POULTRY ON THE FARM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3958, 21 January 1930, Page 12

POULTRY ON THE FARM.

“The days when poultry on a general farm were looked upon as a necessary evil or merely to be kept nrov ’ the stockyards to eat up any waste graia or rapidly passing away,” says Major C. 11. Eden in the English Journal of Agriculture in the course of some notes on a subject which is worth more consideration than it usually receives, (liven the attention they deserve, there is probably as much money to be made out of poultry as anv other kind of stock.

If poultry are to be kept to any extent on a farm it is essential that they should be attended to by someone who has a sound knowledge of the subject, and is prepared to carry out the many small details which are necessary to ensure -success. No farmer would dream of keeping a herd of milking cows or a flock of stud sheep without employing someone with a knowledge of stock mailers. but how seldom it is considered necessary to employ a poultryman. The keeping of poultry successfully is a skilled branch of agriculture, and as such calls for skilled management; the larger the operations the more necessity is there for a sound knowledge of the subject. The general farmer, with plenty of land available, has undoubted advantages over the poultry -farmer, but one of the problems which confront him is how to use that land to its best advantage. There are various systems under which poultry may be kept, and one of the most difficult matters to decide is the method to be adopted. It depends upon the conditions, and perhaps the best solution of a difficult problem would be to engage the services of the poultry instructor, and get his advice on the spot as to the best methods to be employed in each individual case. * When free range is available, as it is on a general farm, then it is well to make full use of it, even though this may involve ’a considerable amount of walking in attending to the birds. There are certain general rules which may well apply to all well-run poultry farms. For

instance, a dust-bin should be placed outside each house to receive the manure from the dropping boards each time they are cleaned. Water is often a problem, for fowls in full lay will drink a surprising amount, especially when dry-mash feeding is adopted. Every house should be provided with guttering leading to a tank to collect the rainwater. Special appliances on the ballcock principle can be obtained to ensure a constant supply to the birds. The birds should never lie without water, and in frosty weather special care must be taken, for an inadequate supply of water will soon cause a drop in the egg yield. There is no doubt that the general farmer has very many advantages, but in many instances he fails to realise the fact, and is inclined to cut down the fowls’ rations on the slightest plea. Yet much of the food required can be grown

on the farm, and his grain will yield a higher profit if converted into eggs and poultry. In view of the fact that meat is costly from the consumer's point of view, surely it should pay the farmer to feed, fatten, and market his surplus fowls. Skim milk will probably be available, and is of great advantage for chicken rearing and also for laying stock. Straw is usually available for litter, and when it has served its purpose in the scratching sheds it should be mixed with the jxmltry manure, which is by no means a waste product, but a most valuable by-product of the poultry to the general farmer. Yet how often it is wasted. To get the best value from poultry manure, however, it must he properly treated. In order that the nitrogen, in which it is very rich, may not lie lost, poultry manure should be stored under cover. It should therefore l»e removed from the houses or bins to a dry shed, and if such a building is not available, it would pay to build a special shed. The manure should be mixed with dry soil in the proportion of two to one of earth, and be frequently turned over. It will then be possible to get it into a consistency which is easily workable. This manure can Ire further improved by adding superphosphate at the rate of about one-fifth of the weight, or Kainit or potash salts one-tenth of the weight of the soil-dried manure. This mixture can then be used with an ordinary manure drill, and probably a great saving can be effected. It has been estimated that 500 birds will produce about Jcwt of manure per night while roosting, and this is easily collected from the dropping boards. It is interesting in this connection to compare the composition of poultry manures with the various artificial fertilisers on the market and the prices paid for their valuable constituents. It will be found that well-saved poultry manures are far and awav better fertilisers than the

average artificial manures, and contain greater percentages of those valuable ingredients—nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash. They contain all the essential constituents of a complete manure, whereas the majority of fertilisers are sold on account of the one particular element which they contain. It may be nitrogen, phosphorus, or potash, but rarely all three are comprised in the one manure.