IN THE POULTRY YARD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18832, 21 March 1931, Page 10 (Supplement)

IN THE POULTRY YARD

CARE OF PULLETS. The time of the year is now approaching when harder weather conditions may be expected. Therefore the matter of making the pullets comfortable by good feeding and special care (as a means of encouraging them to produce dear season eggs in good numbers) should have first consideration on the part of the poultry-keep-er. Even the pullet which is bred to lay in winter will fail to produce sufficiently if everything in the chain of management is not in her favour. Above all things, according to the Chief Government Poultry Instructor (Mr. F. C. Brown), care should be taken in every possible way to prevent the young birds from catching colds. The sleeping quarters should be well ventilated but free from draughts, while on no account should the birds be overcrowded. Neglect of these important details is only inviting trouble in the form of colds, the forerunner of that dreaded disease roup. The most common symptoms of colds are sneezing, eyes watering, and a discharge from the nostrils, to which dust and dirt usually adhere. Once a cold makes its appearance in the flock every endeavour should be made to find the cause and remove it at the earliest possible moment, while isolation of the affected birds is the only safe course. A good plan at this time of the year to prevent colds is to place some Condy’s crystals into the drinkingwater. Put half a teaspoonful into a pint bottle of water, and add a teaspoonful of this mixture to about two quarts of drinking water.

It may be repeated that the aim of the poultry-keeper should be to prevent even a slight cold from making its appearance, by removing all sources favourable to its development. It should be remembered that the curing of colds involves considerable labour, and than even when a cure is effected the trouble is likely to recur at any time unless the cause is removed. A cold may be treated successfully, but\ once the roup stage has been reached (indicated by offensive breath and a swelling of cheese-like substance protruding from the eye) it will usually pay to destroy the bird at once rather than attempt to doctor it. A simple method of treating colds is to take a shallow dish, fill it with pure kerosene, and dip the bird’s beak in this sufficiently deep to cover the nostrils. Hold the bird in this position till it breathes. This will have the effect of drawing the keronsene to the base of the trouble. Repeat the treatment on alternate days until a cure is effected. In applying this treatment, care must be taken to prevent the kerosene from getting on the face of the bird, as it is apt to have an injurious effect. The

nostrils should be covered and no more while the dipped parts should be wiped with a dry cloth after immersion.