THE POULTRY RUN

Southland Times, Issue 20618, 17 October 1928, Page 12

THE POULTRY RUN

NOTES IN SEASON END OF THE HATCHING. TREATMENT OF DEVELOPING CHICKS. In the current issue of the New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Mr. F. C. Brown, chief poultry instructor. writes as follows: — The end of this season’s period for hatching our chicks is now near at hand, and for this reason no further time should be lost in placing the last, eggs into the incubator or under the natural mother. The latehatched chick always commences its life under a severe handicap as compared with the early-hatched bird, which develops as the days lengthen and thereby meets with those favourable conditions for promoting rapid growth and sound development. The drawbacks to late hatching are many, the chief being that the chickens have the midsummer heat to contend with, and are then subjected to the cold weather often experienced in the late autumn, before they are properly developed. The drawbacks to late hatching may be largely counteracted by placing the little birds under the very best conditions, such as in an orchard where good shade, shelter, and fresh ground are available. The chickens should be encouraged in every way to develop without check. Only good wholesome grain food should be supplied. Greeen food is of special importance, and should be fed in abundance. Finelycut succulent grass, lucerne, clover, watercress, lettuce, silver-beet leaves, or even young cabbage-leaves provide suitable green material for growing chicks.A constant supplv of grit, charcoal, and clean water should be kept before the young birds. Above all, the quarters should be maintained in a thoroughly sanitary state to ensure against insect pests making their appearance. ♦ Non-Absorption Of Yolk In Incubated Chicks. It is one thing to hatch a chick artifically and another thing to rear it. A common mistake is to think that because chicks hatch out well and give every evidence of being perfect specimens it follows they will be reared successfullv. For example, much mortality takes place in chicks when from three to six weeks old, due to the yolk which is drawn into the chicken's body just before it leaves the shell failing to digest. In such cases the yolk, instead of being gradually absorbed to provide nourishment for the chick during the first four days, as nature intended, gets into a more or less hardened state, when death sooner or later takes place—and this quite regardless of the birds being properly fed and managed. When this condition is disclosed by a postmortem examination the cause of death will be made apparent. It is generally believed that failure of the yolk to become assimilated is due to feeding the chicks too soon after hatching, or to overfeeding during the first few days. It is often considered that breeding from overfat hens is responsible. While these factors may have some bearing on the matter, experience goes to show that this trouble is due more to improper incubation than to any other cause. This is confirmed to a great extent by the fact that the trouble is seldom found in chicks that have been hatched by the natural mother. There it will be found (except, perhaps, in very isolated cases) that the yolk is in a more or less liquid state, which enables it to run freely and become easily assimilated. With incubator-hatch-ed chicks the hardened yolk and its bad effect on the young bird is undoubtedly chiefly caused by having the temperature too high during the whole or a part of the incubating-period—half-baking as it were, the yolk and rendering it incapable of absorption. I would again emphasize the advisability of opening up any chick that dies, in order to discover if possible the cause of death, and gain knowledge regarding preventive measures. Oversupoly Of Meat-Substitutes. While blood-meal and meat-meal are excellent substitutes for boiled meat for the purpose of promoting egg-production, there is a danger in overfeeding fowls with these concentrated foods. They do not require the same forcing-food in the present natural laying season as in winter, when egg-pro-duction is more or less artificially forced. The proportion of such materials as bloodmeal and meat-meal should be reduced now, especiallv where the birds have a free range with opportunity, especially after rain, of picking up insects, worms, etc. In forcing egg-production animal food in some form is necessary, but in the natural laying season only a minimum quantity is required. If oversupplied then ovarian troubles such as protrusion of the oviduct and the production of double-yoked and shell-less eggs are apt to result. Duck-Rearing. October is a good period for hatching out ducklings for the renewal of stock. Under proper management ducklings rapidly develop, and may therefore be hatched to advantage much later than chickens. Indian Runner ducks hatched out in October may be expected to lay during the next dearegg season. Ducklings can be hatched by artificial means in a somewhat similar manner to that employed for chickens. The temperature during the period of incubation, at the level of the top of the eggs on the tray, should be 102 degrees F. for the first week; from this on to the pipping stage 103 degrees; and 104 dregrees when hatching. If the correct degree of temperature is maintained the ducklings will commence to pip on the twenty-sixth day, and hatch out on the twenty-eight. Beware of the commen mistake of trying to help the little birds out of the shell, until they have been given their full time to hatch. When once the eggs have commenced to pip the door of the incubator should not be opened until the hatch is practically cleaned up. One of the secrets in hatching duck-eggs is the application of moisture. The best way of applying this is to spray water at a temperature of 103 drgrees with the mouth on the eggs every morning after the fourteenth day. Do this after turning, and immediately place the eggs back in the machine. Do not cool after spraying. Spray in the morning and cool at night. Ducklings are much easier to rear than chickens. If success is to be attained, however, several points must be strictly observed. The young birds should not be fed for thirty-six hours to forty-eight hours after hatching. In the first week the food may consist of equal parts of scalded bran and pollard to which is added a small quantity of oatmeal and fine grit, not sand. Feed four times a day a quantity that the birds will pick up clean in about ten minutes. When the ducklings are about a week old the grit need not be mixed with th food, but it should be available to them in a shallow receptacle so that they can help themselves. As the ducklings grow older the oatmeal can be eliminated from the ration and maize-meal substituted. Well-boiled wheat makes a splendid change for growing ducklings. Finely cut green food, such as lettuce or young tender grass, should be fed separately after the first week, while a little boiled minced meat should be given and increased by degrees as the ducklings develop. Water should be given with the first meal, and from then onwards it should be left in reach of the birds, both day and night It is of the greatest importance that they be not given water after a long fast until they have received a meal. Even then it is a wise course to provide water with the chill taken off. When ducklings are given a cold drink before food, and especially if they have been confined in a brooder with out food, they are almost sure to suffer from staggers, followed by heavy mortality. Ducklings thus affected give every indication of being in a fit, falling on their backs with eyes twitching, and presenting a generally distressed appearance. They will sometimes behave in a similar manner, and with serious losses, when enclosed in an overhot, badly-ventilated brooder. It should be always remembered that provision for an amply supply of fresh air at all times is one of the chief secrets in artificially rearing ducklings. Although ducks are water-fowl, it is imperative for old or young birds that their sleeping-quarters be maintained in the driest, possible condition, or leg weakness and other troubles will result. After, say, three

