POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 41

POULTRY NOTES.

By TXRBOK.

: The . Westport Poultry Club held its annual meeting on the Ist inst. Mr J. W. Shanks presided. The secretary, Mr A. Silcock, reported that there were 227 entries at the Show, constituting a record. The door takings amounted to £2B 2s The balance in hand, after all expenses were paid, was £2O 6s 9d. The officers elected for the ensuing year are: —Patron, Mr W. Newman; president, Mr J. W. Shanks; secretary-treasurer, Mr W. J. Wilson; trustees, Messrs J. M. Sunley and W. Solomon ; auditor, Mr F. Clarke. Parrish's chemical food is recommended as a great aid to egg-production, and a grand tonic. It is said to be much better than_ sulphate of iron, as sulphate of iron oxidises in the air.

The dust-bath is appreciated as much by young chickens as by adult birds. The dust-bath for both young and old birds is a'very important item. It ie to fowls what our hot-water bath is to us. It is absolutely necessary to them.

A Homo Country poultryman says that to make tar ready for use without making a fire place a large piece of new lime in a bucket of tar. This will heat tho ; tar and make it dry quicker and stick better. Should any reader try this method of heating tar, I would like to hear the result. To give birds medicine is rather difficult unless you know how. Try the following plan :—Get a pieco of canvas or a towel and roll the hen up hight in this, leaving only the bill out. You can then manage without any trouble to give them liquid medicino without spilling or getting your hands scratched, etc. One of the most important and valuable features of charcoal is that it has a very valuable cleansing influence, and' is especially valuable, when fed to laving hens during the breeding season, or, in fact, at any time of the year. They do not have to be forced to eat it, as many suppose, but eat it of their own account quite greedily. The, high cost of poultry feed is an added reason this year for killing off all cockerels as soon as their sex is known unless there is some special reason for keeping them. Whether they are killed off or not, however, they should bo separated from the pullets as soon as possible in order that the latter may develop to the best they are capable of. Except in the

brooding pen, cockerels arc only in the way amongst a farmer's birds, and to a great extent militate- against his laying stock being profitable. One of the most important things for farmers to do is to produce infertile eggs. These cannot possibly start to hatch under any conditions of temperature. Under ordinary conditions they have better keeping qualities than fertile eggs, and in warm weather the majority of eggs marketed cannot be guaranteed as first-class unless they arc infertile. Infertile eggs are absolutely essential if highest prices are to be expected. This means that no male birds should bo kept with the females except during the breeding season. All mature male birds should be sold or killed as soon as the hatching season is over. It is largely because of the presence of the male birds in the laying flock during warm weather that so many bad eggs are produced on the farm. —lt is a mistake to feed chickens before they are from 36 to 48 hours old. Why? Because Nature provides nourishment in the form of the yolk of the egg from which the chicken is hatched, and which is sufficient to keep the chick going for 48 hours. Immediately prior to hatching the yolk is drawn into the stomach of the chick, and as it takes up all the available space it is obvious that it must bo absorbed before feeding is commenced. If food be supplied immediately after hatching the small stomach is apt to become overloaded, causing diarrhoea and the "pasting up" of the vent. Although too early feeding is a prolific source of trouble, it will do no harm to provide the chicks with water 24 hours after hatching. Isn't it a fine scheme, this provision of Nature? The idea clearly is that in the natural state the mother hen, when beset by natural enemies, might find it good business to move on, or to hide. In either case the chicks might have little or no chance to obtain food, and it's just here that the yolk comes to their assistance. The natural scheme is unaltered, notwithstanding the fact that fowls are now kept under confined domesticated -conditions. Therefore, as the yolk still passes into the chick's stomach as usual, the poultrykeeper need not worry about the feeding until the chicks are from 36 to 48 hours old, by which time the whole, or most of the yolk, will have become absorbed. . —Messrs Reilly, Gill, and Co. report: An exceptionally good yarding of poultry for their sale on Wednesday._ Prices, _as readers' will note by detailed list herewith, ruled very high, the following sales being effected:—Pullets: 2 at 2s Id, 4 at 2s lOd, 6 at 3s 9d, 14 at 4s, 10 at ss. Hens: 6 at 2s sd, 26 at 2s 6d, 10 at 2s 7d, 16 at 2s 9d, 25 at 2s lid. 5 at 3s, 16 at 3s 2d, 32 at 3s 3d. 46 at 3s 4d, 3 at 3s 6d. Cockerels: 18 at 3s Id, 34 at 3s 4d, 44 at 3s sd, 2 at 3s 6d, 8s at 3s 7d, 1 at 5s 3d. Cocks: 1 at 3s Id, 2 at 3s 2d. Chickens: 14 at sd. Turkeys: 18 hens, lb; 23 gobblers, 10£d. Eggs: The market is fully supplied. Up to the present wo have been able to clear our stamped and guaranteed at Is 3d per dozen, and our case eggs at Is 2d to Is 2%d per dozen. Messrs Fraser and Co., agents Otago Egg Circle, report: —The egg market remains firm at- from Is 2d to Is 3d per dozen. The average price to members will be from Is 2£d to Is 2|d. This should lot poultry fanners see what' egg circles are doing. Three years ago bakers were buying at per dozen. Poultry: The market is bare of supplies, and anything coming forward realises high prices. Cockerels 5s 6d to 6s, hens 3s 6d to 4s; ducks 5s to 6s* geese 7s per pair; turkey hens 9£d, gobblers 10£d to ll£d.