POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

... BY

G. H. AMBLER

PURE AIR IN THE HOUSE, AX ESSENTIAL TO HEALTH. z If fowls are housed in close, study, badly ventilated houses they will, after a time, become weak in constitution and health and will become prone to every possible disease, particularly colds, croup, etc. This is a fact which we all know to be true, and a badly ventilated house can be to a great extent a contributory cause of indifferent health in the birds. First, we may take it that badly ventilated houses are often badly lighted houses. True, this is not always the case. Sometimes we find houses which are amply lighted by glass and at the same time faulty in that change of air currents which we term ventilation. However, the fact remains that many amateur poultry houses are both ill-lighted and ill-ven-tilated. When such a state of. affairs exists it often follows that the house is dirty and not cleaned out as often as it might be, so that finally the whole concern may be described as insanitary. The birds continually breathe the "same air, over and over again. The systems become weakened, and before long some minor ailment will probably make its appearance in one or two birds,' which owing to the unsatisfactory conditions of housing will quickly become more acute and spread rapidly through the whole flock. An atntosphere°such as I have described will be teeming with a multitude of injurious bacteria, which is altogether unhygienic. Cleanliness and plenty of sunlight and fresh air are the 'best germicides. Good food ’ and sanitary quarters make for healthy poultry. PURITY OF THE BLOOD. Apart from this there is another aspect. If poultry are to keep healthy it is clear that the blood must be pure, but this will not be possible if the houses are badly ventilated. Fresh air and purity of blood are very closely related. As the blood is carried through all parts of the body it picks up many impurities. It is conveyed back to the heart, from which it is pumped into the lungs. When the impure blood is in the capillaries of the luiigs it comes into contact with the air which fills these organs. The blood there gives some of its carbonic acid gas and becomes recharged with oxygen. In- other words it becomes purified. It now passes back to the heart, from which it goes to nourish all parts of the body. It is now easy to see how important it is to supply plenty of pure, fresh air in the poultry house, owing to the blood being dependent upon the lungs for the supply of oxygen to purify it. DON’T FORCE THE PULLETS. ■ If early development is natural with some breeds, as with the Leghorns, it is a valuable quality, but when the pullets are forced to lay early by stimulants or highly concentrated food if is an injury as it taxes the vitality too early. A pullet that is forced will lay I very small eggs for a while, and when she ceases, in order to rest, she will not begin again as soon as the matured hen. She becomes prematurely old, and does not prove on the average as profitable as when she is given ample time to mature before beginning to lay, LEGHORN FOR INTENSIVE WORK. For egg production the Leghorn is a grand fowl. Its eggs are large and pure White, and if it is from a good laying strain it will pay well for the comparatively small amount of food it requires. Being light and active, the Leghorn very rarely becomes fat, consequently it is less prone to disease. Where it is kept on intensive lines it | will be found most satisfactory. THE BREEDING PENS. • As it is too late now to breed chickens all breeding pens must ‘be broken up. The method must depend upon the conditions of the place, numbers of birds, and runs at your disposal. It is useless to make any hard and fast rule as to what shall be done, because no two men are placed alike, and it must depend upon space. 1 However, the general principle is to divide up the birds as soon as the breeding is finished. So many small men, and often the ordinary farmer, allow the cock to be with the hens all the year through, but a moment’s thought will show that this is a bad method, and must tell against the stock during the following season. Where it can be arrange!!, the old hens should be put into a big building by themselves, where they can be kept inside on all the hot days, but can have a grass run when the weather is suitable. Any of these old birds not wanted for next season’s breeding should be sold off or killed before they start moulting, and as soon as they have finished laying. Of course, the eggs which can be had now will pay for the food, but no old bird should be kept unless for special purposes. All hens wanted for later shows should be got into the moult as quickly as possible, so that they may become fit before the autumn. It is best to put a few of them together; then they rest contented and will do better than if kept singly. Shut them up in a roomy house or shed, and feed only once a day until the feathers have dropped off; then increase the diet till they are having their full allowance, which shoud be on the oily side, to help the better growth and put some gloss on the feathers. PRESERVATION OF COLOUR. If the colour is at all likely to fade the birds must not be let out in the sun, otherwise the colour will not be even. Providing the house is large enough, the birds are bdst kept inside for at least a month, during which they should drop tjieir old feathers and the new ones have made a start. They can be allowed out for an hour or two at night, when the sun has gone, But remember that the birds must have all they need, not only in food, but meat diet, green food and water, A mild dose of salts every thi?ee days will keep the blood cool and help them to drop the old feathers, although with a liberal supply of green food this will keep the system dn proper working order and help the moult considerably, It is al- 1 ways an advantage to get the birds 1 ’uto a quick moult, for then they change

their feathers all at once, and the new ones come the same colour. When the bird is slow to moult and only drops the feathers occasionally, the growing of the new ones takes much longer, and- then the colour varies, which is bad for all show stock. On the floor of the house put plenty of litter, with some clean dust, such as sand, in which they can keep themselves free from insects.

