POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3886, 4 September 1928, Page 32

POULTRY NOTES.

By

Terror.

At this month’s meeting of the New Zealand Utility Poultry Club letters were received from the Hon. L. Al. Isitt and Air J. Liggins, J.P., accepting the position of vice-presidents. The caretaker’s report stated that the birds at the Papanui egg-laying competition were looking well, especially the flock teams, but that the birds in test 4 were not going so well_ as might be expected. Birds in pens 252 and 273 had died during the month, and one bird in flock team 298 was sick and had to be treated. Eggs marketed for five weeks were 604 dozen first quality, 44 dozen second quality, and 70 dozen duck eggs. A motion was carried asking the Government to reconsider its subsidy on the export of eggs and to allow £3 7s 6d for 30 dozen eggs instead of £3 5s as fixed. Poultry people realise that there can be too many birds to the square feet of space in a poultry house or scratching shed, but do they realise that it is possible to have too few birds in the same area of floor space or for the cubical capacity of the whole shed? Too few birds in a house means that there is not enough heat given off from the birds’ bodies to furnish the warm, congenial environment which is necessary to protect them against the extremes of cold, just as too many birds, on the other hand, especially if the house is insufficiently ventilated, results in an excessive amount of moisture and in accumulation of carbon dioxide, which lowers the productivity of one’s flocks. In general it may be said that in the average modern poultry house one bird to each four square feet of floor space is about the correct amount to allow. When more birds than these are kept the litter will become soiled and moist quicker and must be replaced very frequently. .Tainted meat, even if it has been previously cooked, will play havoc with a flock of growing fowls. In 19 cases out of 20 the fowl soon after eating such food will become mopish, sit about for a day or two, and then suddenly expire. When the poultry scribe is asked to account, for such a death he will be .told how the birds are fed and housed, that they have plenty of fresh water, green feed, and grit. etc., but there will be no mention of the tainted meat served’to them. The reason for the omission is, presumably, that the owner or attendant did not know that the meat was tainted, or, though it was unfit for human consumption, it was also unsuitable for fowls. The sooner the fact is realised the sooner there will be more care taken to ■ feed only good, sound, wholesome food. If a bird does not actually die from eating tainted food, its eggs certainly cannot be nice for human consumption. Wildfowl, such as live on carrion, may actually thrive on tainted meat, but I never heard that their flesh or eggs were admired for their flavours.

An Increased Interest.—ln the June issue of the Poultry Journal Messrs William Cook and Sons say: “There has been a great increase in the interest

taken in poultry during the present year, and this has resulted in the majority of poultry farmers having an excellent season for sales. Those who have the right breeds to meet the demand there is for pqllets, and have been careful to see they have secured strains of repute, are doing good business in pullets already, while the price for table birds has shown a welcome profit this spring and early summer, and edible eggs have risen in value in the country markets earlier than in any previous year.” What have the Jeremiahs to say to this? Albuminoid Ratio for Growing Pullets.—The Farmers’ Gazette (Ireland), in replying to the question “What is the correct albuminoid ratio for growing pullets now three and a-half months old?” says: “Our correspondent has put us a question that seldom crops up in our poultry column, and we are sorry we can answer only in theory. The accepted ratio is about 1 to 4 or 1 to-4.5; but what is the use of giving figures when correct ratios could be worked out with ingredients quite unsuitable for fowls? Our advice to our correspondent is to take any good mash formula, see that the ingredients used are of firstrate quality, and forget all about the albuminoid ratio. The pullets will do better and our correspondent will be saved a lot of worry.”

A specialist of the Colorado Agricultural College says: “A scratch mixture may consist of one or two grains. A greater variety may be used. A laying hen requires about 451 b of grain a year, or about 2oz per day per hen. It is best to feed the grain in 6in to Sin of straw, litter to furnish exercise for the flock.” This, of course, is in addition to the mash meal.

Dr Orr, of the Rowett Institute, stated at a recent poultry conference that “ with the modern fowl providing a very large number of eggs the ordinary cereal ration does , not contain sufficient concentration of minerals To allow the fowl to lay without depleting her own tissues, upon which egg laying must cease.”

Lime is one of the cheapest preservatives for eggs to be had, lib of fresh lime being sufficient for 600 eggs. The usual method is to dissolve the lime in five gallons of water, stirring all thoroughly so that the whole of the water is uniformly impregnated. Let the solution stand for a couple of days and then remove the scum which will be found on top. Place the eggs in a crock or barrel, and syphon the lime solution into the preserving vessel, leaving over the top of the eggs 4in of liquid, so as to allow for evaporation whilst they are in pickle. It is advisable not to use the sediment at the bottom of the tub in which the lime was first mixed, but the most important point to remember is that the eggs ,must not be touched until they are required for 'use, because a few days after they have been put into the solution another film, icelike in appearance, forms on the surface, and it is not desirable that this should be broken. The poultry industry is fairly extensive in North Otago. It has hitherto been confined chiefly to the Herbert, Lower Waitaki, and Glenavy districts, where the soil is light, but a resident of the north end of Oamaru has now resolved to embark upon the industry and has made provision for the rearing and housing of 600 birds. Commercial poultry keeping cannot, it is. said, be made to pay with fewer than 500 birds.

Mr Alex. Peat, of Dipton, Southland, has shipped per s.s. Karetu to a Victorian breeder four Indian runner ducks, and one drake to South Australia. Mr Peat is celebrated as. a breeder of high laying runner ducks. His birds are typical' as well as layers, as proven’by wins at competitions and shows. Lady Knight laid 363 eggs in 365 days, averaging 240 z (a world’s record when made). Reilly’s report: A small penning of birds at our Wednesday sale, satisfactory prices secured. We received and sold:— Hens. 5 at Ils 4d, 4 at 10s 2d, 5 at 9s 4d, 3 at 8s lOd, 7 at 8s 2d, 22 at Bs, 3 at 7s lOd, 13 at 7s, 2 at 4s lOd.

