POULTRY KEEPING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21090, 16 July 1938, Page 15

POULTRY KEEPING

HENS AND PULLETS

It is often a mistake to dispose of too many hens in favour of keeping all pul- i lets in the autumn. Whilst pullets may lay more eggs in the year than hens, it must be remembered that these pullets must be charged with the expenses of hatching and rearing losses during the growing stage, and depreciation on the appliances. If these charges are high, as they would be after a bad season, then the net profit would be considerably reduced. At the end of their first laying year, when i pullets become hens, they should be handled, and every bird which is healthy, abounding in stamina and shows the ability to lay well in the I future, should be retained for the next ! 12 months. A pullet is not necessarily ’ more profitable than a hen, although ’ she may lay more eggs. Hens lay ( larger eggs through the year and often with better shells. They lay a large I number of first-grade eggs in the I . autumn, when pullets are laying only I . Hoz eggs. In an experiment, 86 per ! : cent, of the eggs laid by hens are graded out as firsts, as compared with I , 62 per cent, of first from pullets.

Young Pullet Mortality The mortality among half-grown ' pullets is often great. Some years ago | it could be reckoned that the danger | period had passed when the chicks I were a month old. but often up to four ( months now disease will develop. When a pullet becomes a hen she has proved her vitality and there is certainly far less worry and loss from disease in over-year birds. Hens are rarely troubled with coccidiosis, bacillary i while diarrhoea, or fowl paralysis. It I has been shown that hens require less i food, for while they consume 1 7-81 b of grain a week, pullets dispose of 21b a week. Of course, the production of actual qualities from pullets is higher, so that the feeding required per dozen eggs laid would probably be in favour of the pullets. Profit of Young Birds Hens can also be used for breeding much more safely than pullets. Poultrykeepers are beginning to appreciate that, in poultry, youth is not always the dominant factor, and virile, goodconditioned birds should not be discarded for indifferent pullets. It is a j

good plan if a certain proportion of the hens each autumn are fed on a laying mash so that the moult is prevented until later. Too many hens are sold because of the wish to get rid of birds which are at this season out of lay, but one must look ahead, and | sum up the possibilities of a return during the coming season. When a pullet has come to the end of its first

year, attention must be paid to size of eggs, shell-texture, stamina of the bird, and health, as well as the actual number of eggs laid. It would be uneconomical to carry on for another 12 months a pullet which would obviously break down, lay small eggs, or catch a disease to which she is particularly susceptible. Feeding for Show Feeding flowers of sulphur provides a strong green sheen on black birds; red pepper and iron or carbonate affect the colour of red and buff birds. Soak small wheat for one day in water (preferably warm) and feed in place of the usual grain every other day. Mix every few days into the soft food i a little black treacle or coarse brown | sugar for bringing birds into good con- ; dition. During the moult boil a handful of . linseed until it jellies thickly and add j a little to the soft food to assist ' feathering. Do not both spending a lot of time | on scaly legs. Mix one part of common creosote with three or four parts | of common paraffin and apply to the , rough shanks with an old tooth brush, i Sometimes a bird just coming in to lay will suffer from leg weakness and j will be totally unable to stand. The I bird should be penned up and fed ' softly and sparingly to discourage lay- ! ing. Egg binding is a different matter. If the bird cannot pass an egg, she should be held with her vent over steaming hot water, and then have the vent gently lubricated with vaseline. If this is ineffective an experienced poultryman can usually remove the egg, but this is not generally a job for the novice. When a male from which chicks are badly wanted fails to fill the eggs try treating him with tincture of damiana, which is a powerful tonic as well as a potent stimulant. Make the bird > hungry, and mix half a teaspoonful of ' the damiana into his soft food every couple of days.