POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2913, 12 January 1910, Page 35

POULTRY NOTES.

Br Terror. Experiments conducted at. the Massachusetts Experimental Station appear to demonstrate that, provided fat is abundant in the ration, hio-h protein content is not essential, but that it the tat content is low a large propor* tion. or the protein in the feeds used is essential. A further finding bv the expert raent was that a large proportion of fibr< in the ration used is unfavourable to t>ood egg product. It may be well to explain that the foregoing mention of fat content is exclusive of carbo-hydrates—i.e., the fa' in food ready for assimilation, and not in} a form to be transformed into fat or oil. The experiments! were conducted with rax tions in which wheat or maize predomw nated : the fat or oils in the forinei being 1.8 and in the latter 8.0. Again, this experiment does not show that maize a lons is preferable to wheat alone as an e<™producing food for fowls, because the wheat;' ration received an addition of corn oil to make up for its deficiency in fats as againsfc the maize ration; the experiment being to ascertain whether a ration relatively high in protein (the wheat ration) would' ha superior to one relatively low in protein (the maize mixture). The narrow ration was 1 to 4.57 and the wide 1 to 6.5. The results showed all in favour of the wide ration, the egg-supply being better at all seasons and the cost for food leas. . The animal food in both rations was beef scraps. The experiment shows that maize judiciously used in a ration is superior to wheat, but not that it is superior thrown by itself, the addition of meat being essential to counteract its fattening properties. The question of fibre content was tested! by feeding oats as against rice mixtures. The results showed in favour of the rice as regards number of eggs, but the cost was excessive.

—lt is an idea, worth being- impressed with that, a fowl is a machine which must run soothly in all parts to be profitable. It is only when the whole machine is In. good order that such improvement as extra' weight or more egg>3 ina-y be looked fot from better food or accommodation. A sore eye c: .swollen foot will prejudicially affect egg-production. A thoroughly healthy fowl is the only fitting basis t<i work upon for good results. The healthy. bird of good laying strain will of coursa respond the best to good healthy conditions, but pedigree birds, if anything, arg more dependent upon first-class attention than otherwise.

Poultry-keepers occasionally find a soft egg in the poultry runs. The old theory as to cause was the want of shell material. In this column it has been always held that in such cases the hen is too fat —result, ovarian troubles and soft eggs. In a r& cent' issue of the Feathered World (Eng.) ( Dr Cobb refers to this matter as follows :—. The usual advice tendered to these wh<! ask why their, fowls are laying soft-shelled or shell-less eggs, is that they are not providing -them with enough lime in the sham of oyster shells, chalk, etc., to enable tin lairds to form shells for their eggs. Tin extraordinary part of it is that if these cases are analysed it will, be found thai in almost every instance the owner hal provided them with an abundance of such materials; in fact, there is hardly a want of his fowls that he has not gratified to its fullest extent. This eagerness to provide for every want of his birds has in reality been the cause of the trouble. We aw of opinion that if a hen be kept in a wooden box, and no grit. etc.. provided tot her, it is just possible that she might nol be able to procure sufficient material fot the clothing of her eggs with an ordinary shell. But it would be almost impossible to keep a fowl on the ground, and in health, that could not sscure a sufficiency of such material. Anyhow, we can safely say this, that we have never come across a case of a hen laying soft-shelled eggs that was caused by an insufficiency ot lima or chalky substances being provided. Cause: Unhealthy condition of the lower portion of the oviduct; unusual egg production Predisposing cause: Over-feeding or feeding on too fattening fcode. A poultry farmer near Masterton was surprised recently to find young ducklings dvino- off. apparently from no cause. After several dozen" had been lost one was sent to a poultrv expert for examination, when the ca.uso of death was found to be- heat apoplexy. It has been noticed that in very hot weather dunks always seek shade and sleep most of the clay if not dis< turbed. HARD CROP. Sometimes the cron swells un to the size of a large turnip: it feels solid and hard to the touch, which denotes that .some obstruction has crossed the opening- from the crop to the stomach. Rome of the wiseacres will doubt that a bird has a stomach, but such is a fact. The food passes through this l stomach before it gets inta the gizzard, and it collects and carries the gastric juice as it gees along. It may be that a piece of coarse cabbage, a long piece of grass, or some string, a large niece oi meat, has choked this passage, so that it ia necessary to cut open the crop. To <do this tie up the bird as directed for swelled head and roup operations; then sponge ■ th<£ feathers away from the top of the crop: cut through the skin, about a two-inch cut, taking care not to cut the crop; then draw the skin back about an inch, and cuts through into the crop. Have a teaspoon handy, and with the small end dig out the accumulated rubbish until the crop is quitoi empty. It is not a pleasant job, ps the contents of the crop have soured; but if some phenyle or carbolic disinfectant loused, and the matter from the crop thrown, on one side, it will scon be over. _ AfteiS making sure that nothing remains in tha crop, put about six or eight stitches ini the wound and close it up, when it will b« found that the outer skin, springing Dack into its original position, covers the wound on the crop. The outer skin should then be stitched. Always clean the wound by spousing with an antiseptic. The bird should not be fed for about four hours, and then onlv on small quantises of bread

