IN THE POULTRY YARD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18635, 2 August 1930, Page 10

IN THE POULTRY YARD

MODERN DEVELOPMENT. i The culture of the domestic fowl has always had a great fascination for mankind, and this is not to be wondered at, for of all domestic stock none respond so readily to proper treatment or produce such quick results and profits states a booklet, issued by the Shell Company of New Zealand.

At one time, however, the keepers of poultry were more concerned about the beauty of their birds than the actual return in eggs, and it has not been until quite lately that the purely utility side of poultry keeping has come to the front. At present, so great is the demand for eggs and poultry meat, that the number of commercial poultry farmers are greatly indebted to specialist breeders for the mass of authentic information now available; where but a few years ago the average breeder of poultry carried on his operations more or less blindly, there is now such an array of proven facts in relation to the productions of eggs that almost anyone with a desire to succeed can make a success of poultry farming. In practice, however, there are numerous problems which crop up, and this book has been published with a view to assisting the poultryman in overcoming these obstacles and making a success of his undertaking.

Making a Start. At the outset, it should be realised that a certain amount of natural adaptability for hard work, together with a real love of poultry, are very necessary to success. It is advisable to “hasten slowly,” for most of the problems which arise do so in the early stages, and the experience gained acts as a guide in evading possible pitfalls. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that a poultryman’s success depends upon the measure of his knowledge of methods and birds. Although the actual information required is not really very great, it is surprising how easy it is to get on the wrong track, which means loss of time and money. Too frequently mistakes are attributed to bad luck, or to some factor beyond the poultryman’s control, when the true reason is faulty or wrong methods. It is often said that some particular poultrymen have good luck; their birds lay at the right time and do not “go off” when others do. An examination of methods invariably shows that the "lucky” one left nothing to chance. They knew what was required, and saw that the necessary conditions were carried out. Anyone else applying the same knowledge in the right way would have obtained the same result. Early Problems. The advice “hastening slowly” is of the utmost importance when it is intended to build up a big plant with little or no previous experience. It by no means follows that success with a few fowls is a guarantee of similar success with large numbers, and anybody

who branches out with only this limited experience is courting disaster. It is true that most of the big farms of to-day are owned and run by men who started in a small way, but most of them expanded their operations slowly, gaining their experience as they went along. The experience of each year was used as a guide for future operations, and in this way practical knowledge was obtained with a minimum of mistakes and losses. The First Step. There are several well-recognised methods of making a start, the most popular of which is purchasing dayold chicks and rearing them to maturity. In this way, valuable experience is obtained in a most important branch of the poultry farmer’s activities, sound methods of making a start are —(a) Purchasing a pen of breeding birds and hatching their eggs with a machine or under broody hens; (b) purchasing fertile eggs and hatching them.

Whatever the means employed to obtain a nucleus of stock, it is strongly advised that only the very best be purchased, and from reliable breeders. It is unfortunately a fact that thousands of chicks are hatched each year from indifferent parents, and sold to unsuspecting buyers as well-bred stock. It is far better to pay a good price at the outset than to find later on that the birds you have are worthless. Of what use are up-to-date plant and balanced food rations if the stock has not been bred for egg production?

CONVERTING THE FOOD INTO EGGS.

That it is false economy to give fowls low-grade food or to underfeed them is generally accepted. Mr H. E. Cope, a well-known poultry fancier, of Box Hill (Victoria) contends that the hen should be regarded as a factor, in which the raw material is taken and converted into the finished product. The raw material,' in this instance, is the food given to the bird, and the finished product, the fresh egg. After being taken in at the mouth, the food is carried to the crop, where it is soaked with water until the grains burst. It is then pulped and carried to the glandular stomach, where the first digestive action takes place. There are no digestive juices in the mouth. A plentiful supply of hard sharp grit is very necessary, the grit being used to grind the food to a white pulp. When the food has been thoroughly digested and reduced to a thin fluid, it is drawn into the blood through the jugular vein at the back of the neck. The glandulas system then comes into operation. The blood is carried to the heart and pumped around the body, each organ taking the element that it requires for its upkeep. In the same way the yolks and whites of the eggs in various stages of develobment draw the necessary elements from the blood. As the egg contains 75 per cent, of water (he adds), it will readily be understood how necessary is a good supply of clean, cool water. Impure water often results in the eggs having dirty whites when laid.