POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 19, 7 September 1911, Page 8

POULTRY COLUMN.

(By F. C. Brown, in the Agricultural Journal.) ? (Marketins Sgss. Success as many utility poultiy keepers, are at the present time in this country, they have yet to learn one of the first essentials in marketing their eggs to the host advantage. A good appearance, suggestive of high-class quality, is an essential in securing the best returns and establishing a profitable connection on a market. Yet it is only the exceptional men, to he counted on the fingers of one hand, who present their eggs to the consumer as they should. Generally they are placed in the carriers Just as they arc taken from the nest. There is no distinction as to sine or colour, and dirty eggs are cheek-to-jowl with clean ones—higgle-dy-piggledy collections which certainly would never attract customers on tlicrr appearance. Special guaranteed newlaids are to he seen adveitisccl in grocers’ windows, but their is nothing in their outward form to indicate their quality.' A good article should look a good article. It will pay a man well who has guaranteed eggs to sell to attend to such details, to send no egg to market with a speck of diit on it, to grade his eggs according to size, to keep the colours separate, and market as often as possible. Doubtful eggs are flooding the markets, and if a superior product is available its position is not improved by it presenting the appearance of the doubtful article. Th2 Young Stock. A matter which should not be neglected in September is preparing the quarters for the young stock from the brooder. Whore there is good shade and shelter movable houses in the open, whereby the birds can have a free range, are advisable. This should moan healthy and vigorous development, an essential requirement to future heavy egg-production. The houses, or movable coops, should be at once thoroughly disinfected, so that the young birds may bo safe from infestation from vermin. A common mistake is to allow the young oner, to roost too early. It is preferable to have the floor well bedded with chaff or pine-needles. Straw, unless when very short, is unsuitable. It is well to make the corners round by meaiis of wifetaetting; this in order to prevent danger from the crowding in the corners. The wire netting enables the birds at tho bade to secure fresh air. With the young stock oats should form the bulk of the grain ration. Given whole it is difficult to get the birds to take to it. When ground, however, it may be mixed with the morning mash. There is no food to equal oats for growing stock. Unfortunately, there is some difficulty in getting ground oats of tire desired quality. If possible it is better to purchase a good plump sample and take it to the mill for grinding, for which not more than :;■! per bushel should be charged. There is one danger in feeding oats to anything but. Leghorns in that it tends to extreme development, and this is why oats are so favoured by the fancier. With Orpingtons, Wyandottes, and Rocks liberal oat-feeding is apt to make the birds too large before reaching maturity, which is naturally antagonistic to e SS - P r oduction. Of course, size is one of the chief considerations in the show-pen. , It may be well to hero point out the difference between the objectives in developing stock of the utility breeder and the fancier. The former endeavours to bring bis stock to maturity at an early age, without overforcing them and thereby having stunted birds. The latter delays the egglaying period as long as possible. It is a well-known fact that immediately a bird commences to lay she ceases to grow; and this is just what the fancier does not want, for in the show-pan, if two birds are equal on breed-points and one is larger than the other, size wins every time. Feeding on oats, to the exclusion of other grains, therefore, suits the fancier’s policy; and for this reason presents, if overdone, a source of danger to the utility breeder, especially if bis stock are inclined to be of a heavy type. There is more in the feeding of young stock than is generally believed. They can be ovorforced, retarded in production, or brought to the right nick just when required, by. the methods of feeding employed. Over forcing must be carefully guarded against. Many a good strain has been destroyed by being forced like a hothouse plant. The chief means by which, this is done is keeping the birds in elosed-in stuffy quarters without sufficient exercise. Snug but open-front houses with ample dry runs arc essential to tire production of hardy stock. Green stuff is absolutely necessary in the chicken stage. It is only during a short season, and then not at the present period, when it is required, that grass in the runs makes satisfactory green food. Tho young tender shoot, is the grass of value. Other green food must he supplied, prefei’ably chaffed lucerne, clover, silver-beet, cabbage, lettuce, and, best of all, watercress—that is, when tender leaves of the plant are available. While meat, is necessary, there is a danger in feeding it. for it can be easily overr.npplicd. Not only will a ton-liberal ration of meat tend to develop the limbs before the body (inducing thereby the common leg-weak-ness), but it, unduly forces the eggprodneing organs, thus bringing the birds to lay before they have reached sufficient maturity, and thereby making them short-seasoned layers, and rendering them more liable to any check in laying to which they may bo subjected by reason of untoward circumstances. To the man who has a sale for s.tn.d stock of the breeds nitli a largo comb, such as Leghorns,

Minorcas, etc., over-meat-eating presents a serious danger, in that it encourages extreme development of comb, and thereby causes this ornamental character to fall over by reason of the extreme weight, thus making a pot-bird out of what otherwise would probably have proved a valuable sire.

Overcrowding is probably the most common mistake made in the management of the young stock after they leave the brooder. Healthy development cannot he expected under tho circumstances. The chief weakness in overcrowding is the liability of the young ones to become in a sweated condition at night, owing to their being practically forced to huddle together. Chill, with its attendant troubles, naturally follows. Success at this stage depends in great, measure on the management of tho birds in the brooder itself. If they have been properly cooled off by degrees in the brooder they will not be affected by tho change in the intermediate house, or cool-brooder, and therefore will not be so ready to huddle. Once a chick is induced by improper management to huddle and become in a sweated condition it takes a long time to recover, and readily falls a victim to any passing ailment. ELI. Utility ' Poultry Clubs Competition. PULLETS. G. H. Robinson ... ... 597 T. Kennedy ... ... ... 575 Misses Bradley ... ... 573 A. R. Browne ... ... 524 Hcrotaunga Poultry Co. ... 507 Hfcetannga Poultry Co ... 506 A. R. Browne ... ... 505 W. Nixon ... ... ... 502 El Hall 495 A. E. Wilson ... ... ... 491 A. Tisch ... ... ... 491 T. Fretbey ... ... ... 472 DUCKS. Hcrotaunga Poultry Co ... 577 W. Knight ... ... ... 565 A. R. Browne ... ... 563 P. J. Keller 516 T. Dowthwaite ... ... 403 W. Knight ... ... ... 392