tind milk, administered a teaspoonful at a time for the first day, and also similar small quantities for the three following days, until you think sufficient time has elapsed for the wounds to heal. I have seldom failed with this operation when it has been taken, in time.

This operation should be performed be- J fore the bird becomes, too weak, otherwise it may not survive the operation. Now, strange to say, the birds undergoing this scarcely lose half a dozen drops of blood, yet it seems to weaken it very much. You will often notice that a bird with hard crop is ravenous. Just so. The bird is literally starving, and does die of starvation (unless relieved), for th© food never passes into its system; so that the operation should be performed before the bird is too debilitated. Of course, it is always beet to risk a kill or cure. They make marvellous recoveries sometimes. DOESN'T LIKE DOCTORING. The greatest curse that can come to a poultry-breeder's way is the doctoring habit. TiiO more success a man has in doctoring sick fowls or chioks tho more disease he ■will have. He soon has a fleck with weak aonstitutions and predisposed to disease, tjhe TT<rite:r knows what he is writing about. For 18 years he had an elegant hospital, fitted up with everything necessary to make sick chickens comfortable and to cure or patch up disease. That hospital proved to be a disease developer. The longer it was used the more sick chicks and fowls he had. When he went to the other extreme, killed every sick chick or fowl •that did not respond promptly to some simple (remedy, he soon had less trouble, a,nd eventually as healthy a flock as any man ever owned. A breeder should keep .close watch for disease, and when he finds a bird ailing hunt up the; cause, correct it, and use a remedy that would be used by himself ■were no attacked by the same disease, for all disease of fowls closely resembles human ailments. When the bird fails to get well promptly then kill" it. It may be worth five or more dollars, but better loose that than a lot of time and have a bird in your flock that will give your chicks a tendency to contract the same disease. 'Correct sanitary conditions, pure air for them to breathe, proper food, well sunned, clean houses, exercise and' .cleanliness in and outside of house, ought to give one a Hock practically free of disease. If you have such a flock be careful about introducing with me w bleed a tendency to disease. Don't put tho new blood in your entire flock the first season. Breed it to a few of your birds and watch the chicks. If you discover a tendency to contract disease kill them all, as well as the purchased" new blood. A flock of strong, healthy fowls will be profitable. One predisposed to disease is a source of annoyance and loss. When a large flock is kept in spite of all you can do disease will crop out. Such a breeder must use greater care than one with a small flock, and he should use more heroic treatment of disease.—Southern Poultry Journal (U.S.A.). POULTRY AS A SIDE LINE. I have travelled about the country a great deal during the last few years, and, being a confirmed chicken "crank," I fa-rely miss an opportunity to talk about poultry. It almost invariably happens that ■when two get to talking about poultry in anj public place, such as an hotel, office, or a waiting room, that one or more in the crowd will drop into the conversation and begin to discuss the poultry business. It is evident that there is an almost universal desire among the people of this country to own poultry.. The man in a large business, the clerk in his office, or the operator in his factory—all look forward to the time when they can own a little farm and breed 1 chickens. No doubt thousands of people are this minute planning for the time when they can d'rop their present work and make a living from chickens. This is a phase of the poultry business that I desire to discuss as briefly as possible. No doubt one can keep enough chickens to receive a comfortable living from their proceeds, but up to the present time but comparatively few arc making the poultry •business their sole work. In all this country outside the Petaluma district there are hardly as many exclusive poultry farms, where poultry is kept for market purposes, aa one could count on the fingers of his two Jiands. Around each of the larger cities may be found those who make a large part of their living from keeping chickens, but as a rule these combine poultry-keeping •with some other business. They operate market gardens, private dairies, or small (fruit farms, and by hard work make comfortable livings without being und*>r orders from anyone. . Even the well-bred egg farms of the East are operated by men who pursue other money-earning occupations. Herein lies one of the peculiar advantages of the poultry (business. It " nicks" with almost any other occupations. A man may become a poultry-breeder of wide reputation, or he may be able to furnsh a special market ■with eggs and poultry at a high price without in any way interfering with his regular work. A .carpenter who lives in a suburb of Chicago keeps poultry and sells eggs at tt high price the year through, at the eame time working regularly at his trade. MH© works in th© city and brings the eggs an as he comes, and his customers call for them at a stated place. H© told me his liens were paying for his home, and that ihe was expecting som© time to give his whole attention to breeding poultry for eggs.

