POULTRY COLUMN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 55, 19 October 1911, Page 2

POULTRY COLUMN.

Fertite and infertile Eggs. The fanner who is still running the rooster with his hens is inviting the defeat of his efforts to produce goodkeeping eggs. Where there is no rooster, the eggs are infertile, and thus they cannot hatch. It they are left in a nest in the sun all day long, the germ does not start to develop, leading to rottenness of the eggs when the process is checked. But' this happens if the rooster is witji the flock. The presence of the rooster is valuable only when eggs are wanted for hatching, and detrimental all the rest of the time. Shut him off by himself or kill him if a better bird is being raised in his place. Begin in a Small Way. Says a well-known poultry writer; Don’t rush into the poultry business on a large scale. No matter how much theory one may have there must be something practical as well. Don’t go in on top, even if you have unlimited capital, unless you are willing to lose the capital, or exchange it for experience. Don’t go into the poultry business rinless you have the hearty co-operation and assistance of a sensible level-headed wife. A good wife is the best stepmother the chicken can have. How to Ward off Diseases. It is always dangerous to keep poultry together in large flocks on account of the possible spread of contagious disease. It is the same with poultry diseases as with human diseases—they arc spread more easily where there is overcrowding. It is safest for the ordinary man to have his fowls in small flocks, so that if disease starts in one flock it may be checked by quarantining that particular flock. There is no doubt that lice are freat spreaders of poultry diseases, 'hey abt like the lancets used in making ' subcutaneous injections they make a hole in the skin of the fowl, arid while* trying to get blood for their food at the same time infect the wound with disease germs brought from sick fowls. Therefore wage war on the lice. Wheh you buy' new fowls to put into your flock, see that you do not import disease with them. It is safest to keep the new fowls by themselves till you can assure yourself they are riot affected with any contagious disease. Thorough washing of the new birds, as if to prepare them for a show, will decrease the chance of importing disease. The feeding of meat and ground bone is good. This food makes the birds more resistent to disease. In some experiments at the Cornell stattion (U.S.A.), geese were fed, some on a ration having a good proportion of meat and some on a ration having no meat. The birds that had meat were very vigorous, and most of them grew to maturity, whilst with the other birds the usual number succumbed to poultry diseases before they became mature.

The feeding of too much whole grain (especially maize) makes way for indigestion, which resembles cholera in effect, and annually carries off thousands of fowls. It differs from cholera largely in being non-contagi-ous. Give, the fowls either soft food once a day or chopped cabbage, turnips, beets, or carrots, which will relieve the strain on the digestive organs. The Cold Weather. The cold weather experienced recently shows the need fqr having the flocks in good fettle, by careful attention, to tjio, and, feeding. While in this climate it is no way necessary to make ‘ elaborate provision for the housing, free from draughts, etc. On all poultry farms that are a commercial' success it is noticeable that comfortable houses are provided for stock, ns experience has taught the necessity for this. The enclosing of the open sides of a fowl house in the winter months with hessian has been known to give better results in the egg basket than when it is left open. W’arm mashes should also be given to the fowls on these frosty mornings. Where a flock is kept for pleasure, and table scraps are the principal source of food supply, care should he taken that bread crusts should be soaked in water or milk and mixed with the mash. They should not be given, as is often the case, saturated with water. Where meat can ho obtained, there is nothing hotter, especially if cut up or run through a mincing machine. Sheep’s liver is also good, and it can either be given raw or boiled, the soup from which is good to mix the mash with. The addition of a little salt to the mash is also productive of much good; while some poultry-keep-ers favour a teaspoonful of mustard; but most practical men, handling largo flocks, taboo such a practice. If the best possible results are to be obtained the fowls should be kept busy, and where the fowls are confined to runs, provision in the way of litter should be made. It is all the better on frosty mornings to keep the fowls confined to their houses until sunrise. , y ;c v : ?: Too Liberal Feeding. Blackened comb is a sign of liver disease, and a cause of it is injudi-cious-i’elcling; on one or two kinds of food only, and those unsuitable for it. The liver then becomes covered with light-coloured granules, which seem to spread themselves to other organs. The birds generally walk in a stiff, stilty fashion. They lose weight rapidly, and are ravenous in their appetites and often drink a lot )f water. Liver pills and feeding on oats may do good. But it is seldom a bird so completely recovers as to bo any good afterwards. Chickens’ Drinking Vessels. Some of us have sad trouble with chickens’ drinking vessels, All have not the standard fountains, and if a ■ nicer is given the chickens seem to think it is expressly for them to paddle in. If a jam jar is used they make a hold attempt to commit suicide. A handy fountain that is easily cleaned can be made with a jam tin and a saucer. Take a clean tin, lay the edge on a brick or table, and with the pointed end of a nail knock a hole in it about half an inch from thc ; edge, or with a pair of nippers cut a piece out. Now. all that is wanted is the saucer. Fill the tin with water, place the saucer on top, and quickly turn the affair upside down, and you will find the water in the saucer up to the level of the top of the hole, and as the chickens drink the water flows down into the saucer until all is finished. This little apparatus is easily cleaned, and acts as well as the best. Some use a red flower not and a saucer. In this case the hole in the flower pot must bo closed with a cork; then, if a hit is (hipped out of its rim it will act ail right. This improvised “fountain” sives many odd sixpences at chicken time, and if one is broken in the making or afterwards, well, it is no great loss. Egg-eating Fowls. Fgg-cating can he cured by the following methods;—(l) The hens addicted to this vice should bo put in a pen by themselves with several china eggs laying about. The hens will