to four days the water-vessels should be placed in the brooder run, and well away from the sleeping-quarters, as a means of minimizing the wetting of the latter. At this stage the vessels should be of sufficient depth for the birds to wash off any food from their nostrils, and at the same time give them a good blow-out. If the nostrils are allowed to clog the eyes become plastered, while lameness, weak back, and an unthrifty condition soon sets in. It is important that young ducklings be provided with shade during hot weather, as they are prone to sunstroke. As is the case with chickens, young ducklings, should be marked for future agedetermination. The best way of doing this is to take a V-shaped piece out of the edge of the web of the foot. This should be done with a very sharp pen-knife, the foot of the duckling being held firmly on a piece of solid smooth board during the operation. Ducklings can be marked when leaving the incubator. White Indian Runner Ducks. Last year Mr. A. Wood, Grey Lynn, Auckland, the noted breeder of White Indian Runner Ducks (whose pen of three birds laid 989 eggs for one year, and team of six birds 1,891 eggs for the same period, at the Auckland egg-laying test of 1926-27) generously presented to the Department of Agriculture several sittings of eggs from his special strain. The eggs were hatched out. at the Department’s Wallaceville Poultry Station, with the result that the station is now possessed of a flock of high-class birds. They not only possess laying-qualtities, but are also generally good types of their breed—beauty and usefulness being thus happily combined. Such stock should specially appeal to farmers. THE APIARY SPRING FEEDING. A constant Watch should be kept on the stores in the hives. Usually at this period there is a steady drain on the food-supply to meet the incessant demand for broodrearing. If an examination of the hives was carried out as advised in my July and Ausust notes, then the losses attendant upon spring starvation will have been avoided; but it is not wise to neglect to feed where stores are now short, as the spring is the most critical period for the beekeeper. The weather conditions are not always favourable for the bees to work the early spring blossoms, and in populous colonies the foodsupply should be augmented, but only where there is a noticeable shortage. If there is a good queen in the hive she will usually beein laying as fast as weather conditions will permit, And it is a mistake to start feeding unless stores are very short, as it stimulates brood-rearing, and when started must be carried on until a natural flow sets in from the fields.