POULTRY -NOTES-By Terror.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 35

POULTRY -NOTESBy Terror.

— Perhaps the greatest cause of failure in the rearing of brooder chickens is overcrowding. Thirty chickens would do better than 50 in a so-called 100 chick-brooder. With 100 chickens in a 100 capacity brooder it is easy to imagine what will hoppen if the heat goes down a few degrees. The chickens pile up, on, and crowd into one another in such a way that many get trampled to death. In an overcrowded brooder cleanliness, of course, •demands more exacting attention than is necessary when a small number occupy a large space. To neglect the removal of the droppings from a large number of chickens confined to a small area, is a more serious matter than, similar neglect where tho same limited enace is occupied by less birds. Even the drinking water is twice as quickly soiled where 100 chickens are dipping into it than when, say, 50 birds . only are using it, and of course nothing con be worse than contaminated water for feeble stock. These are only some of th© dangers of overcrowding. The poultrybreeder when raising chickens must watch closely this overcrowding business, for chickens that are not jvercrowded in a given space one week may be sadly so the following week, for whilst the chickens are growing .fast the brooder does not in-> crease its proportion to accommodate the altered requirements. — Give brooder chicks plenty of exercise. Don't sprinkle the floor with a few grains of sand, but shovel it in as deep as the brooder capacity (height) will allow. Chickens will be all the warmer if ther.3 is not too much space between their backs and the roof of the brooder, and scratching for grains of seed in the sand will keep them busy and healthy. — Mr J. B. White, Musselburgh, has imported from Mr Heath, the well-known English breeder, a trio of silver Wyandottes, selected by Mr Rogen's agent in England. These birds are winners at Birmingham show. One hen won first and Challenge Cup for best hen or pullet, the other took third as a pullet at Birmingham and first at Plymouth as a hen a fortnight prior to leaving England, and the cock h a splendid 6tock bird, his pedigree being traceable back 14 years. He is selected for pullet-breeding, and should prove good, his lacing on thigh and breast being equal to a hen's breast. — The officers of the ship deserve great credit for the way in which these birds were brought mt. Recognising that they were in charge of birds of quality, accommodation was made for them almost equal to what they would pet on landing. They had not only a coop, but a covered-in run as well, ajid the floor of the latter was kept well sanded. The trio landed in excellent condition. — Messrs Rogen and Andrew, of Ormond, Victoria, inform njo that- the Roseworthy pen of white Leghorns (Mi 6 Kinneaf'B strain) which they purchased during the recent competition are continuing to shell out eggs aa -when under test. Attention is directed to their adverthejiient. — While masy recognise and acknowledge the benefit the fancier has been in providing the utilitarian breeders with, improved breeds of fowls with which to cater to the demand for poultry and eggs, there

are a. ereat number, -rolio jEa.il . to 't&fce this view of the case. . . Many men, and men of . ordinary intelligence, too, assert that they can secure as good results in raising market poultry or in an egg yield from fowls bred with no regard to blood lines or uniformity of typo as could be secured with the expenditure of the -time and money required to keep their yards stocked with such fowls as the fanciers have evolved. Many claim that inheritance has no value in the market for poultry and eggo, therefore they ignore it - in their efforts to secure the best market results. Could men whe hold such opinions set down and reason out what pedigree breeding means they would not only change their opinions, but they would also be in a position to cater «to the market with better results and more profit to themselves. Although the breeder of faney 1 fowls may not keep a record of the pedigrees of his breeding j'ards, in the strictest sense, most of them keep records of their yard matings accurately enough to deserve theterm standard-bred, a term which really implies production of the best and most typical specimen of the breed or variety, and as applied to fowls the most valuable points of carcase .and the developmest of the egg-producing capacity in the highest degree, eliminating as far as possible undesirable points and traile, a