POULTRY NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4057, 15 December 1931, Page 28

POULTRY NOTES.

By

Terror.

S. W.—The swollen wattles may be due to a collection of fluid arising from an injury, from congestion of the kidneys, or the result of being frostbitten. The treatment recommended ie to foment the swollen wattles with vinegar made rather hot and dose the subject freely with warm water. If the swelling does not soon disappear paint with tincture of iodine and pass a needle threaded with worsted through each wattle in the under side. Cut off the worsted sufficiently long to allow of the ends being tied together loosely so as to form a loop; move the worsted daily 7 to and fro. When the swelling has disappeared the worsted should be removed. When the swelling is due to frostbite bathe the wattles thoroughly in as cold water as possible, then dry, and apply daily some carbolised vaseline. If in a few days of such treatment an improvement is not apparent, pass the worsted needle through as directed. It is not what the mash costs, but what it gives in eggs or flesh that indicates how dear or how cheap it is. The figures of a formula are given as a guide, but in themselves they are not enough. The practical man must go out and get acquainted with his birds. He must handle them to find out their condition. Unfortunately there is a type of feeder who is parsimonious, but thinks he is economic. Economy as distinguished by 7 mere cheapness in feeding is counted as a virtue. Time and again when such are urged to alter their feeding methods, if it means a penny a hundredweight more on the mash they won’t do it. There is a standard of meanness beyond which one cannot go.

Adequate shade and shelter must be provided for fowls in hot weather. Heat has a greater effect on fowls than on any other class of live stock. Pin Money.—At a banquet held in England on the occasion of the opening of a new egg-laying competition Sir Edward Brown, in the course of a lengthy address, said that poultry keeping" was always better than people gave it credit for. He remembered a good many years ago giving a series of lectures, and there was a lady who came to those lectures, the wife of a large farmer, who proved

to be the most persistent questioner and heckler he ever had. Nothing would satisfy her. She apologised and said, “ You know, it means a great deal to me, because I happen out of the hen money to clothe myself and my children,” and she was the mother of 11 children. She stated that she never asked her husband for a penny for this purpose. What Sir Edward wanted to convey by 7 that was that poultry always made more money than the husbands or other people ever knew anything about. The women did not tell them, and he did not blame them. (Laughter.) Salt adds to the palatability of the fowls’ diet much as it improves human food. Also it assists digestion. But it

must be fed with more or less caution. Too much salt will result in diarrhoea,

while excessive quantities will prove fatal in short order. Authorities recommend the use of loz to each 1001 b of dry mash for mature fowls—none to stock under 10 weeks of age. Fowls occasionally suffer from sour crop —that is, when picked up they vomit a quantity of fluid and the crop feels soft. For this there is no better remedy than milk —no grain, meal or meat, simply 7 milk.

Chickens that are helped out of the shell should not be included in a sold batch of day-old chickens. If the breeder thinks they are all right he should keep them for his own use. Chicks helped out are not as strong as they should be, and if bred from trouble is likely to arise. First Incubator. —The first incubator : known in England was shown at the International Exhibition in 1851. A tank of hot water was fitted into a wooden ease. This had indiarubber on the floor, which came into direct contact with the eggs. The partial collapse of the rubber with the weight of the eggs caused it to be a failure. Later the principal of the French Department of Agriculture at Gambais improved the machine by making the tray solid, and drawing off a portion of the water every few hours and replacing it with hot water. There was no lamp, and a 66 per eent. hatch was secured. Five years later Mr Charles Hearson evolved a machine which caused a revolution in incubating, and since then the name “ Hearson ” on an incubator has been the hall mark of popularity. To-day many other incubators are made on the Hearson pattern, with the addition of various improvements. A New Crop-bound Cure. —A correspondent to the Poultry "World writes : “ Elsewhere I noted the following suggested cure for crop-binding, which may or may not be effective:—fCrop-binding can be cured by the use of baking powder. The dose is a quarter of a teaspoonful of baking powder to a tablespoonful of water, and it is poured down the hen's throat when the effervescence has ceased/ When next I have a crop-bound hen I shall try this remedy, but I shall quickly return to my old love should it not be i effective. Previously I have given the : birds nothing but sour milk, and it has yet to fail me. One cannot always comI mand sour milk at a moment's notice, and it is then that the baking-powder method may be tried. Ouihe a number of people seem to think it necessary to operate by making a small incision in the crop for crop-binding. I have never yet come across a case which is so stubborn as to warrant this, and if I do meet one I shall want a lot of persuading to do it. Unless the bird happens to be a very valuable one I hardly think it worth while, especially in view of the fact that such a bird is quite good for table purposes.”

Remedies for Worms.—There seems little doubt that onions or garlie in some form are very unpleasant to these creatures. It may be quite enough to introduce a course of feeding on chopped onions or to_ flavour the food with a preparation of garlic. If you suspect worms in adults give a good dose of Epsom salts, 25gr per head, and observe the droppings for the next two days. Ten drops of oil of turpentine in a dessertspoonful of olive oil night and morning for three days should clear even a bad case. Another remedy is to get your chemist to make up so many powders each containing onetwelfth of an ounce of areca nut. Give one of these every third morning on an empty stomach, and follow up with a dose of warm salts or a dessertspoonful of olive oil three hours later. Lewis Wright says: “Give 2gr of santonin or lOgr of powdered areca nut in salad oil or 12 drops of the extract of male fern. . . . Always give a dose fasting, and follow it up with a dose of salts three hours later.’’