Cockerels: 3 at Us, 2 at 7s 6d, 2 at 7s, 2 at 6s 6d, 2 at 6s 2d. Geese: 2 at 8s lOd (all at “per pair”). Turkeys: 1 turkey gobbler at IOAd per lb. One stud cockerel at 20s. Eggs: Alarket firm, supplies wanted; securing from Is 6d to Is 7d for guaranteed. POINTERS IN BROODER MANAGEMENT. Experimental work conducted by the poultry division of the Central Experimental Farm at Ottawa shows that chicks when fed even as early as from 24 to 36 hours after hatching were subject to no greater mortality and made equal weight gains with birds of the same hatch that were allowed to go 48, 60, or 72 hours after hatching before being fed (writes H. S. Gutteridge, of the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa). , In one experiment mortality was considerably lower in the early fed pens. In another mortality was slightly less and weight gains equal. It woulcT therefore- seem to be possible that the chick’s ability to go for a long period without food, which makes possible shipments over great distances, is merely a fortunate circumstance, rather than the proper method of chick management. Certainly the matter of length of starvation period for chicks lends itself readily to abuse, with the result that chicks sometimes suffer from too lengthy a fast, and mortality is experienced from impaction caused by straw, shavings, or other litter material picked un in an effort to find food. Work has also to be carried on in contrasting two methods of feeding chicks which are commonly practised, namely, that of leaving dry mash continually before the. chicks from the start, and that of restricting the amount of mash consumed at any one time by closing the hoppers for different periods during ffie day. .In. one experiment considerably greater gain per chick and slightly greatermortality was experienced when mash was left before the chicks continuously. In another experiment of one week’s duration, the chicks having the mash always before them made double the weight gains, with less mortality, to three weeks of age than those birds receiving mash six times a day for half-hour periods. In other words, the practice of limiting the feeding period of brooder chicks for the purpose of controlling over-eating was detrimental to health and growth, rather than advantageous. When the enormous amount of extra time and labour required are taken into consideration, 'it is without doubt poor economy t« use the intermittent method of feeding.

24tti PAPANUI EGG-LAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens 18th Week ended August 13 (140 days). TEST 1. —J. H. SHAW MEMORIAL CHALLENGE. t —Light and Heavy Breeds.— Week’s Weight

TEST 3.—ANY OTHER VARIETY LIGHT BREEDS EXCEPT WHITE LEGHORNS.

E Black Orpingtons— Iggs. oz.drs. Total. T. D. Dalzlel 5 12. 4 04 Miss Meyrick '«* 4 7. 8 64 i White Leghorns— L. J. Knowles .. 6 12. 3 120 Green Bros., No. 1 7 14.11 118 ; T. W. Betteridge .. 6 13. 7 114 Green Bros., No. 2 7 16.11 118 Master Liggins .. 5 10.15 1U E. J. Ross .. 5 10.13 icra TEST 2.—WHITE LEGHORNSINGLE HEN (Owner Enters Three Birds.) Week's eggs. T. Bond, No. 1 . M 6 Totafy 128 S. E. Davey, No. 3, a. . 6 115 ' J. W. Thomson, No. 2' ■a a 5 114 j H. Williams, No. 1 a a 5 114 I H. Williams, No. 2 a a 5 118 L F. Hawkes, No. 2 5 118 I T. W. Betteridge, No. 5 111 J... W. H. West, No. 3

Anconas— Week's eggs. Total. R. Pearce, No. 3 .. 4 86 S, H. Mitchell, No. 2 . . 3 83 TEST 4.—BLACK ORPINGTONS. Week’s J. M. Campbell, No. 2 . . eggs. Total. 7 126 J. M. Campbell, No. 3 . . 6 119 A. R. Leckie, No. 1 . . 3 102 A. R. Leckie, No. 3 .. 6 100 TEST 5.—ANY OTHER VARIETY HEAVY BREEDS. •—Other than Black Orpingtons.Week's eggs. Total. J. R. Griffen (L.S.), No. 1 5 115 B. G. Corlett (W.R.), No. 2 5 103 J. R. Griffen (L.S.), No. 3 2 99 J. C. Wilson (L.S.), No. 1 5 98 J. Kingsland (R.I.R.).No. 1 5 88 TEST 6.—FLOCK TEAMS, SIX BIRDS. —Light and Heavy Breeds.— White Leghorns— Week's Weight Eggs. oz.drs. ' Total. H. W. Beck, No. 1 30 61. 6 595 H. Harrison . . 29 60.11 595 H. W. Beck, No. 2 32 69. 1 574 W. E. Ward .. 26 55.13 544 (One dead) F. Hawes . . .. 32 62.12 528 M. C. Craig .. 29 62.10 493 TEST 7.—SINGLE DUCKS. Week’s Pekins— eggs. Total. H. A. Dawber, No. 2 .. 2 112 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 . . 6 110 Mrs Little, No. 3 . . 6 109 J. W. Thomson, No. 2 . . Indian Runners— 5 106 F. R. Cotton, No. 2 .. 7 133 J. W. Thomson, No. 1 . . 2 131 C. E. Barnett, No. 1 . . 7 129 J. W. Thomson, No. 3 . . •J. W. Thomson, No. 2 .. 7 127 6 126 ft. A. Dawber, No. 2 .. 6 126 F. R. Cotton, No. 1 . . 4 126