POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3519, 23 August 1921, Page 20

POULTRY NOTES.

By

TERROR.

p.en! y ol shell grit is supplied, nui.st be attributed to over-.atinmint ing food. (dive eimli bird live drop doses of the tincture of iron pep hi vide in a teaspoonful of sweet -

eiieu liiiilv once daily. Let the pullets have lime-waivr to drink by putting a lump of ijine into the water vesvel. Food grain only and omit the ina.'ii for the present o*l course, only the birds addicted to the luvlng oi eoft-shelled eggs should gel the hvotuo[j i;o't . iuentijiied, but as all your birds iitUo been ted on Hie same plan, (lie probaiiiiil \ i.- that they will acquire- liie same habit u 1110.-3 you teed them differently, 100 much ine.it or pepper will cause fowls to lay unsheiied eggs. “"Fast week. 1 exprc.->ed the wish that t antlers wuulu send m li.r publication items m nnerest to breeder- generally; but, ,m----iortunaldy for me, my "I wish" appeared "Irish ! i assure loaders 1 had no wish to perpetrate a ••bull," Irish or otherwise. ,, A I*‘-tinned (Soldier's Poultry Venture. -dr im it. Ives who is unable to follow , - former occupation as a mechanic tmoug.i chest and other troubles, which hate arisen owing to his haying been gassed dming tjie war, is now striving to "make a do of poultry farming at Berwick street \\akun, near the old Halfway Buslt store.’ He is aiming chiefly at the production, in large numbers of day-old Leghorn chickens and, by running three 252 Petaluma and two circle incubators, expects to turn out aou chickens weekly. On the occasion of a msit to this plant Last week Mr Ives had just tested Hie ( ggs in oim of the large machines and ha<i only found 19 infertile.? and 1 consider he was justified in being very pleased with the result. The incubator iiou.so is. of course, a \ erv important institution on a plant established‘mainly for no production of day-old-chicks, aixl Mr I ' es " 150, .v done his best to build his on tne l-.ost known principles for ensuing | an even temperature day and night, and at ie same time securing proper ventilation, -t is a concrete simeture with glazed windows, and has an iron roof efhientlv nned )0n the ceiling. This building is 20ft ong uy lon wide, and to obviate vibration has an earthen floor. Half of it is for the mcmator.s and the other half walled off constitutes a brooder home. In this latter compartment the brooders are all raised on platforms so that the chickens can he attended to without stooping. They are all arranged around the walls and* each is heated, as necessary, .by lamps stood on b ocks beneath. jin- department has two gicuod windows and electric lighting- is shortly to be fitted up for convenience at night time. There are eight breeding pens on the leant each. 15ft by sft, roofed with maithoid and solidly lined. The ne=ts are under the dropping boards, and are so arranged in at whilst being easily got at by the attendant tne birds, entering them Horn tne back, have that privacy which they seek ior in the natural state and the Air i\cs informs me, is no cfro-- e atinrr -tnown (.n the establishment. The fitter in every pen ie deep and I was informed it is lencwed weekly. Lucli of these eight breed;ng. pens consists of birds of well known jewng rams mated to cockerels chiefly of -Jams. Mewarr. and Green strains, and a more docile lot cannot be imagined. I have always argued that it is domesticated fowls which lav the best (other things boilin' equal): Wen Mr lyes’ birds may not meielv be picked up as required, hut th e v actually come to bo fussed with! The pen's tor the laying stock are built on the same plan as are the breeding pens : One of them is nine by_ 15ft. and another three are 9o'i - 1 H I ° tt ( ' ac * il ' 311(1 oac 'h contains about bl !'« s ' minus roosters. The total range of bleeding and laying pens is 72ft by** 15ft (•cep, all face for the most sunlight and arc we,l hoarded up in front as a wind smeni. and at the divisions to prevent di«juUe, between the cockerels. Mr Ives i* feeding upon the system recommended by me Government instructors, and when lie asaeo me whether I tnought lie could make a living at poultry keening on the lines he was following, I fo!t no hesitation in saving: * os.! Mr Ives is still an out-patient at I lie hospital, but Tortunately for him hiv'!fi: enthusiastic over their present y -'- ur !; p to h u seb In view of th U: taf d -is well as others indicated in the foreL° inn '* xPO ' - ila i if Mr Ives cannot make *, a ll °' as he calls it ~f poultry farming. r'V’-T el? ,° r;,n - ! may add that it a Ml * lves suggestion that a soldiers’ class was pm un at the last Dunedin Show, ? ! - , 11 ,s satisfactory to know that one of hi« 1 1 1 1 **<■■■• red a place in the competition. Mr ive, extends a free invitation to all and sundry mtore# led in pountry culture to visit and inspect lug plant. , •' breeder suggests that poultry can be cured of the egg-eating habit in a very simple manner. He says :-"Hoak an egg shell and all complete) in kerosene for an Hour or two and then put in tho run for the egg-ea lers benefit." "Fowls,” ,„y intoimjiit saps, never seem lo acquire a taste for kerosene-snaked eggs and, having once tasted on", avoid all other eggs for tear of consequences.” I he ■amateur should not attempt io star: a poultry .strain of his own until he has mastered the air of mating and broediy:'. ills' best com - ■ is to select • me re-hu'-abx breeocr who lias established a superior strain, and purchase a pen or two rnaled up by him. The amateur on then send bin k each year for stock nr can buy eggs from tlie breeders best pens, and raise stock that, being of the same line, will "nick" witb his own birds and give him the advantage of the improvement the breeder has been making in the strain. Of course ii is very necessary that in starting to breed along these lines, one should select a breeder who practises live breeding, and \ breeds ins own winners, instead of buying them. However v snys u noted authority) there are few breeders who would not occasionally buy a bird of another strain if I hey were to hud one strong in some point in which their own line was weal.. But, having secured such a bird, they would be very careful lo prove its breeding well by experimental innings, before introducing : iblood into the entire strain. They • aid then introduce only the percentage if blond nones.- my to produce the _ desired pernis upon ibe breed and strain. Nine breeding failures out of 10 are due to the breeder rather Hum the particular system which he followed. Tt i- absolutely necessary to breed only from Ihe best, both as i i individual quality and blood line, if ue hope for improvement. Those who are not serving green food to their fowls are not getting as many eggs as they should. In ihe spring of tho year, when the chicks are growing, it is a simple plan to build frames about three or four inches above the ground, and inside of them plant oat.-, covering the frame with a small wire mesh. As I lie oats sprout and reach the top of He v. os the chicks can pick off the toil- i d id t!c roots will he unharmed, ami the given stuff will continue to grow. la-- than lb per cent, of farm hens gets proper feeding during the spring and

