubated under hens there is little or no danger from this source. Where- tho eggs are incubated in machines there ia danger from the use of poorly constructed' incubators, from too great variations in; temperature during hatching, from overheating the eggs qjt too long exposed to high temperatures above 104-deg, from, prolonged l and frequent cooling, and sometimes chilling. All of these tilings impair the vital force- of tho little chick and render it leea capable of living.

"The normal chick, when properly hatched from eggs that are out of sound 1 , healthy, vigorous broeding stock, comes into the world with a Mrong, rugged constitution and UlO maximum vitality. It's natulal tendency is to live end thrive, and such! chicks if given a reasonably fair chance will live- and thrive. Whore losses do occur- they are usually directly the result of jareless brooding or of indigstion from indifferent breeding."

— Management of Hen-hatched Chicks. — When the little brood hatched under a hei> is from 36 to 48 hours old, having ha<J ample time to dry off and to get digestion of the yolk remnant '(which they have brought into the world with them) fairly started, they are ready to go to their brooding quarters for their fir«t food. Tho brooding quarters may be a box or barrel with a slatted front, made comfortable by littering with chaff, cut clover, or similarmaterial. In cold weather it should nofj be too largo because of the difficulty of keeping the mother hen warm and comfortable. You do not want to oblige her to waste too much of hei own heat on keeping herself warm in a large, cold box. She needs all the heat she can spare fa£< the comfort of her brood. An ordinary flour barrel, well littered and covered with canvaee 01' some waterproof material to keepl out th© rain, makes an admirable home for the new brood, or packing boxes that arc about 2ft or 2£ft cube prove a very satisfactory home. For the first, two or three days the little brood should be keot eon,-

fined quite close to the mother hen. After this confine the hen and let the chicks run. Keep pure, fresh water in a clean drinking fountain close to -the slatted front of the coop so that the hen can readily reach it. Keep a dish of cracked corn and wheat also within reach of the mother hen. Feed the little chicks a more expensive ration

just out of reach of the hen mother, so that the little birds will have it always

before^ them, but the mother hen cannot reach it to scratch it about and waste it. Where chick food costs 2.50d0l per 10W

and over, it is much wieer-to pursue this course and let the mother hen live on le*s expensive food. Keep the lktle chicks supplied with chick food, chick-size grit granulated bone, charcoal, and pure, whole/some beef scrap always before them in a wooden or galvanised iron feed-box or hopper. Protect this food from the weather by a. single board roof or shelter sufficiently large to cover it, and raised about lft off the ground. We muoh prefer keeping food before the chicks all the time, but same must be protected and kept <Iry, as otherwise in Vet, stormy weather it will become sour or mouldy and unfit to

eat. Some poultrymen use lemon, orange, and cracker boxes for brocd coops for confiakur the mother hen. These make much emitter quarters than we have recommended in a preceding paragraph, but prove very satisfactory, especially when used- under shelter. WJbere an orange or lemon box is used, one front is slatted perpendicularly, with the elata just far enough for the hen to get her head out, and for the chicks to freely- run in and out. The rear portion of the- box retains the thin horizontal boarding with the exception of about lin from the floor, which space is left open. The top of die box is slatted so that the hen can' get her head up through to stretch herself. In *uoh boxes the hen mothers scratch and- cluok vigorously, and by their' activity keep the litter and dirt moving from front to back and out of the opening in the rear, 'so that these brood boxes may really be termed self-cleaning. With two mother hens confined, thus olose together^ it is "necessary to keep the broods separate fox several- days until^ they become accustomed to their respective mothers, and it is advisable to have the chicks in both broods all the same colour, otherwise some of the lifetlo fellows may be injured by getting into the compartment with the wrong mother hen. There is a great difference in hen mothers in this regard, some of -them being always willing to add a new chick to the flock, while others are intolerant of strangers, and seem bound to kill them if they oam possibly do so. The chicks are- kept in these brooding quarters s until they are ready to be weaned. Wi*ere convenient to do so, -the hen is

given a little -run. ?ath the chicks once a diy, but- frequently hene which are so kept in confinement for five weeks or Jonger, often begin to lay in the brooding boxes, so that they apparently experience no discomfort from this close confinejnent wlkile mothering a brood- After tine first weak or 10 days the chicks will begin to eat * considerable, proportion of fine oiackecV corn and wbea*. whioh may be gradually substituted for the more expensive ohiek food. Always give •Shew, if r»ible, a grass run., and where this cannot had feed cut clovor or freah green stuff daily. If out clover is uaed, it may be Fed either dry or T>a*ely moist after scalding. *— Brooder Chicks.— ln artificial brooding the chief nequisites are to keep the chicta comfortably 'warm, provide them with an abundance of pure, freah air, ud *It* them an opportunity to exercise m quarters that ere not too cramped or crowded. Not more than 50 chioks should fca placed in one flock in any brooder. This we consider tlhe maximum hm-rfc of safety. Care must b© taken, to keep the chick* warm and comfortable at *H times. The operator ahould be guided more by the apparent comfort of his clucks tnaoi by the temperature as indicated by the thermometer. Run the brooder not by the thermometer but by the chicks. Keep ■them warm, happy, and contented at All times, end see that they are always euppjied with an, abundance of pure, fresh air to breathe. Sun and air the brooder* "daily. Teach the chicks to use the space underneath tEe hover for the purpose of keeping waarm.and train, them so that they will kno*- the way in and out of the machine. Do not give up your efforts vi thia direction; until you are sure that the chicks have learned what is required of them in taking < care of themselves in the brooder. TheiT first food should preferably bs given by placing little piles or chick food and beef scrap where they cam ib&vo free access to them. Afterwards keep the food 1 before- them all the time in a food box or bopper. Dry grain chick food, beef scrap, charcoal, granulated bone, jgxit, and pure water are necessary at ell times. Give them chaff ot cut clover to scratch in. As the chicks grow older