The cocks must bo dealt with in a different way. Where there are a number which are intended to be kept over they can be put in a run all together so that they will not fight and cause trouble. There must be a few “scraps” between them, 'but they will be so mixed up that no damage is caused. However, if you have only one or two, they must be kept singly in small houses and treated much the same as the hens. When properly treated they should moult in about eight weeks for first year birds, but the older they get the. longer they take and the later in the year they begin. Thus, when you have any old* birds to moult you should begin early, or they may not be through before the cold weather sets in. GENERAL NOTES. The results of the Taranaki Egg Laying Competition at the end of the 39th week show that M. Scanlon’s’ White Leghorn is still leading her section and her total now stands at 259. The leading Rhode Island Red, belonging to A; J. Lacey, has now laid 215 eggs. Golden Wyandottes have not yet reached the 200 egg mark, the leading bird. Gibbons Bros.' No. 2 bird, having laid 192. D. M. Waddell’s Black Orpington still leads the whole competition, her total now standing at 275’. Gibbons Bros.’ leading White Wyandotte has now 207 eggs to her credit. Light Sussex, Langshans and White Rocks are not laying as well as they might. -Brown Leghorns are headed 'by F. W. Walker's No. 2 bird with 197 eggs. In the Fawn and White Runner Duck section the interest is very keen, the ducks of Messrs Riley and Gane having again reversed their positions and one egg still dividing the two. J. Magill’s duck, with 205 eggs, is 11 eggs behind the leader. White Runners are still behind the 200 mark, D. M. Waddell’s duck having now reached the score of 186. J. W. Carrick’s Khaki Campbell still holds second place in the whole competition, having 257 eggs to' her credit. In the three bird team test light breeds, R. Cannon’s White Leghorns have a. good lead with 674 eggs to their credit. In the heavy breeds, three bird team test, Golden Wyandottes, owned by Gi'bbons Bros., are leading with 560 eggs, closely followed by the same breeders’ White Wyandottes with 553 eggs.

The South Island Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association has decided to compile a list of judges to cover all varieties of the respective sections. The marking of all birds imported into England is already presenting difficulties to the authorities. At the Hull Police Court Randolf Butterfield was recently charged with obliterating the marks of origin from imported eggs. Evidence showed that a food inspector found three assistants washing eggs in water containing sulphuric acid; but the defendant pleaded that the eggs were washed because they were dirty, and the foreign mark would lie re-stamped on them. The Stipendiary Magistrate imposed a fine of £5, with £lO costs.

.It is stated in The Times that the return of poultry on agricultural holdings above one acre in extent, as taken in the census of June 4. can now be calculated for each country. It has already been stated that the total number of fowls'in England and Wales at that date was 42,751,920, compared with o J,915,578 in 1928; and the detailed figures show that the increase is well distributed throughout the counties, the j Isle of Wight alone showing a reduction oT nearly 3'ooo. Lancashire has an increase of 48.8,000, making a total of 5,102,540. The West Riding of Yorkshire comes next with a total of 2,633,770 and an increase of 222,000, followed by Devon with 1,736,460 and an increase of nearly 105,000. Essex, with a total of 1,330,280 fowls, added 115,000, and Norfolk, with 1,288,840, increased by 110,'000. Wales, including Monmouth, has a total of 3,468,670 fowls, with an increase of about 180,000'. which is distributed among all the counties. Mr. Adcock, who bought the late Mr. Sep. Johnson’s farm and stock at Palmerston North, has sold out, Mr. R. D. Whyte, the well-known Leghorn specialist, securing the pick of the birds. Mr. 'Whyte has several promising Utility White Leghorn cockerels, bred from his own stock, to which he is paying special attention in anticipation of their scoring heavily in the show pen during the next season. 'Before the breeding season Mr. W. A. Hanson informed me that pressure of business would not allow of his breeding any Wyandotte chickens this season. Evidently his love for his old favourites has been too strong, as he now tells me he has over a score of exceptionally good pullets, all true to type and beautifully laced, being particularly good in both black and white. 'By the last English mail I received a letter from Mr. W. Heys, the wellknown English Game and Game Bantasu specialist, in which he informs me that his son is contemplating coming out to New Zealand to take up sheepfarming. Mr. Heys, jun., being a chip of the old block, it is most likely his early environment in the fancy will have left an impression. Mr. A, W. Lewis, secretary of the Ney South Wales Wyandotte Club, has written to the secretary of the Christchurch Poultry Club asking to 'be supplied with names and addresses of Wyandotte breeders in New Zealand. Wyandotte breeders wishing to get into touch with Mr. Lewis should send their names to the secretary at Christchurch.