IN THE POULTRY YARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18512, 8 March 1930, Page 15 (Supplement)

IN THE POULTRY YARD.

TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND VIGOUR.

When birds are not laying as they should be, it does not always follow that the explanation is bad feeding, yet the possibility of it being so should not be overlooked. To make any serious mistake in feeding wall have an almost immediate effect on the egg return, while only slight variations (too much or too little) will take time to prove whether beneficial or otherwise. This article is not intended to dictate any particular diet to achieve successful results, but it does suggest that all poultry-keepers should study their birds and condition, and prove by experience what kind of foods are most suitable in every way, whereby health and vigour are maintained so that the egg output is everything that cam be desired. When this is accomplished the feeding question should certainly cause no anxiety.

MARKING CHICKENS. Poultry-keepers should on no account fail to mark the young stock as a future guide to age, in order to distinguish the young birds from the old one when culling is necessary, which is the case every season if only profitable birds are to be retained. There are practically no definite means of telling the age of a bird by its general appearance. Perhaps the simplest method of marking bird's is to punch a hole in the web of the foot, keeping a particular section of the web of each bird for the particular season. It should be remembered that even in the best of flocks the egg returns from the second-season birds are at least 30 per cent, lower than from the pullets, while the cost of production is just the same; and the yield decreases more rapidly after the second year. This necessary detail should therefore not be delayed. It is the only safe means of obviating the common mistake of sending a young profitable bird to market and retaining an old and unprofitable one. A punch for the purpose can be obtained at a moderate price. With this instrument the young birds can be marked at an early age, or even when leaving the incubator. For marking fully developed birds, rings, as commonly used in a pig’s nose to keep it from rooting, are quite effective. There are obtainable in both the round and flat form. They may be easily put on the leg of a fowl with a pair of closing-pincers as used for ringing a pig, and when once on there is little or no chance of them falling off. For pedigree breeding the flat rings may be numbered by means of a small set of steel numbering punches.—New Zealand Journal of Agriculture.

HENS LOSING FEATHERS. In the Journal of Agriculture, a correspondent asks for advice regarding some of his hens losing the feathers from their backs. This condition is found only where the hens are running with male birds. It need not cause any anxiety, as the bare places will soon feather over when the cocks are removed from the pen. It is always the best layers which become the worst affected in this way, and particularly where the birds are overmated on the male side, or the latter are specially vigorous.

Now that the breeding-season is over the importance of separating the breed-ing-males from the females must be strongly emphasised. More eggs will be produced without the males, while from all points of view the separation will be to the advantage of the females.