summer months. They should, have mash . i and animal protein all toe year to maxe the best profit. That worms and bugs 1 from the farm range meet this ;ue., largely imaginary. Records .-now t iw;e hens "pick up” less than 25 re err!, pi- i tile feed m-eded for egg pioduclinii. Ur.uu i and green feed are good, but alone u > not supply ekeuo o protein to make egg a. rumen. : 1 - - About Washing Eggs.—Accord;: g to the specialists of the United dial - Depait- ( ; ment of Agiieult ure, from 17 pi 22 pc; e. : t. . < of washed eggs become worthless ill For- > age, who; eas only 4 to 8 per cent, or (liny ; eggs stored unwashed spoil. The exphtra- s tion is simple. Water removes from 'duo , shell of the egg a gelatinous covering v. inch helps to keep air and germs out of me j inside of the egg. Once this covering is 1 , removed Ip washing, or by rain which gets ' , : to eggs in toft; nest, germs and mould find , ready access to tile contents and -puil the i eggs. The remedy is simple. It is to have j the nests where the rain cannot gei to , them, and to have dry material in them ; c and to keep it dry. Not much to do, , is it? But the fact that il isn't done causes > . tile loss of thousands of pounds every year j in South Australia—and everywhere else in | , the world for the matter of that --from had : I eggs. ! I Grit and Mineral Matter.—The writer | of the following article on this subject : ] received a first prize l'r..m the American Poultry Journal: —Grit is to the fowl what , teeth are to the animal. It: grinds the I feed and prepares it for digestion. It is ■ . , then very reasonable to think that fowls 1 j will get much more good out of the feed : ■ I they eat if they have a good supply oi' j 1 j grit to enable them to thoroughly mastl- i j cate it. Just as we know a person will keep in better health, if he chews his food well, so economy is really practised when 1 we look well to the supnlv of grit for our 1 * fowls. _ _ 1 It is essential that this grit be of a J rough character—that is. it must have l sharp, protruding edges. It is these rough * particles working against each other and I with the feed that grinds it into pulp. ! How often this matter of grit is I < neglected iif the pen of yarded fowls! : ( The yard will look as bare of anything in <l 1 the shape of grit as the desert of a green ! < j growth. The hens will have a dejected | t sort of look, and the owner will fell you | t that they are a little puny. Bui it is not his fault, for he has been feeding them j t about all they will cat. When asked a about the subject of grit he may seem a I little astonished at the query, and remark i t I that they just pick that up as they wish. I i j Til most cases, fowls running at largo will t j get enough grit to supply their daily t 1 wants. Yet we have seen many sandy i locations where it was absolutely essential < that it be supplied to fowls on free range, j t At any rate it will do no harm to have c some sharp grit about the roosting house, i in small boxes nailed to the wall of the house, where if cannot be scratched out c in the dirt, and where it will be in a i convenient place for the birds to get it. ; 1 Oyster shells ground or broken to a con- : r j venient size for the fowls make a splendid t addition to the feed. The shells contain '(_ so much carbonate of lime that it is ; t t readily assimilated by the hens. It is an 1 t important property used in the formation j j, of egg shells, and will go a long way I y toward preventing the laving of soft-shelleu c eggs. " " o