' i The truck farmer (market gardener) can keep a flock of poultry and find a large part of the food for it in such vegetables as are not fit for market. The small frirlt'grower will find a, flock of chickens of •much advantage to him, as it can be allowed to run along the fruit bushes for a large Iparti of the year. The fowls will scratch along berry bushes and grape vines, keeping the surface fine and 1 free from weeds, and devouring many of the insects that injure the crop". The orchardist may keep l poultry to. ad 1 - jyantage, for the fruit trees will furnish shade for the- fowls, while their droppings fertilise the land.. % No man needs give up his dreams g£ to keeping chickens when his ship comes home'. He may look forward: to the time when he can own a little diioken fanp on which he can regularly count on two crops one. of chickens andi another 9 f SpV °? garden stuffH&od; &Q& will be .more valu-

able because of the otheiv No doubt a living can be made from chickens, but it is not necessary to try it, for the chicks' business complements almost any other gainful use to which.' the land mav be put.—Poultry (U.S.A.).

DUCK MANAGEMENT. Meal for Ducks.—-

Through instinct inherited' from long limes ot wild ancestors, the domestic ducks are water-loving birds, with welldeveloped appetites for lish, worms, snails, mullusks, insects, and other kinds of animal food. It is possible to raise ducks successfully and easier and better, at least so far as certain breeds are concerned—with a maximum of water, since this is largely an external requirements; but no system of breeding or feeding has as yet developed ducks that can do their best without any animal food". If given a plentiful supply of good, clear drinking water to moisten the food and to maintain proper fluidity in the blood, th© secretions and the excretions, ducks can dispense with the swimming pond or bathing pool without great detriment to health or growth. Whether or not they are happy under such conditions the animal psychologist must decide. But to take away the chance to hunt for snails, worms, and insects, and to feed ducks upon grains alone, will inevitably result in disaster. In a most conclusive test along this line made at the station several .years ago, a varied and palatable grain ration, well balanced l so far as the commonly considered nutrients are concerned, but without animal protein and deficient in the ash found in animal products, was fed to a lot of ducklings. Half of them died within foui weeks, and the others, though saved by the addition to the .ration of a .little meat meal, remained poor, scrawny, half-devclopryi weaklings throughout the 'test. A similar lot, fed a ration of the same apparent nutritive value, but. with part of the protein from animal products, arud in consequence also richer in ash, throve, remained healthy throughout the test, and made a rapid and profitable- growth. Laterr, tho lack of sufficient ash in the allgrain rations was proven the cause of the inferiority of such rations in feeding chicks; but with ducklings the addition of ash did not make the grain rations equal to the others in growth-producing power, although it greatly improved them. Practically speaking, ducks must havesome animal food. Rations on which they would grow might, possibly, be made up without such food', but mo;t froim materials ordinarily used. Recognising tho importance of _ this clement of rations for ducklings, it is essential that ivc know how much is necessary, how much may be fed with profit, and how much the binds can eat without injury. Keoent .experiments have been planned' to brinff out these _ points. In a preliminary feeding trial with two Jots of ducklings of various ages, tho rations contained only sand, green alfalfa (lucerne) and a combination of animal foods, including meat-meal, animal meal, dried blood, bono meal and milk albumen (a by-product from the, milk-sugar factories). For four weeks those animal products supplied 94 per cent, of the protein; yet tho ducklings ate these rich rations, with a ration of about 11 without apparent ill effect, and made good growth, though the cost was high of course, as these are all expensive feeds as compared with grains. As ihe birds grew older and took on weights the rate of gain became slower, and the cost of production excessive.