pick at these, but only to find that they hurt their beaks, and so are cured after a few days. (2) Empty an egg and lill shell with mustard and cayenne pepper; a bird will rarely! touch one again after tasting contents. (3) Leave a few rotten eggs | about which have been sat on. '! he lieu pecks at those and is disgusted witii contents. If the pock explodes the .egg so much the better. If those methods fail, I can only recommend the axe, which is a certain cure. C-ocps Kced Whitewash. At this season of the year all the coops require turning out; indeed, they may require whitewahing, in order that the chicks may have a fair start in life. Rearers, or foster-moth-ers should certainly be whitewashed and lit up to dry for a few days before occupation. Another very important point is this: Do not ‘‘coddle the chickens.” It is advice often given, hut hardly ever acted on until everyone has tried it for themselves. There can be no doubt about it that those chickens that are allowed a fair amount of liberty from the first get on the best. All they require is a nice dry coop or brooder to retire to when they feel they need it. Do not neglect the older chickens for the sake of the younger. It is just as necessary that the older birds should l)c comfortably bedded at night especially if they have loft the hen. There is nothing like soft straw for this purpose. They should also he periodically examined, to see if they are troubled with colds, which are shown in many ways. One may notice that a chicken’s eye is partly closed, or tiio nostril,wet. When such symptoms put i« an appearance, the birds should be treated lor roup, and, what is of more importance, the cause of it ought to be found out. It may be that there are too many chickens in the coop; there may be too little ventilation or too much—in the shape of draughts. At such times as these rub the nostrils with a little eucalyptus oil, a little good roup remedy, or a little sulphate of copper in the water is extremely valuable. N.Z. UTILITY POULTRY CLUB. Seventh Laying Competition. Pullets. T. Kennedy Leo (35) ... 779 Misses Bradley (34) ... ... 767 C. H. Robinson (26) ... ... 762 A. R. Browne (38) ... ... 735 Heretaunga Poultry Co. (35) 711 Heretaunga Poultry Co. (35) 706 A. R. Browne (34) ... ... 702 W. Nixon (35) ... ... 691 A. Tisch (33) 690 Ducks. Heretaunga Poultry Co. (39) 795 W. KnigJjt (40) ... ... 793 A. R. Browne (34) ... ... 742 P. J. Keller (28) 680