POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3276, 27 December 1916, Page 47

POULTRY NOTES.

Tsv TICHROK

At Christmas and New Tear people not only exchange verbal greetings—which T heartily do with all my readers, —but they generally • make some tangible demonstration of good-will, and perhaps it may not be out of place for mo to suggest that poultry people could not only please their friends and provide for the delectation of their own families, but add considerably to their earnings, in future years they made some little preparation as Christmas approaches for the fattening of a few of their fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys'(as tho case may be), so that they would be really presentable at Christmas and New Year tables. Mr L. C. Verry. the at one time well-known author of books on poultry, in a treatise on the fattening of poultry points out that "by tho process of fattening the flesh becomes more juicy and tender, and certainly of a better colour," and, such being the case, it stands to reason that purchasers, or recipients of gifts, would esteem them the more highly. Quoting a French authority he explains: "For the fattening of chickens it is indispensable that they be kept in the dark. They must bo placed in a cage with an open front of bars hi

which there is only just room enough for their bodies. An abundance of nourishment, composed of maize and buckwheat, must be given twice a day, and a paste made of maize meal, buckwheat meal, and oatmeal, soaked in milk or skim-milk, with a little salt added. By preparing this paste the night before using, fermentation takes place which renders it more digestible. After 13 or 20 days of this system the fowl is fat and good and ready for eating. This method of fattening is called ' natural fattening,' to distinguish it from the ' forced method,' which consists of forcing the food into the throat. Another method of fattening is to give the fowls pellets, in the form of an olive, which are made of a mixture of barley meal, buckwheat meal, and oatmeal in the proportion of one part of oatmeal, two parts of barley meal, and three of buckwheat meal moistened with milk into a firm paste. Five or six of these pellets are griveii each fowl morning and evening at the commencement of the fattening process, the quantity being gradu-" ally increased till it is just doubled. To make it easier for the birds to swallow, each pellet is dipped in water or milk before being introduced into the beak." Here in New Zealand pollard might take the place of buckwheat meal, and with, I should fancy, quicker results. Birds can be forced by hand if the bird is held between the legs of the operator, and this system would suffice where only small numbers are handled. In the case of large numbere a machine is required, and I believe the Government poultry inspectors have a machine with which they could give demonstrations if requested to do 60. Diarrhoea amongst' chickens is generally caused through too much food being thrown upon the ground, and left, to go souv in the sun. There is another disadvantage with regard to leaving the food on the ground—viz., that the chickens keep running over it, and then they eat it. Too much sloppy food, impure water, and (or) dampness will also cause diarrhoea"; and so again will the c mfcimiance of only one kind of food. The remedy is to revert to a morn rational method of feeding, to properly drain the quarters, or make them waterproof as the case may be, and to give a good feed of boiled rice sprinkled with chalk. All excrement should be removed from the vent and its neighbourhood by spraying with warm water and cutting away matted fluff. Dry-fed chickens seldom got diarrhoea. The urinary apparatus in fowls is made up of the kidneys, which are reddishbrown lobular bodie»s situated in the body cavities on either side of the backbone, occupying the space below the attachment of the ovaries or testicles. Each kidney has three lobes. Attached to these kidneys are white corj-iike ducts, the ureters, which communicate with the cloaca (the terminal part of the intestines). The urine is mixed with the fasces, or excrement, in the cloaca, and is represented by that part of the droppings which is white or chalky in colour. The fowl has no bladder.

The New Zealand Utility Poultry Club's twelfth ejrg-laying competition for lightbreed fowls for the thirty-sixth week ended December 19 shows the following are the leading nens :

1. Mrs J. Mills (Woodhan<di). W.L. .. 1107 1. J. Nancnrrow (Bnrwood), W.E 1051 3. Master Jack Greon (St. Albans), W.l*. 1043 4. Calder Bros. (Ocmaru), W.l* 10HG 5. Brmn-inrrt E-jfg Ranch. (Otaki), W.L. .. 1020 6. Cakler Bros. "No. 2. W.L 1017

There are 49 pens (204 birds) in this competition, and tbe total number of eggs laid to date is 45,360

In the third heavy-breed contest the leadin.T nens are:

1. T. E. Conway Ovirwee). 8.0 985 2. J. NVmcarrow (Burwood), 8.0 80t 3. C. J. Norton (Ai»hbiirton). 8.0. .. .. fiPO 4. Mrs J. James (Sookburn), 8.0. .. .. S6O 1 Mi'n "R. Willie (Shirlev). 8.0 Sfi^ 5. T. Dowthwaite (Avondale), S.W. .. 854

There are 11* pena f 66 birds) in this eomr>°tition. cons'stmg of two pe?is of white Wyandoltes, one pen Plvmouth "Roeks. one Rhode Island five black Orpingtons, and two silver To date the total laid is 97 6*^.

First contest: 1. Mrs J. Mills munedm), W.L 390 2. B. H. James (Marshlands) W.B. .. 196 3. Older Bros. ('Oamaru). W.L 193 4. TV. Davey (Wellington), W.L 186 There arp 14 birds entered—viz.. two **hode Inland rods, and 12 white Leghorns. 1. W. Bower (Levin) 1]95 2. nerefarmara Poultry Co. (Silverstrcam) 1055 3. W. Kuiglit (Bower Hutt) 931 Indian runners only are competing, r.nd there are only three entered. The total laid to d<?tc is 3181.

Messrs Reilly, Gill, and Co. report: A very fine yard ; n<r of poultry to meet our Christmas demands.. In all we received and sold 1150 birds, all of which experienced a prood demand. It may interest our readers to know that in all we submitted to auction 125 different pens, all of which we sold within one hour. Durinar the week we received hwvy cons : onments of eggs, and we wore able to clear the whole of our stamped eprrs at Is 3d and case ecrj's at le lid to Is 2£d.' The followiun- prices were realised for our poultry:—Cockerels—27 at 2s Bd. 6 at 3s 7d. H-ns—2oo at, Is 6d. 59 at Is. 7d. 26 at U Brl. 36 at Is 9d. 75 at Is lOd. 30 at 1 lid. 137 at 2s. 14 at 2s 2d. 42 at 2s 3d. 8 at 2s 4d. 16 at 2s 7d. 7 ar 2? lid. Ducks—2s at. 2s 3d. 10 at 2s 4d 6 at 2s 6d. 27 at 2s 9d. 15 at 3s. Cocks--1 at Is 7d. 9 at Is 9d. 2 at Is lid. 2 at 2s. 4 at 2s Id. 3 at 2s 3d, 1 at 2s 6d. 1 at 2s 7d. 1 at 3s 9d. Geese_l3 at ss. 8 at 6s. 10 at, 6s 9d. snt 7s. Ctr'ckens—7o at 3d 25 at 9d, 45 at lOd. 10 at Is. 31 at is id. 13 at Is 3d. 7 at Is 6d. Ducklings—B at Is 4d. 11 nt 2s 3d. 18 at 3s 6d. 6 at 3s 9d. 9 at 3s lOd, 9 at 4s 3d. Turkey hen—l at 7s 6d.