POULTRY NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 10 February 1934, Page 24 (Supplement)

POULTRY NOTES

CONDITION FOR LAYING

VALUE OF PROPER FEEDING.

(By

Geo. H. Ambler.)

The importance of condition in exhibition stock is well known. It is just that little extra in appearance which will finally decide the judge between two birds otherwise equal. But condition in laying stock is apt to be neglected. Birds scraggy and worn-out in appearance are apt to be excused on the ground that they are just through a long spell of laying, and do not in any way reflect on the management. . This point of view is helped materially by the “machine”' theory of the hen so popular in some quarters—that the hen is a machine for turning out eggs and that it is only necessary to find out the quantity of this, that or the other ingredient which is contained in the egg, give similar ingredients in the hen’s food and watch the eggs arrive. Unfortunately, egg-production is not so simple as that. The bird’s ability to produce eggs, even in the presence of all the nutritional requirements necessary, depends largely on her own condition. Spices, stimulants, etc., may supply this, for a time, but sooner or loiter the hen breaks down, or the spices cease to have any effect. Exhibition breeders have never undervalued condition, but I 'am afraid utility men have not always realised how important an economic factor it is. If good condition is to be maintained in the breeding stock, the yearly egg yield should not average more than 200 to 250

eggs per bird.' When strong, robust rhieks that will’develop into good laying hens are the aim, factors other than prolific egg production should be considered, and to go beyond _ the figures mentioned is certainly inadvisable. SUCCESSFUL STOCK FEEDING. For laying stock the food should supply all the elements required for the production* of eggs, the maintenance of the body and the daily portion of reserve energy ..inch, stored up, carries the bird through seasonal drains on its strength, such as moulting. These seasonal drains cannot be met by special feeding all at once, although something can be done to meet any special strain as it arises. The bird must be given all she needs plus that little extra daily. It is a commonplace fact in stock feeding that some of the most successful feeders have been men who knew practically nothing about the scientific aspect of feeding; they “fed with their eyes,” as the saying goes, and were able to rlisrern instantly any signs of bad condition in the stock under their care. They knew instinctively exactly what was required, and were able to supply it often without the slightest idea as to any relationship between cause and effect The same thing is true of poultry feeding. Some of the most successful feeders are men who have practically no theoretical knowledge. Between these men and the birds under their care there is an instinctive sympathy which nothing gained in the classrooms can ever supply. It is a commonplace observation that these men are known not so much by the prizes their birds win or the output of their stock, as by the fine condition one would always find their birds in at any season of the year. While instinctive sympathy With the birds is the main cause of their success, there is no excuse in these days for failure to appreciate the birds’ feeding requirements when information on that subject is broadcasted on every hand. We know, for instance, that one of the reasons why utility flocks are sometimes reduced very much in condition toward the end of the summer lies in the fact that pollard supplied by many mills is comparatively high in non-digestible elements, and that while the bird, on paper, has been given proper feeding it has been overlooked that considerable difference exists between the nutritive and the digestive ratio. The upshot of this is that although the food is all consumed the birds are not nourished. Ground oats are probably without a rival in keeping the birds in good condition. It seems practically certain that earlier moulting will be prevalent this season as a result of the dry weather, which has affected the laying stock in various ways by reducing condition and limiting the supplies of natural animal food and green stuff. This will probably mean a shortage of eggs in the early autumn, but recovery from the moult should be sufficiently early to ensure a good supply of eggs later in the season. Some hens have already started to moult, but it must be remembered that in this, as in normal years, the earliest moulters are generally the poorest layers. t A number •of the earlier pullets are now coming on to lay, and in most cases the eggs are very small. Tins is generally a sign that they have begun to lay before they are» sufficiently matured, though in normal circumstances all pullets lay small eggs at the start. One very seldom gets a 2oz. egg to begin with, even from pullets about seven months of age. If the birds are well grown, however, there should soon be an improvement in the size of the eggs, though the very precocious birds will always fail in that respect. On that account they should not be used in the breeding pen. Overfeeding may also result in small eggs where birds get little or no exercise, so steps should be taken to see that pullets have plenty of scratching. Pullets that commence laying early in the season are practically certain to moult in the autumn, though whether it is a complete moult or only a partial one depends largely upon how they are fed and managed. Moulting in this case results from the temporary exhaustion of the system, and it follows that when birds , start laying before they are sufficiently matured they will not havg a very considerable store of energy to draw upon. By generous but judicious feeding, utilising good egg-producing foods, egg-production can be maintained over a much longer period than when the diet is lacking in protein elements. An important point to be noted just now in the management of - pullets is that the birds should be settled in their permanent laying quarters before they

redden up to lay. E that is not done the change from the rearing house to V the laying quarters may result in & , check and start a moult, and it is certain that birds subjected to such treatment will be more likely to moult in the autumn than those which are settled in their permanent home before they lay. The “springing” and reddening of the comb is a sure indication that laying is about to commence.