Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 26 (Supplement)

Poultry Notes

HINTS ON CAPONISING COCKERELS Every poultry farmer should barn the art of caponising. li is a .simple (Operation, anil; a quick uno after a little practice. The best plan is to see the operation done by an experienced man. Alore will be learned in that way than by rea<»ing about it. .It also gi\ (*s you mure eonlidence to operate, and then! will,be less likelihood of making an error. Slips will be made, though there is very little excuse lor mistakes, if the poultry man be careful when he is using his lanrct. <’are must, be taken that the opei tit :<-n is complete. Both, testicles must be entirely removed. If the small part is loft, this will grow, and repre.durtive *organs will again be replaced. and a biiai, half a cockerel ami half a capon will be the result. Altheugh it is not necessary to use anaesthetics, chloroform may be used with no ill effects. To chloroform the patient is an easy task. Take a few drops of chloroform on a piece of cotton wool and allow the cockerel 1o breathe it. It will only be a second or two before the cockerel is overcome. The cutting must be started once, so as to keep the operating table supplied. If the large incision be longer than one inch, then it should be sewn up with white silk thread. Only one stitch is necessary and that should be made in the middle of the incision.

Advantages of the Capon

Caponising j a undoubtedly worth while, where a trade is done in table chickens. Capons grow much quicker, and make more weight than cockerels. They are also more docile, seldom crow, and are slow to go into the moult. It is worth while learning the caponising business, if only to keep the surplus cockerels from crowing bv operating upon them: The quality of the capon s flesh is also superior to that of an ordinary cockerel. There is no doubt that capon-naising could be made an important, branch of the poultry industry. The poultry raisers on the Continent and i n America fin*.:it a paying proposition, and have practised it for many years. There is. however, not the same demand in this country for chickens of this descrip-

tion, but it is growing daily, and. M the supply were present, the dernanjdl woukl soon follow. Manx poultry farms only rai>c >uffici< nt i for their own iocal markets, but Uievj | could i.'. xflop this liiain li. wiih benriit themsrlvrs. by sending Inr . ther alield. If it is taken up. bred cockerels ol the hea\yl>reed4 should be rai-e.l. They are naturallvf stronger in <’\eiy way. They ha\« mure stamina ami glow quicker. Ser linkage is of great assistance whorl cockerels are in dumath! l . The els can be ruareii by themselves froinh the day-old chick stage, and re<-eiu<J* special treatment to bring them on the stage for operating upon in th<; shortest space of time. The<c sex>< linke'l cockerel- can be purchased the day-uld stage at a very small cost* l FAG-IS ABOUT TURKEYS ' Turkey eggs hatch in 28 day*. Seven eggs is considered a Relationship must be avoided ju breeding. The bronze variety is claimed to bti the hardest breed. When killing, the turkeys must freely bled. Forty-eight eggs is the average lay* ing record in a year. The White Holla ml is more of a. stay-at home than any other variety* Constant care must, be given the young for the first eight weeks of their lives. Jn market, hen turkeys sell best anrlf medium-sized carcases are preferred. There is 48 per cent, of water, JS per cent, protein, and 33 per cent, fan in a turkey’s egg. A hilly country is the best location for turkey culture. They prefer woodland, and -will roam for miles. To sell the old birds, and rely on the young ones for breeding, is a good, way to get out of business. Jt requires two years to fully mature the turkeys; at three years it is at its best, and almost as good at four years. All the eggs the hen will lay in a season are fertilised at one time. Ono gobbler is sufficient for twenty hens. There can be no success without good breeding stock. They must not only have good health but must possess good shape, heavy bodies, and not too much legs. The. hens Gi< dd be neither one or two years o ! » ! . What is known as “shooting tl.n red” occurs at about three monlh-. of age. After that the young lurk vs. are hardy, and may be given u 'limited Tange at all times. From th i ago on they will thrive on two meals a day, a.s long as the supply of in.-n i When killing, lhe feet of the turkey are tied together, and hung on n pole. The throat, is then cut ami after thorough bleeding the feather* are dry picked*—the head and wing* allowed to remain. As soon as d: cued the carcase is plunged into h*»t. water, and then in cold. Io give tho skiu a fresher look—Poultry Bull iina A VISITOR FROM JAPAN A visitor of interest, Mr H. Naknmichi, Japanese Government Poult rv L.xpcrt, arrived a few weeks ago for a tour of the Dominion, with a x icv.to inspecting the Dominion indu ‘w anr! to select stock in White Leghorns and Black Orpingtons. It i< understood that the purchases will not be delivered for several months, until after the moult. The climatic conditions of New Zealand should prove suitable for the purchase of ' stock, being somewhat similar to conditions prevailing in. Japan,