POULTRY YARD

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1930, Page 28 (Supplement)

POULTRY YARD

BY

G. H. AMBLER

• EGG PRODUCTION. OF THE WHATHER. The cold snap that followed so closely upon the mild weather will remind poultry-keepers that egg production cannot successfully be maintained during the winter months under what some people are pleased to call natural conditions —that is, without scratching shed accommodation. It is open to question whether it can be considered natural to let birds stand about in a small exposed run. It is certain that when pullets or hens are condemned to spend the winter in such circumstances they will not lay many eggs, and if the winter is a hard one probably they will not lay any at all. As soon as the cold weather comes many people imagine that it is necessary to warm the roosting houses or to close them at night so that cold cannot enter. That is one of the common misconceptions among beginners. It can be abandoned, for even on the best conducted, farms, where egg production is a systematised business, it Is seldom found necessary to close the fronts of houses entirely, and even then there is an aperture under the caves of the weatherboards. As for artificial heating, fowls do not need it, and it is a great mistake to start anything of the kind, even as a temporary measure. Good feeding and exercise should promote the right condition to enable the birds to resist cold. Most of the last ' season’s hens are now taking a rest after the moult, and we receive many inquiries as to how long this process lasts. Briefly, it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast rules . regarding the duration of the moult,’ since it depends upon various circumstances, notably upon individual character and condition. ENVIRONMENT AND OONDITION. The combination has a powerful influence, and without adopting forcing methods,, it will be found that an active life, induced by plenty of scratching exercise and generous feeding, will bring the hens through the moult satisfactorily. so. long as they do not have more food than they will eat readily. It sometimes happens that a very industrious hen will moult as late in the year as June; .she generally drops suddenly into a deep moult, losing practically all her feathers within a few hours. In cold and wet weather that involves a serious menace to the hen’s life, and such a bird is worth taking care of for breeding purposes. So fix up a cosy little house for her, and keep her confined entirely until she is properly clothed again. On a fine, sunny and mild day she may have a run out for an hour,, but do not expose her to rain and cold winds. If you cannot fix up a separate house, keep the hen confined to the scratching shed all day; if she is likely to be too cold at night bring her into the kitchen and put her into a well-lined box covered with a sack.

Occasionally it happens about this time that pullets that have been laying since the commencement of the autumn suddenly lose the use of their legs. They have what is known as layer’s cramp. Pullets so attacked are generally the best layers in the flock, so they should at once be treated with a view of getting them on their feet again. These birds, apart from the svmptoms mentioned, usually show no other signs of illness, Indeed, more often than not they look the picture of health and their appetites are excellent, Immediately a pullet is observed to sit when feeding and to show signs of leg weakness . she should be placed by herself in a -warm, dry coop on the floor of which is a good bed of soft litter. Her legs may also be put in moderately hot water for a minute or two, wiped dry and then well rubbed with a good embrocation. As regards diet, soft food should be withheld and such grain as wheat and oats given, together with an abundance of good sound vegetable food.

USELESS OLD HENS. Too many useless old hens are to be found in many farm flocks. While it frequently happens that a hen makes a better egg record during her second laying season than she did in her first laying 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 hens made the heaviest record the second year, but those that did not do so in most cases made records so much lower in the second .year than in the first year that it would have been profitable to let the whole flock go when about 18 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 second year to pay for the feed they cat or even make a profit, but I do say without hesitation that a flock of pullets would do so much better than hens coming two years old to justify discarding the hens in favour of the pullets. It seems easier to induce pullets to lay in winter than it is the older hens. Probably the older hens are not more susceptible to cold than the pullets. 1 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. Pullet.? hatched from hens that are two years old and 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 at an early age without being’ specially forced ‘to make them mature young. MAKING THE NESTS. In fitting up a poultry-house the nest-boxes must be regarded as one of the most important details, and in making these it is desirable to put them in the darkest and most secluded corner of the house. In the cq,se of open-fronted' scratching-slieds they are generally fixed to the front just below the wire-netting of the open portion. I have heard it remarked that somz-

laying failures were duo to the nests not being sufficiently attractive, but it would be misleading to accept that as an influential factor. If a hen is ready ! to produce eggs she will find some place ! to lay them, thougli in most cases a i well-built nest in a dark quiet corner will appeal to her as -a desirable place. If the nests are raised a foot or two above the level of the floor there should be an alighting-board along the front, whereas in the case of outside nestboxes there is no advantage in having them more than a few inches above the floor level. Hens sometimes have a tendency to make use of one nest and to ignore the others. The best way to avoid that is to place one or two china eggs in each nest, for hens like to follow where others have been. Each nest should be well built with straw, or similar material, and it is a good plan to put half a spadeful of dry soil into each box and mould it well into the corners. Whenever an egg is broken in the nest all litter should be cleared out and renewed. GENERAL NOTES. Mr. J. Cummings, Christchurch, has received another importation of poultry i

from the yards of the late Lord Dewar. This importation comprises a trio of (pullet breeding"’ Brown Leghorns, a Black Minorca cock and a pair of Black Rosecomb bantams. The Leghorn cockerel, which was exhibited in England prior to being consigned to New Zealand, was awarded first prize at the Dairy, Crystal Palace and Club Shows, lie in possessed of good head points, fine range of body and sound colour. The trio has been specially mated by Air. Bradley (Lord Dewar’s manager), and there is no doubt the resulting progeny will be well up to standard. The Minorca cock, which is dubbed, is the ]!J2t) Crystal Palace winner and has headed one of Lord Do war’s breeding pens during the past season. He is a typical specimen, with clean face and perfect lobes. In fact, in a letter to Air. Cummings. Mr. Bradley states that this particular bird has the 'best pair of lobes he ever saw on a Minorca. This cock, mated to the stock already possessed by Mr. Cummings, shoiil3"bc a valuable acquisition to his yards. The Black Rosccomb bantams, which are for Miss Cummings, are a splendid pair, excelling in type, head points and flow of feather. Miss Cummings has already one of the best studs of Black Rosecombs in the Dominion and her latest importation should further enhance her reputation in the show pen. The Black Rosecomb cockerel was exhibited and won at Christchurch show.