record being kept for future reference. t -"Even the younger breeders of to-day can see the wonderful improvement that has been wrought during the last 20 years by breeders who have made inheritance and selection the principles upj>n which operations have been based. New breeds have been evolved. Breeds that were slow maturers, eggproducers, and that lacked uniformity in essential points have been brought to such a high degree of excellence that sometimes one is inclined to think that further improvement is imposaible. AH this has been accomplished by enthusiasts who-have applied pedigree breeding to fowls. There are now many who, while breeding strictly for market purposes, take their cue from those who breed for exhibition purposes, a fact that should not be overlooked by the men who place the awards in the shows. There is no reason why v the crack show birds should not be the crack breeding birds for utilitarian purposes, provided both the breeders and the judges heed the warning that pedigree alone will not do. Along with the_ inherited perfection of form and colour must be the masculine character in the male birds and a corresponding feminine character in the females — fully-developed bodies and size of bone that indicate a vigorous constitution and the ability to transmit those qualities to the next generation. There can be no question but that the work of the fanciers has, in the main, been of the utmost value to those who breed for market- purposes only, and. the more quickly those who do not recognise that fact get the right ideas' into their heads and take advantage of them the better prepared will they be to get the best returns possible from a strictly market business. There are no grounds for a contest between the market breeder and the fancier. The latter should find a good customer in the mairketinan, and the marketman should always be prepared to take advantage of the fanciers' work in improving form and type of the different breeds. HEAVY BREEDS v. LIGHT BREEDS AS WINTER LAYERS. "Hardshell" (Adelaide Observer) writes: "Tho first four months of the Rose worthy competition ended on July 31, and the following aro the figures from the two sections. There are 168 birds in each division, and the conditions are exactly the , same : — Heavy Light |J breeds. breed's. ; April 1312 2005 ! May 2184 2751 i June 2046 2046 ! July 2546 2397 , 8088 9199 Value (£43 3s sd) (£49 11s 8d) Average per birdi .. 48 eggs 54.7 Average per pen .. 288 eggj 328 "It will be seen that the advantage ie with the light breeds. The same difference has been duly noted in the New South Wales competitions, and considering the recent remarkable development of the light (or egg) breeds it would be a surprise if they did not lead in the scoring and values in the winter, or at any other time. Tho severest weather in South Australia was perhaps in June, and the light breeds held their own. The first four months of a competition beginning on April 1 is regardpd as the winter test, and taking this period as the basis tho belief that tho heavy breeds do the beat laying in winter must be considerably disturbed. The winter we have just left behind was unusually wet and cold, so that the heavy birds were afforded a splendid opportunity of vindicating the public belief that they are the best winter layers ; but they failed to do so, and the same failure has been noted in the other States. THE TESTING OF EGGS DURING | INCUBATION. Many poultry -keepers boast that they do not trouble to test the. eggs when they once have set them, for when they are under hens they do not care about disturbing them, and when in machines <liey do not think it matters. This is for the want of reasonable forethought, because it is very disappointing to poultry-keepere who have had a couple or more hens sitting for 21 days to find at the expiration of this tame that not one-third of the eggs have produced chickens. Such a state of things i means loss of valuable time, which is never again picked up, for if the eggs are testedand the clear ones taken away it is pcafiible to put both lats of fertile eptf?s together under the one hen and give the other a fresh lot altogether. At the expiration of from jix tc eight days the eggs should be examined, and thie is best done by candlelight, as the unfertiles can then be easily detected. A now-lajd egg, as should be well known ' to poultry -keepers, appears clear and translucent when held between the eye and a candle. Unfertile eggs appear so even after being sat upon three weeks ; but the eggg which oontein embryo chickens thsn , have a dark shadow in the centre, shading j off to more transparency at the edges. I The amount of space will vary with the time of incubation and* size of the eggs, and perfect opacity will not be found till nine or ten days, have elapced, even with good-sized eggs; but after a fc\r experi-

