Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 266, 13 November 1935, Page 15

Poultry Notes

FIGHTING COCKERELS Fighting among future stock cockerels is tue cause of considerable annual loss to pedigree breeders, writes C.L.D. in the South African Poultry Magazine. lighting occurrs amongst male birds kept in nocks whatever one may do, but most often it is started by adding new birds to a duck, by moving birds to a new pen or by removing a bird lor a day g-i two and then returning it to the Hock. The safest rule is to get a flock of light breed cockerels together by tire time they are ten weeks old and, in the case of heavy breeds, toget them together by the time they are 11 weeks old. If a strong vigorous cock or a cockerel that is much older than the remainder of the birds, is run with such a dock he at once estableshes mastership and will probably maintain it until the cockerels are odd enough to dispose of or fit to place in early mater breeding pens. It is, however, advisable to remove an old male as soon as he begins to moult lor he is then in low physical condition and the most vigorous of the younger • birds will then frequently “take him on” with disastrous results to the older bird, if this should happen, and the old bird is left in the pen he becomes the butt of his conqueror and, often, fails to survive the bullying he is subjected to. When fighting in a flock of cockerels starts, tire mistake is often made of removing the winner of the battle in the hope that the remaining birds will settle down. When tihis is done the whole business starts all over again. In every flock of cockerels there is a boss, and if he is removed the other birds of the flock set out to win the position he has vacated. Alter a battle always remove the bird that is beaten. Dress the wounds of the 'winner (they are generally a cut comb or wattles) and return him to the pen. There is much less fighting amongst birds on free range than amongst birds that are kept in a small pen. The free range birds seem to find more to occupy their time than do the birds in small pens. There is also much less danger of adverse after-effects on range, for the beaten bird can always get out of the road, whereas if left in a small pen he has less chance of escaping the pursuit that always follows a light. it is a great pity that the farmers’ invention, the cockerel’s box, is so rarely seen nowadays on the utility pedigree farm. Though expensive it forms the most satisfactory method of all of housing future stock cockerels. J t is simply a small house with a tiny run attached and is used to house single birds. I regard a number of small single pen houses as essential on a pedigree farm. There should be enough of such houses to accommodate all the very best prospective breeders. The White Leghorn is a rare scrapper and a very small wound yields enough blood to reduce the bird to a sorry plight. Only the most expert would ever consider buying such birds the sight of them is more than enough for the average buyer. It is astonishing what a great difference a good wash, a little dressing with suitable ointment and isolation will at once make in the appearance of such birds. J hey are generally saleable in a fortnight or three weeks, but if left in the pen, recovery even when made, will take as many months. A point to remember in connection with fighting amongst cockerels is that it mc-st often occurs when the food is strictly rationed. Any birds will fight for food. Feed liberally, especially the wet mash part of the rations, and see that there is ample feeding space. No i

stock cockerel on range or in good grass pens has ever yet been brought to an overfat condition through ample supplies of foods in general use for breeding stock. VALUES OF COD LIVER OIL it is said that poultrymen are slow to adopt new ideas. May be that is because their profits are so small and they cannot afford to experiment. But the use of cod liver oil is far past the experimental stage, and although ex pensive when considered at so much per gallon, the cost is not severe when it is realised that the daily dose is only 2 per cent, of Vhe total rations fed. It has been shown that when fed better hatchabiliiy results from breeding stock. Its use in chicken rearing is almost essential, and now from a reliable source come results showing that when fed to laying flocks better health and production results. This oil looks like many other oils, but in the results of nearly all experiments the quality c-f the oil used is stressed. Always one reads that the best quality oil should be procured, and U is possible that some of the objections to its use in earlier days was due to inferior grade cod liver oil being fed. It appears that it is not altogether the valuable vitamin content of the oil wiliich is so beneficial to the fowls, but rather that its use releases more food value from the rations fed. When only a lew fowls are kept on free range—fowls that receive a large variety of foodstuffs —its value its not so noticeable, but when large flocks arc kept the addition of this supplementary food is strongly recommended. Results will not be satisfactory if largo doses are given just once in a while. It is the daily dose that counts, through either the dry or wet mash. First carefully measure out the required amount of oil, allowing 2 per cent, of both the mash and grain foods. Then pour this into the centre of a heap of bran and with the hands rub tlhe oil well into the bran. Add more bran until the sticky feeling is gone and then this mixture can be included when mixing the mash ingredients. The annual cost is so small and the results are so definitely proved that far more good quality oil should be used than is at present being consumed in New Zealand.