POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 45

POULTRY NOTES.

Py TeHKOH.

“Novice.” —Yes, I believe there are some Anconas about, but I do not know of any breeder to whom I can recommend you. An advertisement above this column would, no doubt, bring you in touch with one. I have never ■ kept them, but by all accounts tley are prolific layers and when of good strain quite equal to Leghorns. The Young Bird Show, to be held under the rules and regulations of the South Island N.Z. Poultry,- Pigeon, and Canary Association, is to be opened this year at Fullers’ Hall, Vogel street, on the 26th and 27th. The schedules, which are now out, shew that the prize list is liberal in all sections. Mr Tom. A. Brown, Caver sham, is secretary; and it is notified that entries close on Saturday, March 13. —-The Now Zealand Poultry Association’s tenth annual conference opens on Tuesday next. It promises to be one of the best yet held. The secretary has already received advice of 24 delegates of affiliated societies from all parts of the Dominion, In addition to these, quite a number of members have signified their intention to be present. Not a few of the northern delegates have never seen Dunedin, and, after the business of the conference (which lasts for two days) is over, they hope to visit a number of poultry farms ancf also lire Government poultry station at Milton. The order paper for, the second day is a largo one, there being some 34 remits, all dealing with important matters. Poultrykeepers are invited to be present and listen to the discussion, and they should avail themselves of the opportunity. Mr J. B. Merrett, secretary of the New Zealand Poultry Association, was in Dunedin last week, making final arrangements for the poultry conference to be held in Dunedin on March 9 and 10. He states that the conference would be largely attended by delegates from, all parts of the Dominion, and that the remits to_ be discussed are of great value to the industry. The membership of the association has grown considerable, while the affiliated societies represent practically all the poultry men and fanciers in the Dominion. A very fine programme has been arranged, as follows : —Tuesday, March 9 (first day): 9.30 Roll call and minutes. 10—Mayoral reception ; M.P.’s, presidents Otago A. and P. Association and Farmers’ Union; photo of conference to be taken. 11 to 12—Secretary’s report and balance sheet. 1 p.m.— Motor run to Portobello (four hours’ trip); visit to Mr .Shaddock’s poultry farm, and the Government poultry experts to answerquestions; motor cars will leave the conference hall sharp at 1 p.m. 8 p.m.—“A Progressive Policy for the Poultry Industry”; a report to the Conference Committee to be read by Mr 15. J. Ross; discussion. Second day, March 10: 9.30 to 10.30—-President’s address. 10.30 to s—Remits,5 —Remits, election of officers, general. 8 p.m.— Social evening- to be given by the Oamaru Egg Circle in the -Strand Tea Rooms, 3 Princes street; musical items by the Dunedin Fanciers’ Club. Third day, March 11: Motor excursion to the Government Poultry Farm, Milton, visit the poultry plants of Mn A. Love and Mr W. J. Smart en route, arranged by the Otago Egg Circle. Visitors will be entertained at Milton by the Department of Agriculture. Delegates will assemble at the conference hall at 9 a.m. sharp. —Occasionally eggs containing a small spot of blood may occur, giving the impression that they have received partial incubation. The presence of such matter is ascribed as due to hemorrhage caused by the rupture of a small blood vessel in the ovary or oviduct. A little perchloride of

iron in the drinking water is 'generally advised, <he dose being one teaspoonful" to each pint of water. Very pale yolks are frequently met with at this time of the year, the usual cause being an insufficient supply of green food. and otherwise cared for, should lay at five months. The eggs average five to the lb. They..lay. mostly at nights. Two, three and fourTyear-old ducks should be mated to year-old drakes. When a fowl is noticed to be dark red in comb, -to .have her feathers ruffled up, and to be- dragging her tail, thfr probability is that fhe ia -suffering from egg-binding. Examine- her by smearing your fingers with vaseline and inserting them in the ventShould the hen be egg-bound, you will feel the big end of the egg quite near to the vent. It -may be either shelled or shellless. • Should the ege be shelled, give one teaspoonful of castor oil into her mouth, and see that she swallows it. This should be done in the early morning, before any focd has been given to her. Then let her have a small feed of warm bread and milk, leave her for an hour, and then steam her. This latter is done by three parts filling a jug with boiling water, stretch a piece _ of flannel over' the "mouth of the jug, being very. Careful that the flannel does not go into the water and then gently rest the abdomen and vent on the flannel. She should be lie Id there for 15 minutes, during which time the egg should be passed. If it is not, this latter part of the treatment should be repeated every four hours. If you find the egg to „be a shell-less one, -you should take the bird to a veterinary surgeon and ask him to remove it. If you get the hen right and she goes broody, there is no reason whatever why she should not be entrusted with a sitting of eggs. -—The following answers to questions given by the Poultry World ar.e well worth noting:—No. (1) Does it hurt a fowl to cut its wings? (2) Whether this hinders a male bird from carrying out his duties? (3) Whether wing locks are preferable to clipping? The reason for cutting or clipping the wing is that the Leghorns and Anconas fly over a 6ft fence. It does not hurt a fowl to clip its wings any more than it hurts the individual to cut a finger nail, provided that the cutting is properly carried out. A pair of sharp scissors should be used, and the first 10 flights of the wing only need be cut. -Most people cut one wing, and find it effective. Cut in this way such a bird cannot be detected from one that has not had the wing feathers out. (2) Yes, it certainly is a handicap to a cockerel to have the wing feathers cut. (3) This is a matter' of opinion. If wing locks are used, they should be removed < fortnightly and the feathers dusted with insect powder, as a locked wing is a safe breeding place for lice. Probably locking does cause some cramp. In cutting a wing, leave one inch of the' shaft of the feather from the socket. Have you tried a thin—very thin — wire nailed across the top of your fences? This is frequently very effective. Cutting the wings of females, and the casting wire should solve your difficulties. —An unusual happening was recently noted at an institution near Adelaide. A pair of seagulls which, it is understood, had failed to hatch any of their eggs in some way got hold of a duck egg on which 'they sat, and from which four weeks later a duckling was hatched. The gulls carefully attended to the duckling," which grew and made good progress, and to-day it has I nearly attained its full size. It is, of course, much bigger than the gulls, but it follows its foster parents about, and evinces much affection for them. Wherever the gulls go the duck follows, and it is amusing to see the big duck waddling after the slim,, graceful gulls. ' It is believed that the nffec--tion exhibited by the duckling is reciprocated by the gulls, and the occurrence provides another instance of what Nature will do when for any reason a bird or animal fails in its effort to produce its own kind. It is hoped that the trio are as happy and contented as their behaviour tVould indicate.

