POULTRY RAISING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3783, 17 July 1936, Page 3

POULTRY RAISING

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW. The average egg production of a flock of hens is about 12 to 14 dozens, or 144 to 168 eggs, per bird, per annum. A thatched roof is the coolest type of all on a poultry house, but it requires the most upkeep. To fence a run an acre in size 110 stakes will be required, allowing a stake every 9 ft. Gates should be 8 to 9 ft wide to permit a dart to pass, or 4 ft for a wheelbarrow. The White Wyandotte is a “sport” from the Silver Wyandotte. This is why it acts as a “silver” in a gold and silver sex-linked mating. Black Leghorns and Cuckoo Leghorns can be mated together to produce a sex-linked “cross” within the breed. The hen’s egg analysis is as follows: Protein, 13.2 per cent; fats, 8.9; ash (mineral matter), 0.8; shell, 11.4; water, 65.7. A hen would have to eat 12 lbs of Wheat to obtain lime to shell one egg. Dead birds should always be burnt or else buried in quicklime. Colds are common during summer. The chief cause is overcrowding, especially among growing stock. Paying a visit at night is worth while. See that there is plenty of sleeping room and listen for “sneezes.” Allow thlree-quarters of a square foot per bird on slatted floors.

FEEDING FOR EGG PRODUCTION. When feeding for egg production one should remember that there are two definite objects in view. The first is to keep up the hen’s body, and that in a good and fit condition, and the second is to give food that will yield the necessary materials to form the egg, and that in sufficient quantity to provide for the egg over and above what is needed for the body. Nature teaches that the body will first supply its own needs before commencing the Work of making the egg. Materials needed for making are protein or nitrogenous matters, fat, water and mineral matter, including carbonate of lime for shell-making. The qiialitly of the food supplied has a good deal to do with the maintenance of health, which is a first consideration. Sufficient quantity of food may be given, but if it is not of the best quality it may fail in its results. The fat in the food (10 per cent) will be supplied in wheat, in oats and other grains. The protein, of which there must be about 14 per cent., may be supplied in meat, meat scraps, meat meal, fish meal and in milk. Mineral elements are given in shell, limestone, grit and salt. Green vegetable matter is also useful in this respect. Water should be supplied in abundance, for of this there is 65 per cent, in the egg, and the supply should be clean and frequently renewed. Not only is mineral food needed for shell formation, the minerals of the hente body must be maintained as well, and, besides this food is a great aid to digestion and assimilation of all the nutrients. One can hardly overdo the supply. A GOOD LAYING HEN. The main outward indications of a good layer are large, prominent eyes, giving an alert appearance, face free from wrinkles and undue feathering, skull fairly fine yet strong, body deep and wide, showing capacity and stamina, and an active, robust appearance. On being handled the abdomen of birds which are in laying condition should be full and soft, the skin being of fine texture and the pelvic bones fairly wide apart, thin and pliable; but too much stress should not be placed upon the condition of the pelvic bones, as many good layers would not stand up to such a test as applied by those who rely mainly upon this factor in selection. The condition of the abdomen and pelvic bones is largely dependent upon whether the bird is actually laying or not. When in full lay the whole abdomen is expanded, but as soon as she ceases laying, even temporarily, there is a contraction of these parts, and this must be taken into consideration in handling the birds. PREPARING THE PETIT POUSSIN. Since many general farmers and many specialised poultry farmers market their table poultry privately they have to supply the bird ready for the oven. In the case of a 11b chicken it is almost impossible for a person with a medium-sized hand to remove the entrails through a small incision between the vent and pelvic bones, as is usual with larger birds. In America and Canada they get over the difficulty by this method:— Break the neck where it joins the shoulders* and remove the neck—this makes it easy to remove the crop. Cut neatly round the vent, taking care not to burst the intestines, and with a sharp knife cut along the length of the backbone. Stretch the cut until the hole is just large enough for the hand, and, having loosened the lungs and intestines, remove the entrails.

’ Birds treated in this way naturally will not keep so long, but should the housewife want to fry the bird the work of cutting up the joints is half

done. If she wants to stuff and roast the bird, the dressing can be put through the slit in the back and the bird trussed with fine string.