merits carried out by "holding between tin* " thumb and forefinger a-nd turning the rest of the hand so as to. shade the light as much as possible no mistake will be made, and eVen with the hand alone the condition of contents will be determined with certainty. By using a plate of tin or zino to shade the Egh<t, and holding the egg to an aperture in it out to the shape, the light may be brought closer. There are excellent egg testers made by several manufacturers of incubators, and for the expenditure of from 3s -to 5s c capital appliance which will last for years can be obtained. With gucb an egg tester, besides the shadow in the centre, some of the small blood vessels oan generally be distinguished, and after experience many breeders are able to pronounce upon the eggs by the fifth day, especially a a lamp be used which has a. lens to condense the light, such as a really good bicycle lamp, which answers excellently. A hole may be cut in a book cover or other shest of thick card, and used in th© same way. ■ The sterile eggs up to eight or nine days are quite good enough for puddings,, and if fresh when set will be better than manybought eggs, even for boiling, or the^ may • be used as food for the chickens "when "egg ~ food •' is given. . . Early in the season, when unfertile eggs are most likely to occur, it is a good plan to Get : in every case two hens simultame- - ou6ly. Then the fertile ones, if many have to^be 'rejected, ?an- all be -given 'to one " hen, .and the other set again*. In aaiy case, if the- majority are unfertile, the^ \ waste of the sitting hen may be avoided by ascertaining the fact -thus early.— Fronr Farm, Field, and Fireside. CROP BOUND. The orop of a fowl sometimes becomes overloaded with feed, and its tihin, muscular walls become distended and partially paralysed, so that the organ cannot be emptied, Or "the opening into the lower esophagus may become clogged with a feather, a straw, or some othea* substance which the bird had swallowed. The crop is generally distended, and the mass of feed is rather hard and firm. In both cases " the symptoms are the same, and treatment should be conducted on the same principles. Foi treatment pour ioz to ioz of melted lard or sweet oil down the throat and manipulate the contents of the crop with the hand in such, a way as to tend to break up the mass. Unless the passage is closed the contents of the crop will usually pass away within a few hours. For a few days feed should be limited in quantity. If tlie foregoing method is ineffectual, and an operation becomes necessary, clip away the feathers from a portion of the crop, and' with a very sharp knife, lancet, or razor maike an incision about l£in long through! the akin and the wall of the crop. Then 1 carefully remove -the contents of the oropy_ with the finger, the handle of a epoon, ori some other convenient article, end. washout the crop with warm water. Pass the finger (well oiled) into the esophagus lo see there is no obstruction. Sew -up the wall of the crop first, and then the outgr skin, using ~ white silk or linen thread, being careful* not to sew the two" membranes together, • and in a few days the wound will' he healed. Feed sparingly on whole* grains until the wound heals, and do not give any water for 24 hours. — " Campine." THE ANNUAL PROFIT FROM A HEN. An interesting discussion has (says v writer ir Country Life) lately arisen on. what the annual profit from *a hen should! be, and general opinion inclines to the statement that 4s is a moderate and fail" estimate, a-nd that if the hen is a specially good layer the sum wilj be exceeded. The. estimate is ar.rivpd at without • countinglabour. Putting the latter point aside for \he moment," let us see how tliis figure is xeaohed. A pullet when ou the verge of .laying, say at. six months old, is worth 'about 4s, assuming she comes from the yaTd of a breeder who has taken some care to breed for laying; in fact, such a bird cannot be bought for less. But it comes much ob,eaper. to rear her from a stockbreeding pen. Her- cost on one estimate is put as high as 2e 9d before she comes to profit. Thi6 I consider too much ; in fact, a reasonable method 1 of adjusting this point; is to set her coat price- as a six months' old pullet against iher sale price as an old hen two years Jater. If of fair size, she will then fetoh about 2s in the' wholesale market, but if a Leghorn, or of that type, not more than Is 6d. I estimate if she is a small bird there will be a slight Joss oa balance, but or the "heavy- breeds nono at all. The cost' of food can be easily calculated. Sometimes a hen can bo kept for Id a week the year round, but to put tho - figure at_ss 6d is fair, and this ie assuming: they have a full range. The sum of 6dmay be charged for rent, housing rent — . that is to say, including the upkeep ofthe poultry-house. We thus arvive^at the calculation that every hen costs her owner 6s a year, and against that the value ofi her eggs haa to be set. When she has laid 72 eggs, soljd at Id each, she lias paid for her keep, and the rest is profit. If she lays another 48, making 120 in the year, & moderate estimate, and they ee-11 at only ld each, though some will certainly fetch more, wo obtain 4s profit. But a good laying hen will Jay more rhan 120, and the price ought to average li<l each. Such is the urofit there should be on a farm where several hundred fowls can be kept. Ono man can look after 500 fowls in half 6. day ; that is to say, it means only half 'a day's work to feed thorn, collect the eggs, and shut them up at night, and the poultryman can fill up the day in the garden or tending other live stock. In practice, however, this sum is seldom attained, but it would be- interesting to know why. - Is the quality of the 6took or the skiJl of tho poultrymaji to blame? THE POULTRYM^N'S ALPHABET. Recently, in Tick's Magazine, a "'Ponltryman's Alphabet" was published. Tho writer in -places has "strained after effect," but generally his advice i» sound. Thu alphabet is as follows: — Avoid overcrowding of fowls in small quarters. Beware of cold draughts or cracks in. henhouse wa115. ... Clean poultry . building? . And yards thoroughly and frequently. Damp, ill-ventilated apartments are-^ unwholesome and dangerous. "Early tc- hatch and -early to lay" should b© the _ pullet's modto.-- ■ Furnish an amjjle euply jf grifc and crushed oyster eheUs. - Green bone, finely cut, affords an ideal food both for tiny chicks or mature fowls. Have plenty of nice clean ne*ts, to prevent dirty eggs, to which even careful washj-

ing cannot restore their lost -daintiness «nd i fresjhness ~oi aspect. - - Insecticides faithfully ased will expel lice. , Jolting to market over rough roads won t crack eggs — if tibey are in up-to-date crates. Keep dusting boxes well filled and fcan-ay. Lime should be frequently scattered about the yard, and do not lose the whitewash brush. Mulberries or plums growing an poultry yards are "a welcome addition to the bil of fare. ' , Neatness and cleanliness must never be neglected. „ , . Oats aid greasy in filling the egg-gaeket. Pure drinking water should be freely j supplied at all times. ] Quarrelsome, spiteful stock ehould be promptly disposed of. „_ Rub -looste often with coal oil to dislodge mites. . if , • ! fe ew grain in- litter to give tie hens j exercise in searching it out. Tobacco emoke will help to rid henhouses of lice. - .a. j^:,,rUee copperae now ana then m the drint--ln%?Ste m&j you Aun orerfeeding. The too fat h«V. ***** b S x^SSSi yet- fowls enjoy eating, *nd under-feeding profits neither hen nor master. Variety of iood gives zest to the Hen *Tardf 'must be supplied with shade of some kind, and preferably Pj«m Xyst was in ancient «rchite*tu.» m- open court (though often covered) te.iAletio eios sucli aswrestltag or ™"£'J^ modern hen enjoys her xy«t in the «*»P e^J a scratching shed to the eoutih side of tne wiU well-kept fowls repay ail care given them. CENTRAL PBODTJCE MART (LTD.). Messrs Beilly, Scott, and GgJ. P«>^ , toi«, report ior -week ending Satardey, inst — Poalbry hava been in *hort supply for the Sst week, and prioes were very fSn at oxer sale on Wednesday. We sold .hSS 6d,^ 4* 3d, a^d 4b 6d; cookerek ssss 6d, 6s, amd 6e 6d ; -ducks 7s, Js 6d, & Idi^ at Bs, per pair ; turkey Sb£»,.>&ne «d, poor birds Mfeom fd to7id; bens, prime Sid, fwor 4^ to Sd. &es have been coming to .hamd freely, fortunate in olearmg our consiSaSs at from Is to Is Id, Aoogh we SSi of agents seUing a* lid. Butter has SS t Sort- suppiyi ™*%Z d £ p£&£afc Is 3d and farmers' pats at :la to Is to, bulk, prime, Is M; milled, Ud; «»*»:»£ iFa.' Pigs a» in short suppty, and prime bSonere ire wanted, 5Jd to 6d bemg pa^d for «ood sorts. A fair demand is -being , experienced for purebred settings of egg«- j