POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1929, Page 28 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

BY

G. H. AMBLER

CHICKS THAT DIE. . I am often asked to . explain the Causes of dead-in-shell and addleds. It is not always the breeding stock, because r.ny extremes in temperature will cause the germs to perish. Moreover, the percentage of addleds will decide the value of the brood. If they are heavy, then I expect to lose a few chicks dm - ing the first week of their existence. In fact, I start counting m.v chicks from the second week, knowing that some must die. Take the case of late hatching, due to a drop in the incubator temperature, such is sufficient to result in weak chicks. In fact, those not out to time are often weak on their legs or spraw-legged, and should be killed. In like manner, the extreme of heat will mean early hatching, the chicks getting out before they have properly- taken in the yolk, and complications will set in. Insffieient moisture will cause .dcad-in-shell, the chicks being glued to the shell and being prevented from escaping. Too much moisture will drown chicks and cause dead-in-shell. The more I ponder on artificial incubation the more I remain loyal to my r slogan that “’happy should he be who from an incubator hatches eighty per cent, rearable chicks. ’ BEYOND THE BABY CHICK STAGE. The following reminder may be of value to my readers. It is usual foi many of those who pay greatest attention to detail in feeding young chicks to neglect them whcii they get beyond the baby stage. Bv that time many more young broods may be running about and the older ones are forgotten, despite the fact that a great amount of time and care has been bestowed upon them. Hence my appeal for the older chickens and my desire to point out that the onus is upon the owner until maturity is reached. The tendency is to look after the younger broods at the expense of the older ones, and the latter have to make shift. The younger ones are given the best appliances, and I prefer to reverse the order, realising that when I have 100 two-month-old chickens of correct hatching they- are worth pounds and all the attention I can give them. I could quote cases where, upon the a.rrival of a brood of day-olds ■ from the incubator their quarters have been provided by the removal of the older chicks to a hastily prepared brooder. The latter has not even been run for a given time and tested. As a result, in the ■night up goes the temperature or the lamp smokes, and only a handful are found alive in the morning .from fifty.or more bonny youngsters that were active and fit the ’previous evening. Again, the-desire to get older ones on to adult rations secs oats and barley as the staple mixture —large husky grains that result in crop trouble. USELESS OLD HEN?. Too many useless old hens are to be ■found in many farm • flocks. XY hile it frequently happens that a hen makes better egg record during her second layinc* year, yet it is doubtful if it pays to° keep over the second laying year more hens than will be needed to furnish eggs for hatching. Some records that I went through not long- ago showed that about 25 per cent, of the liens made the heaviest record the second year, but those that, did not do so in most cases made records enough lower the second year than they did the fiist year that it would have been profitable to let the whole flock go when about eighteen months old and used -pullets in their place. I am not saying that a flock of hens from good laying stock will not' produce. enough eggs during their secoi y-ear to pay for the feed they eat or even make a profit, but I do say without hesitation that a flock of pullets would do enough better than hens coming two years old to justify discarding the hens in favour of the piillets. It seems easier to induce pullets to lay in winter than it is the older hens. Probably the older hens are not anymore susceptible to cold than the pullets are, but the older hens come into cold weather while moulting, and they do not get into laying form until late in the winter. This, I think, is particularly true of hens of the larger breeds, unless they are given special attention through the moulting season. Pullets hatched from hens that are two years old which have not been encouraged to lay during . the winter all other things being equal, come out of the shell ready to begin growing and getting ready to lay r at an early age. without being' specially forced to make them mature young.

THE FARM FLOCK OF FOWLS. On hundreds of farms in New Zealand there are flocks of fowls composed .of nothing but mongrels.' AU that is expected of them is to furnish eggs for the table during spring and summer; also they- produce a few chicks too late in the autumn. If they do this/the owners are fairly- well satisfied. Many- farmers feel that such a flock is about all they need, and since they are only mongrels it is useless to spend, mifeh time on them either for culling or in trying to improve them in any- way-. This is where the mistake is made., ■lf we would reason the same way- in' livestock, and in grain growing, farming would not be in the condition it is to-day. Just because they- are mongrels is no indication that they cannot be improved. We . should reason from the other end. and see what can be done to improve them. What has the pure-bred sire done for, the . cattle, sheep, and pig industry? What can the pure bred sire do for the poultry industry? He can do more, and do it in shorter time than can ever be done in any- other enterprise. We have heard it said time and time again that they would not have their flocks culled because they- were mongrels, and whoever did the culling would make them get rid of the mongrels right away-. It would be utter foolishness for anyone to go out and demand a change so "drastic, even it is were only- hens. The problem before us is nqt where we car get these people to spend moremoney, but rather how can we make the best- use of what we now have. In poultry- the answer is simply use pure- ’ bred males to grade up the flock. The mixed flocks of hens presents so many- possibilities for increasing tire returns- from the poultry-yard that we often wonder why- our. country- people do not make a start in grading them up. f Purc-breds are, of course, always to be preferred to cross-breds,' but when so many- seem to feel that the change entails too much expense, and it is almost impossible to make it complete in one year, or even in two. It is also ; objected." that it takes’ longer than one ■ year, and there is’ danger of getting the 1 cross-breds and pure-breds mixed. ■' I GENERAL ITEMS, Never let the brooder become overheated or overcrowded. To neglect the—two points is to make artificial rearing i almost impossible. . ... I Do not be sparing with the Titter in i the brooder, both in the sleeping com- ’ partinent and the first rim. i Beware-of over-feeding brooder-reared ! chickens;- little and- often is. the rule, ' and never leave soft food in the brooder . from one meal to another. (