Dubbing male birds which are intended to be placed in the breeding pens is to be recommended when the comb and wattles' of the birds are so large that they become a source of. trouble by falling over or being too heavy for the birds to carry properly. One often sees a male bird which has been placed in a fairly small breeding pen and fed with stimulating food develop comb and wattles to nearly twice the size and weight that they were when in an open run. In such cases dubbing is an absolute necessity to ensure fertility. Although I do not favour dubbing birds which are intended for exhibition in the utility. sections, there is no doubt that for breeding birds it is often necessary. The breeds which generally grow heavy combs are Leghorns and Minorcas. Dubbing is an operation which is easily performed, and although it may seem rather cruel, the birds do not suffer much. I have often seen birds which were dull and listless through heavy combs and wattles start to feed directly they were put down after being dubbsd, apparently much relieved bv the removal of these appendages. A pair of strong scissors or a sharp knife can be used in dubbing. Cool the comb and wattles by the application of ice or cold water. Catch the comb firmly, holding it un straight, and, starting at the front, cut it off evenly and cleanly about half an iuch from the top of the head. Remove the wattles in the same manner, leaving about half an inch in each case. If the comb and wattles have been well cooled there will not . be much loss of blood. Should there be an excess, it may be stopped by the use of a searing iron. Downy feathers, cobwebs, burnt paper powdered, and finely-ground resin will all check the flow of blood. The use of scissors in dubbing is preferable, as the process of cutting closes the veins to a greater extent that by the use of a knife. Keep the dubbed bird bv itself for a few days until the wound heals up, as the inrha.tes of the pen would b? liable to pick at the sores. Fraser and Co., auctioneers, produce merchants, and commission agents, and agents for the Otago Egg Circle, 146 Crawford street, Dunedin. report:—Ep-<?s—market unsteady: plain 2s Id to 2s 2d; stamped 2s 3d. Poultry.—We held our usual auction sale on Wednesday at 1.30. and the following prices were realised: —Hens —six at ss. 28 at 5s 4d, 50 at 5s Bd. 200 at 5s lOd. 84 at 6s; cockerels, 6s to 8s; ducks —three at 5s od. seven at Bs, four at 9s Bd. four at 10s. All at per oair. Turkeys—gobblers, Is 6id to Is hens, Is 4d to Is per lb live weight. LEO WEAKNESS IN CHTCKENS. The late Oscar Smart, a prolific and scientific writer on poultry, speaking of leg weakness—a trouble very prevalent here this season, said: The facts are these:—(l) Leg weakness is most prevalent in brooder-reared chickens

in the early months of <ttie year, but almost entirely disappears during 1 the spring and' summer months. (2) Leg -weakness is very rare with hen-reared chickens even in the early months of the year, which is in sharp contrast to those reared in brooders. This has been made the subject for in.l- - with the result that-we have found that the trouble is due to one of several causes—sometimes to a combination of all—and that simply by removing the cause, or causes, and by adding- a litfie bone meal—about 10 per cent.—to the food and allowing an ample supply of fresh green food—this . is most important?—the trouble is soon put right. . I Continuous high temperature, combined with a dry atmosphere, is a frequent cause of leg weakness. In cold or wet weather the chickens crowd into a sleeping chamber 1 . of the brooder, where they remain In. a temperature of between 90deg and lOOdejc « Fahr. for the best part of the day and all of the night. The humidity of this com-. partment is usually low, and the two —continuous high temperature and iow ' humidity—combine to have a serious effect on the cartilege, or outer coating, of the bones. It causes this outer coating to be- ■ oome hard and brittle (ossification) instead of soft and pliable, as it should be, with the result the bones cannot grow and a kind of avain ricketts results. A really good fireless brooder is best for winteS rearing, and, failing this, the sleeping ohamber of the heated brooder should be liberally ventilated near the floor as well as near the roof.

Unsuitable or insufficient litter is anothejr frequent cause of leg weakness in youngi chickens during winter months when they have to be kept closely confined to ; the brooders. Unless the litter . offers resistance to the muscles of the legs when the chickens are scratching, it is useless; it is not the mere moving of the legs which develop the is the effort to shift something which is comparatively heavy and offers resistance which proves so beneficial. One measure of earth or sand to two measures of chaff, increased when the birds reach three weeks to equal parts of each, makes an ideal litter, if put to a depth o£, atr le'ast, 6in. Chaff alone is too light, -and is too easily shifted; it offers no resistance to the muscular action, with the inevitable result that the muscles do not develop ii» proportion to the rapidly-increasing weight of body, so that between two -weeks and »• month the body becomes too heavy, for the' 'ill-developed muscles, and "leg weakness" is the result. ' _