Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 20 (Supplement)

Poultry Notes

THE MALE ELEMENT OF THE BREEDING PEN By this time all breeders should have a fair idea of how the breeding pena are to be made up. If a trade in hatching eggs is carried on, it is always a wise plan to put the eggs together three or four weeks before the eggs will be required. The eggs can in this time be tested.at home and in this way much disappointment will be saved to both breedei and customer. There is nothing so annoying as to purchase unfertile eggs, which can only be discovered after a deal of valuable time is lost. Time at this season of the year means a very great deal to those that are hatching out eggs. It is because of this that the majority of writers insist that only cockerels should be used in the earlier months of the breeding season, lhey at the same time advise breeding only from second year hens. This is quite a good plan, and is quite sound advice to young breeders. The old experienced hand, however, knows when his pullets are fully developed, and can be bred from. Such pullets are in their prime and should be used. In the same way there are many old cocks that might be more vigorous than the best of the cockerels and these should certainly be bred from. The males must possess vigour, vitality and stamina, otherwise the results will be far from satisfactory. All the breeding stock must be healthy and full of life. It is not advisable really to breed from hens that have exhausted their vitality in egg production. Hens should all have had a rest period before being mated up. Importance of a Good Male. The male is said to be half the pen, and it. is a fact. A doubtful hen may bo introduced to the breeding pen and no great damage may result, but a doubtful male will ruin the best strain, and be the means of turning a profit into a loss. Every breedei must strive to use the best male possible. It j 8 foolishness to use a bird a second year if the results did not come up to expectations. 1* resh blood must be obtained, but. nothing but pedigree cockerels should be bought in. The prices for same are high but it is money well spent. The cockerel should be the son of a hen that has put up a good egg record, and he will undoubtedly pass this high fecund ity factor on to his daughters. If trap nesting is not done on a farm then -it is always advisable to buy in fresh verified cockerels, of tho same strain if possible. If taken at random from home bred stocks it is quite possible that the best looking cockerel mav be from a dam with the lowest record in tho pen, and so progress is retarded.

The breeding males must be well fed, especially at this season of the vear.

It is hardly possible to overfeed a vigorous male. He runs very little chance of becoming over fat, but there is a great danger that he may go down in condition. An excellent plan is to give the male an extra feed after the hens have gone to roost. This has to be done in artificial light. Begin by giving him a few tasty bits and he will soon learn to come down for his evening meal and thoroughly appreciate it. This will go a long way in keeping him up to concert pitch. On the first, signs of a nude going soft, he should be removed and a fresh male introduced. In this way the I'c tilisation of the eggs will not be interfered with. POULTRY MANURE VALUABLE Poultry manure, according to “The Smallholder,” is worth money if it L stored so that it docs not spoil. Tho best way to store manure is in a specially made pit. A concrete pit is desirable, but any one will serve the purpose, provided water cannot percolate through the sides and up from the bottom. A pit 2Jft. deep, sft. long nid 12ft. wide gives ample accommodation for all the manure from 25(1 birds in three months. The two most important points in connection with storing manure are that the pit must be covered and well ventilated. Covering is a simple proposition, for a few sheets of corrugated iron suffice. To provide proper ventilation, the pit mentioned above is suirounded with a wooden frame made of sin. wide, lin. thick boards. Holes lin. in diameter are bored ever foot along both sides and ends. These should be screened to prevent flies getting in. <nd thi;. can be done with little pieces of perforated zinc. The droppings from the boards below the perches should be thrown u.- > the pit every day dircctlv after die cleaning operations are completed. J o store the manure and prevent loss by evaporation of the volatile const it u . cuts the manure is covered twice a week with a mixture of drv earth road sweepings and sifted coal a>| l( .J. Before use «lie whole is thoroughly well mixed, and when the value of this manure is realised tho demand from gardeners in particular should nay well fo- tho trouble taken. The one time when poultry manure is not really good for a garden is when the litter used for the birds is sawdust. Sawdust is apt to encourage wireworms and other pests -r it is applied to the ground.