POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3803, 1 February 1927, Page 33

POULTRY NOTES.

Terror.

/ By

”B. J.”—-No, I cannot advise your spreading litter in the open for your fowls to scratch in for their grain. What with the wet weather, which is so prevalent here, litter so placed would' always be wet, and it would rapidly become soiled with the fowls’ droppings. The litter should be under a roof, and be kept dry and open, so that the fowls may scatter it in searching for the grain thrown into it. Should it get damp and soiled it should be removed aijd fresh stuff strewn. Litter placed under a roof does not become fouled so readily as it would in the open, because the fowls’ droppings dry and quickly turn into dust. The Result of High Food Prices.— Government statistics show that the number of fowls kept in New Zealand in 1926 compared with those kept in 1921 shows a decrease of 209,864. Some Interesting Facts Concerning Eggs.—The composition of white of egg is 84 per cent, water/ 124 per cent, albumen, 2| per cent, sugar, 1 per cent, mineral matter;—total, 100 per cent.

Composition of yolk: 52 per cent, water, 45 per cent, oil and fat, 1 per cent, albumen, 1 per cent, mineral matter, 1 per cent, colouring;—total, 100 per cent. Composition of eggshell: 93.71 per cent, carbonate of lime, 1.39 per cent, carbonate. of magnesia, .76 per cent, phosphate of lime, 4.14 per cent, organic substances; — total, 100 per cent. Fresh eggs: 11.4 per cent, shell, 13.2. per cent, protein, 7.9 per cent, fat, 65.77 per cent, water, 0.8 per cent, ash; —total, 100 per cent. Eighty per cent, of the solids of' white are flesh-forming and 30 per cent, of th 6 solids of yolk are flesh-forming. The yolk of an egg weighs about one-third of the whole, the white 60 per cent, of the whole, and the shell 10 per cent, of the whole. Average size of the egg of all breeds: Large circumference, 6.19 in; small circumference 5.17 in. Weight per dozen, 11b 8.050 z. The white of an egg forms feathers; the white of an egg contains no fat. The average weight of a hen’s egg is l£oz to 2oz. In food value lOOoz of complete eggs equal 104 oz of beef; lOOoz of yolks equal 2300 z of beef. In cold storage eggs are held at 31 deg to 34deg Fahr. At 27deg Fahr, the shells burst. The germ of life in the eggs causes decay in the first instance. Specific gravity of a brown-shelled egg is 1087 and of a white-shelled egg 1092. The percentage of shell in a brown egg is 9.96, and in a white egg 10.82. The white occupies 64.22 per cent, of an egg, shell free, and the yolk 35.78 per cent. The loss of weight of eggs exposed to the air is in 10 days 1.6 per cent.,-20 days 3.16 per cent., 30 days 5 per cent. In conclusion, eggs laid with soft shells are due to overfat condition very often, and very often when there is no lack of, grit. Eggs laid with double yolks are due to overfeeding. Small eggs from old hens are also caused by overfeeding. When a valuable hen lays large eggs in succession fast hetone day and then diet her or she will break down.