gradually accustom them to a larger range or run, "and have same on grass land if possible. At the end of the first week or 3.0 days begin fine, sifted, oracked corn or corn grits and small kernels of hard, sound wheat for a portion of the dry grain chick food. Gradually increase "the quantity of this grain and roduce the amount of chick food fed. If taie beef scrap which you obtain Is coarse, Bift out the finer particles and feed these at first and feed the coarser particles of the scrap after the chicks have become large enough to oat them readily. * — The following is the annual report of the Executive of the South Island' Leghorn end Minorca Club, presented at the annual meeting, held on Monday last. In presenting the annual report and balance id»ee6 your officers feel justified in congratulating ths club on the very successful operations of our initial year. During the year our membership was 50 financial members, and in conjunction with the Ohristchurch show our first annual show was held, when special prizes to the amount of £17 3e were competed for by the members. The entries were large," »nd drawn from ail over the island, and the quality was well above the average," so that we can take it that the club'a -work has aroused great vntercßt 6nd enthusiasm in these popular varieties. The future of the club now rests upon the sbembere' shoulders, and if members will

recognise this dearly, and -by not only sustaining their own interest in the workings "of the club; bat also by seeking to get other breeders '■ equallT interested, the future

operations' of the club should prove of er-eat value, and assistance to these breeds. The th»nk«r oi^the club &*e dv« to the Chrietdhurch Poultry dub for their opurt*sy in allowing the club to hold its Show in uonjunction with its annual

J fixture ; to the donors of special prizes and donations to the club's funds, and to the honorary secretary and treasurer, Mr H. Shaw. The balance sheet shows a credit balance of £2, after allowing £5 5s contingent liability. We also have valuable assets in a large stock of certificates, members' tickets, rules, and prize tickets, which will for- some future years reduce our print- . ing expenditure considerably. This is a I very gratifying position for the dub to be j in, especially taking into consideration this lis our initial year. The following nominations for the coming season officers were received and duly elected as per our rules : President. Mr H. Hearfield (Christchurch) ; vice-presidents — Messrs W. W. Robertson and C. H. Cunningham (Invercargill). B. i J. Faitt and W. B. Carrick (Gore', G. C. ; Lane and P. W. Wates (Dunedin), P. Sin- , clair (Mosgiel), W. D. Burns (Oamaru), C. Lucas and R. Wilson (Opawa), J. B. Merrett, J. I. Royds, T. C. Field, and H. Pannell (Christchurch), A. Finlayson and E. M. Taylor (Spreydon), A. Walker and W. W. M'Kinnev (Linwood), J. Tinckll (St. j Albans). T. Kennedy and C. W. Bell (Rangriora). L. F. Hickman (Balcairn), D. Hampton (Culverden), J. H. Hopkins j (Granity), and A. B. Spiers (Kumara) ; secretary, J. H. Shaw. — Chickens ara now plucked in a wholesale manner by the use of pneumatic machinery. There is a receptacle in which the- fowl is placed after being killed, and into this are turned several cross currents of air from electrical fans revolving- at the rate of 5000 turns per minute. In a few seconds th"? bird is stripped of its. feathers, even to the tiniest particle of down, and the machine is ready for another.

CENTRAL PRODUCE MART (LTD.)

Messrs Reilly, Scott, and Gill, proprietors, report for the week ending Saturday. 15th in-st. : — Poultry have been in short supply the past week, and prices have improved in consequence. At our sale on Wednesday we sold our consignments under strong competition, hens making 3s 6d, 4s, 4s 4d, and 4s 6d ; cockerels, ss, 5s 6d, 6s, and 6s 4d; ducks, 6s, 6s 6d, 7s, 7s 6d~, Bs, and 8s 83; geese, 7e 6d", 8s per pair. Turkeys: Gobbfere made Bid to Bid; hens, 5d to 53d. Eggs have been arriving freely, *nd prices have been hard to maintain, agents offering freely the past week at Is per dozen. Fortunately for our consignors we held orders for Wellington, and were able to clear all our consignments at from Is Id to Is 3d per dozen. Butter has fecen in short supply. We cleared farmers' separator at la l£d, and factory at Is 2d to Is 2£d ; storekeeper's lib pats at Is to Is o£d : separator bulk at Is Id. Milled butter (slightly tainted) realised from 9d to 10£ d. Pig 6 have been eagexly inquired for, but supplies are short. Good baconers maike 5Jd to 6d. Incubators and brooders have been moving off freely, and settings of champion prize-winning stock have had good inquiry.