Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 222, 19 September 1934, Page 11

Poultry Notes

FEEDING CHICKENS. Mr. F. G. Brown, chief poultry instructor, Wellington, writes us follows: A correspondent who paid a visit to the Wallaceville Poultry Station during last Christmas week, in expressing his appreciation of the condition and general appearance presented by the chickens of various ages seen in the process of being reared, is anxious to know how the young birds were fed. Mr. H. A Kitto, the overseer, has furnished me with some details regarding his method of feeding from the time the chicks a-re placed under the brooder until a matured age is reached, and particulars are given* below. While proper temperature, ventilation, and cleanliness are among- the chief factors in raising brooder chicks, the matter of providing the right class oi tc.od is also imperative, and must noit be overlooked. Numerous mixtures have been tried at this station. Experience goes to show that the main point is to feed nothing but sound wholesome food, and that the manner in which the food is supplied is almost as important as its quality.

During the past two seasons a plain, simple ration, without the additiion of any mixtures, condiments, stimulants and etc., was provided, and this gave highly successful results. The chicks are transferred from the incubator to the brooder alter dark. The following morning, say, from 36 to 48 hours after hatching, they receive their first meal. For the first eight days the required food is taken from the following mixture. Finely broken wheat, 701 b; finely broken maize, 201 b. The chicks are fed three times a day—viz., in the early morning, mid-day, and about one hour before dark. /Yt first only a few minutes are allowed the chicks to feed. The food is provided on flat trays with low sides, the trays being renfoved as soon as the chicks appear to be satisfied. Special cure is taken not to overfeed the chicks during the early stages, particularly during the first week. It has been found a good plan to slightly underfeed rather than to overfeed during the early stages. The required quantity of mixed dry broken grains it is intended to feed daily during the early brooder stage are placed»in a basin, slightly moistened with hot water or milk, and allowed to steam some time before being fed, a plate being placed over the basin to keep the steam from escaping. This causes the grains to swell, and thus prevents them doing so in the chick’s crop. Fresh clean water is made available to the chicks to drink when provided with their first meal, and is left before them at all times for the first four days. From then onwards fresh or skim milk is used in place of water and left before the young birds at all times during the brooder stage, which generally lasts from six to eight weeks according to prevailing weather conditions. From the eighth day to the eighth week a mash is provided for the morning and mid-day meals, a brokengrain ration, as referred to above, being fed in dry form for the evening meal. The mash is made up of two parts wheatmeal and three parts bran, moistened with sour milk and mixed to a crumbly condition but not sloppy. After •the eighth week and until the pullets show signs of nearing a laying-point a mafffi mixture is fed for the morning and mid-day meals. This consist of wheatmeal, two parts; pollard, one part; and bran, three parts; moistened as before described.

A grain mixture as follows provides •the evening meal: Wheat (whole), two parts; shelled oats, two parts; barley (hulled), two parts; maize (broken), one part. When it is observed that pullets are showing signs of prematurity, say, at about four months old, and <in order to check this, the use of milk for moistening the morning mash and as a drink is reduced by degrees by way of adding water thereto until milk is eliminated from the ration, only hot water being used for moistening the mash, and cold water given as a drink. When the great bulk of the young birds commence to lay they arc given a ration similar to that given to the adult laying flock. The morning and noon meals consist of mash made up of wheatmeal, three parts; pollard, two parts; bran, four parts; each by measure; to which from 5 per cent, to 12 per cent, by weight of the entire mixture of mcatmeal is added, according to the birds’ laying condition. At this stage the ingredients of the mash are generally moistened with hot steamed lucerne. For the evening meal a grain ration as follows is fed: Barley, sixparts; wheat, two parts; maize, three parts. The manner in which the birds appreciate the different kinds of grains is always taken into consideration, and when it is observed that they are leaving any particular grain and showing a disinclination for it, this is provided in reduced quantity. When the birds becoffie settled down to egg-production, meatmeal, in addition to that included in the mash, is placed in a hopper and left before the birds at all times to pick at as they choose. Right from the start stone-grit, broken oyster shell, and charcoal are always in fromt of the little birds. The important point of keeping the chicks well exercised throughout all stages of their development is not overlooked, This is induced by scattering some broken wheat, and et?c., in the litter and making the chickens scratch and hunt for the grains. Another way of inducing exercise is to tic up some green material sufficiently high to make the chickens jump to secure it. For the first week green food such as finely cut silver-beet, green oats, and etc,’, is fed in combination with the moist grain ration, the former being merely spinkled over the latter. From the end of the first week onwards green material is fed separately and in abundance—viz., for the first meal in the early morning, again at about 2 p.m., and after the grain ration provided in the evening. Special care is taken that all green material fed is tender and succulent, and not coarse or hard fibrous growth. If chicks are supplied