Desirable Eggs.—ln the midst of news of trouble in Manchuria comes the report that hens’ eggs weighing 4oz are being produced there, and experiments are being made to produce even larger ones. What for ? To pelt the rioters ? Making Both Ends Meet.—First Hardup Poultryman : ” I say, old bird, is it true you are having difficulty in meeting your creditors ? ” Second Hard up Poultryman: "Good Lord, no! I have the greatest difficulty in avoiding the brutes.” First H.U.P.: “But you always were a spendthrift. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends for years.” Second H.U.P.:. “ Well, I suppose, that’s one way of making both ends meet. Anyhow, I can’t hold a candle to young Hencock for that sort of thing. He was the sort of fellow who used to cut his candle in half in order to burn four ends at once, but now he’s emitted it ! ” Reilly’s Report.—Quite a nice yarding of poultry came forward for our sale, and good cockerels realised satisfactory prices. At the moment there is a keen demand for turkeys, ducklings, and cockerels, and really first-class killing hens. Eggs are moving steadily. We would like to notify the listeners-in that our Christmas poultry sale will be held on Wednesday, 16tli inst., and again on the 23rd inst., when those having supplies of prime table poultry will be well advised to forward them to the market. Hens—7 at 7s 2d, 13 6s lOd, 13 6s 4d, 7 4s lOd. 13 4/? Sd, 13 4s 4d. 12 4s 2d, 2 4s. 30 3s lOd, 38 3s Bd. 33 3s 6d, 10 3s 4d, 48 3s 2d, 80 3s 2d; chickens—l2 8s 4d, 13 8s 2d, 12 6s 6d. 12 5s 6d. 12 4s Bd, 19 4s, 2 3s Bd, 3 3s, 2 3s 6d, 2 2s Bd. 3 2s Bd. 5 2s 2d, 12 2s, 6 Is 4d, 42 Is, 29 Bd. 24 6d, 11 2d; bantams —2 3s Bd, 4 Is 6d, 2 Is; all at “ per pair eggs lid and Is Id per dozen; hens and ehicks —1 hen 13 chicks 9s 6d, 1 hen 12 chicks 8s 6d, I hen 10 chicks 7s 6d, 1 hen 11 chicks 7s, 1 hen 12 chicks 6s.

TWENTY-SEVENTH PAPANUI EGG LAYING COMPETITION. Leading Pens 35th Week ended December 4 (244 days). TEST I—J. H. SHAW MEMORIAL CHALLENGE. (Light and Heavy Breeds.) Week’s Weight eggs. oa. dr. Total

lEST 2—WHITE LEGHORN, SINGLE HENS ‘ (Owner Enters Three Birds.) j

TEST 3—BLACK ORPINGTONS ONLY. (Single Hen. Owner Enters Three Birds.) Week’s

TEST 4—ANY VARIETY LIGHT OR HEAVY BREEDS OTHER THAN WHITE LEGHORNS OR BLACK

L.S. stands tor Light Sussex. 8.0. stands for BuS Orpington. A. stands for Ancona. TEST S—FLOCK TEAMS. (Six Birds.)

TEST 6—INDIAN RUNNER. (Owner Enters Three Birds.)

TEST 7—OTHER THAN INDIAN RONNER.

P. signifies Pekin. K.C. stands for Khaki Campbell.

Black Orpingtons— J. Campbell 11.3 211 H. Cotton . . B 0.0 191 White Leghorns— H. Williams ,. .. . . G 11.7 218 L. Roache . . 6 12.1 202 J. Ibbotson . . 7 13.12 199 A. C. Goodlet . . . . 7 15.4 193 T. S. Dove . . . . . . 5 8.10 191 Miss M'Kechnie . . u 11.7 189

V Veek’e eggs. Totals. A. J. Maclaine . . 7 6 4 213 168 185 W. L. Donald 5 7 3 184 199 181 W. M'Intyre □ 5 .) 208 167 187 D. Christie . . 5 4 7 156 187 212 H. Williams 6 6 158 193 203 [ J. Ibbetson . . 6 o 193 197 160

eggs Totals. R. M. Cookson r» 5 5 158 156 146 J. Campbell . u> 3 a 201 135 118 B. Cotterill . . . 0 4 4 90 187 153 D. A. M'Kce . 5 5 100 177 103

ORPINGTONS Week's egga Total*. Mrs Williams (L.S.) 0 7 4 192 204 181 A. W. Pritchard (Butt 0.) 4 3 1 154 168 165 S. H. Mitchell (A.) o 4 4 151 159 159 B. C. Wilson tB.L.) o 0 1 156 106 186

V Peek’s Weight eggs. oz. dr. Total White Leghorns— JI. C. Craig, No. 2 . . 32 64.7 1010 W. Knight 18 37.9 968 M. C. Craig, No. 1 . . 24 49.14 953 H. Williams 26 53.13 925 L. Roache 30 59.13 897 Verrail Bros. (1 dead) 21 44.5 894

Week’s eggs. Totals. J. W. Thomson . 4 3 7 196 204 233 H. A. Dawber . 6 5 4 154 236 202 G. A. Heath 7 7 7 188 233 136

Week's eggs. Totals. H. A. Dawber (P.) 14 6 179 157 206 F. Ashworth (K.C.) 7 7 0 170 188 0