Boraeic Acid.—Boracic acid is very useful in the poultry-yard. Keep a bottle of the solution in hand and some of the powder. For sore eyes, cold in the eyes, etc., place a teaspoonful of the powder in an ounce of water, shake well, and droji a little into the eyes twice a day. For wounds or sores, wash the part well to remove all dirt, and then dust liberally with the powder. Repeat twice a day, binding up the part if practicable. To Improve Tar.—Shortly it will be the tarring season in advance of winter rains, and the following hint (taken from the Feathered World) on how to improve the tar will no doubt be well worth trying. The more common method is to apply hot tar over the poultry-house roofs and then sprinkle with fine sand. This does very well until the summer heat of the sun hits it, when it will be found to run, and has to be done over again. The following method is declared to give almost permanent results: —Stand the pail of tar on bricks, and thin down over a red-ember fire. When nearly as thin as water drop into it a lump of yellow resin. Then with a cupful of methylated spirit melt or dissolve about £lb of alum and '2oz to 3oz shellac. When thoroughly dissolved add to the tar, and paint the roof over while the tar is hot. Give another coating in a week's time, as it is this second dressing that gives the fine lasting, weather-resisting surface. The sun will not run tar if put on in this way, as the yellow resin prevents melting and has a binding effect. The alum and shellacserve to make the mixture thoroughly impervious to water, .md the heaviest rain cannot go through it. How to Start.—lt has never been satisfactorily settled which came first—the hen or the egg. Did the hen lay the egg, or was the chick that eventually grew into a hen hatched from the egg in the first instance? Nor can anyone tell you which is the best way to make a start. You must follow your own inclination, just as you must follow your own bent in settling what breed of birds you will eventually keep. You may begin with a rooster and a few two-year-old hens, or you may get a broody hen and a setting of eggs, or you may buy some day-old chicks, or you may wait till the fall of the year and secure as many matured pullets as you have room for. The lastnamed method carries the lowest risk; but, like gilt-edged securities, costs the most. The day-old chick way of making a start presupposes some knowledge of artificial brooding. The broody hen may not stay with her job, and so may not produce any chicks that she can brood herself, which would cause you to be sadly left. For the remaining method—that of beginning with a rooster and a few two-year-old hens—we will give you the advice that Punch used to give' to those about to marry: “Don’t.”—Montreal Witness.

Selling Eggs.—Are your egg-marketing arrangements made? If your pullets are well grown you should be getting a good percentage of production beginning with the Ist of October or shortly thereafter. To realise the greatest possible profit from the eggs, special attention should be given to their marketing. Whether one should sell at retail, ship to retail dealers or to commission merchants, or sell to local produce buyers are questions that each individual must answer for himself; but don’t fail to look earnestly for the right answer. There are . few who produce market eggs who really are selling to the best possible advantage. The average poultry-keeper looks on salesmanship as something that is largely beyond his control or beneath his dignity, and either attitude is a mistake. There is as much money to be made by improvement in marketing as by improvement in methods of producing, and as a rule it’s money.—Reliable Poultry Journal Handling Game Birds—The following is extracted from an article written by Herbert Atkinson in Feathered World:— “It is sometimes necessary to' catch a bird by the leg (shank) from his roost if very wild, but do not hold him thus a moment longer than you can get hold of him properly. Always hold him lightly with your fingers round his thighs and thumbs outside his wings, and do not squeeze him’with your thumbs. If he struggles, sway him rapidly from "side to side a few times. When you wish to take him out of the pen do not hesitate, watch your opportunity, and rapidly grasp him by the thigh, and lift him out. Do not hold him head down in an unnatural position, and do not squeeze him. Hold him as you would a delicate piece of porcelain, and if you are patient you will find it a pleasure and easier every

time, and savage birds become tame when they no longer fear you are going to hurt them. Moulting cocks'should never be handled unless absolutely necessary, as with the old feathers dropping out and the young feathers full of blood and soft, the cock’s tail is tender, ■ sore, and painful, and any handling is painful to him. It is this that makes soma birds very bad tempered during the moult.” Reilly s report there is an exceptionally keen demand for poultry, really good birds in good condition commanding good values as they hold a large order for prime hens, cockerels, ducks, and specially want 100 turkeys. At their sale on Wednesday they penned in all 192 hens, selling at the following prices:—Hens: 16 at 8s lOd, 28 at Bs, 26 at 7s Bd, 14 at 4s 6d, 17 at 4s 2d, 26 at 4s, 6 at 3s lOd, 25 at 3s Bd, 12 at 3s 6d, 22 at 3s 4d. Cockerels: 15 at 7s Bd, 13 at 7s, 12 at 6s, 2 at 4s 6d Chickens: 3 at 3s Bd, 2 at 3s. Pullet chickens: 6 at 5s 6d. Ducks: 14 at Ils 10 at 10s, 4 at 8s 6d. Bantams: 4 at 4s’ 3 at Is. Pigeons: 9 at Is. Six small pullets and cockerels at 3s 4d. All at per pair. , Eggs. Large supplies have been com in" on to the market, which is rather sluggish but we were able to clear all our°°-on-signmcnts on a basis of Is 8d per dozen.