POULTRY NOTES

Te Aroha News, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5481, 30 April 1917, Page 3

POULTRY NOTES

, CHANGE IN DlEft " il* ■ a great mistake to think that uiia bifds can be fed on the same Sort t>f meal all the year round. Hens, like human beings, welcome a change, and *as a rule are all the better for having one; In the early summer the birds must have a good quantity of green stuff. If they have this the other portions of their diet can be reduced with a consequent saving to the owner. Heating food is no longer- necessary for laying hens. Maize and barley may be dropped with profit until late in thtf year. Meat is also unnecessary in warm weather, except for young and grow* ing stock, which require a great deal more stimulant than laying hens. Foi the morning food a mash of cook* ed cereal or biscuit meal dried off with sharps is suitable as a staple article of diet; and for hard com the changes may be rung on wheat, oats, dari, and peas. Cooked and green vegetables are most beneficial and necessary tc the health of the birds.

ft COMMON CHICKEN AILMENT.

Diarrhoea or looseness of the bowels Is the simplest form of intestinal disorder to which chickens are subject. It is catarrhal in its origin, and may be likened to running at the nostrils brought about by the irritation of the lining membrane of the nasal organ The two chief causes of diarrhoea are inflammation of the liver and the presence of sour food or other irritating matter in the intestines. Whichever cause is responsible for the mischief, it must be speedily removed, otherwise the affect* 1 birds will moodily weaker and die from exhaustion. The nr:.' thing to do in cases of simple mar rhoea is to remove the irritating mat t,cr from the int, s' i;;es, and to accomplish this the ailing chicken shvaic each be giver, a f..vr c!r< ps of warm castor oii, and tins ticatmcnt should be followed by r.dmin'strations of olive oil a fe-v hours later on; this win loothc the bowels. A good food fei the chickens during their illness is groats or wlio.it bailed in milk, Lilt il they are too small to tak - these foods, they shou'd have coarse oatmeal steep, ed in milk. The best drink for chickens sufficing from ho. ncr-s of the bowels is barley water made by boiling pearl batliv in waiter ttr.l.l the iattci becomes thiekent d. 1 his drink will

have a go: d cnee! tip'll the’irritated condition of the intestines, and will at the same time noe.nsh the patients in the event of tlicir lit being able Ktake the more solid f. rds mentioned above. Let the chi' ks drink as much of the liquid os tin y tare to, especially if the dim rhoea assumes the form tf dysentery, arc! the voiding.become jcllifh d and t'.ng'.'d w th bh oii In cases of dysentcr- castor oil should on no account be adu ni.-tiid, but tlir birds siould have occasional doses Ct olive oiV. To teciti c f ' ii.-.mess, two drops ol hoiinii pathic t in tore of aconite may be given. On i\ e overy the chickens will no.cl a unb . which w<ii assist them to u gain their eonclitiou THE EVILS OF CONSTIPATION.

Constipation is a lar mere common ailment than E generally realised. It is the result of astringent matter in the intestines, and therefore is less liabb to affect din ken 5 running on grass land than tln.se deprived ot a sufficiency of vegetable food. Iv cping chickens day after day without green food has a tendency to bind tie bowels with improperly digested food. Another thing of a binding nature >s crushed oyster shell, often given to little chicks with the object of building up bone. The safest frame food for the novice to give his birds is scalded bran mixed with the other soft foods used. Chickens have been known to die off by the score and their owners have been at sea to account for the losses until a postmortem has revealed the truth.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES. - Chickens not running- on grass should examined from time to time to ascertain whether the thill below the yent is coated with hardened excreta and whether the vent itself is clogged up, and should such be the case the obstruction should be removed by means of a sponge, soaked in warm water, and a pair of scissors, the former being used to soften the accumulated excreta and the latter to remove it with the huh to which it adheres. Let the birds have a slight aperient, ( such as Epsom salts, added to their prinking water, and feed bran in the (jnash foods, making a liberal allowance in the way of green food.

FREE FROM DRAUGHTS.

iTo carry out her alloted functions in winter, a hen must be healthy, vigorous, and in the pink of condition, and this state of affairs con only be brought about by leading an active and healthy life. .Who has not noticed the dejected aspect of a lien who has passed the night in a draughty house? Or perhaps, an early storm finds the long-delayed overhauling still in the realm ol “thinking about.” The hen leaves her perch chilled through, and in no fit condition to lay. She mopes about, and' even food fails to arouse any degree of enthusiasm in her, As a contrast, look at the fieri who has been comfortably housed, and mark her sprightly gait as she leav* es the house in the morning, ready to commence a day of activity and usefulness. It must be remembered, however, that much as we condemn a heQ who is idle when eggs are most needed, yet laying in winter is, nevertheless, to a certain extent, an unnatural state of affairs, and ia mainly the outcome of domestic’ ationV It’ must be apparent, then', that additional inducements must be •given! the hens if they, arei So Contribute their quota, of egga jg the seasfiS oi 'high prices.: