Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 290, 11 December 1935, Page 11

Poultry Notes

GREEN FOOD. In feeding green food to poultry, especially during the summer, variety is like st piquant sauce Feed it when the birds want it most, and vary it to make them want it more. Discussing the question in the official organ of the New SouUi Wales Egg Marketing Board says:—The question often arises as to which is the best time to give poultry their green fodder ration, and by what method. This is greatly governed by the season, and the nature of the greens. Generally speaking, the birds do not eat as much in the winter as they will from now on, while in good seasons poultry consume less, proving that seasons and »cAniate have a definite bearing on diet. From now on birds will be very eager for green stuff, and the owner must be governed by his supplies to give the best value to his flock. Opinions differ as to the time and mode, but having due res- | pern, to the formation of the green fodwell as its palatable appeal, it pays to do what you think best, as the flock will let you know if your method is right. On many commercial farms the custom is to feed chopped green sluff at mid-day, winter and summer. In the cool months this is correct, but not in the hot summer days. The ration must be served so that it is fresh, succulent and appetising. The birds prefer it in the early morning or before the evening feed, far more than at mid-day. They generally get out of the heat and the green stuff dries and withers and is wasted when issued with that regular rule-of-thumb many adopt. Where the birds are hopper-fed on the dry system, it does not matter if they eat the greens when they get off the perch for they have their other foods available when needed, and the intensive system allows of green food being placed under cover so that it is less likely to dry up. If you feed very early, serve w r ith greens, say, an hour after, or, if you allow from one to two hours of daylight before feeding, then give the green ration first. If this tannot bo done, give it as late in the afternoon as possible. The feed should not be scattered in the yard, but should be given in hoppers or receptacles easy of access. Where the supply is very limited, it can be fed very finely chaffed in the mash. The nature of the green fodder naturally has a bearing on the mode of feeding. Some types of greens, while ; excellent when fresh, wilt quickly and look unattractive. Lucerne may wilt, but retains fair colour, and a bird vjill often eat at this wilted lucerne, and w r hile it -would not, say, try a •jhaffed cereal growth that has turned yellow in the heat. Where the growth lias a' “body” as lasting yower, it can be fed to last fresh longer than a light or perishable matter. For example a cabbage will be pecked at all day, be.ng sturdy and robust, while a lettuce a ould wilt when exposed to a few hours’ heat. The xdea of throwing greens in the whole state, is where possible, very good. It gives the birds exercise, work and green fodder combined. To this end many tie bunches of green stuff and hang them up for the birds to peck at. While no hard and fast rule can be laid down, aim in all feeding to issue the ration when it will be eaten quickly without deterioration. Green fodder feeding offers little trouble w a man with shed feeding, but it does to the open yard system. Feeding for Egg Production. It has been proved beyond doubt that animal food in some form is essential for heavy laying poultry. A hen living in a state of nature naturally devours all the worms, grubs, and insects it comes across, as well as seeds, grains, and grass, and it thrives on the mixed diet. It is well to follow nature as closely as possible.

The best way to feed animal food is by adding meatmeal to the mash, and where birds are kept in confinement meatmeal supplies the animal matter in an easily assimilated form. The quantity of meatmeal to be used will, of course, depend upon the other component parts of the mash. It the mash is mixed with skim milk 5 per cent, meatmeal has been found sufficient, but without milk 7 per cent, to 8 per cent, can be fed with safety. Milk is also a valuable food for all poultry, and most commercial poultrykeepers use skim milk for mixing the mash with excellent results. If it is not possible to obtain milk in liquid form it can be obtained in powder form, in which case is should be mixed dry with the other ingredients before the liquid is added. The quantity if liquid to be added is important; if the mash is too wet or too dry it is bad for the birds, particularly if it is too wet. Mash in its correct form for poultry feeding should be throughly mixed and of an open or crumbly consistency. TWO QUESTIONS. Mr. H. P. Hamilton, B.V.Sc. (Toronto), the emminet pathologist, asks and answers the following two questions:— What To Do About Dry Mash Is it wise to feed young chicks with dry mash always before them? I say, “No.” Here I am quite certain I shall be at variance with many readers of Poultry, but nevertheless, I adhere to my opinion and shall hope to give my reasons. First of all a bird has a crop which Nature designed as a storehouse where a certain amount of fermentation goes on. The crop exits and entrances are interesting. They are very close together so that food can actually pass down the inlet tube and out the outlet tube w’ithout going into the crop at all. If birds are eating or able to eat all day long, the crop is often empty because there is no need to store the food. Hence, what actually happens, slowly but surely, is that the crop is disappearing into disuse! There is an - old saying, "We lose that which we do not use,” and it applies to poultry as well as to any other species. The Gizzard Muscle Secondly, the bird has a gizzard whose sole job is to grind up the food

into a liquid consistency after the latter has ‘become mixed with the digestive juices secreted by the stomach glands. This gizzard is surrounded by a powerful muscle and the degree of grinding ability is dependent on this muscle. Now the more a muscle works the stronger it becomes and if at an early age only soft food is given to a bird (and it becomes softer on its way to the gizzard), the gizzard is not called . upon to function to its full capacity. Hence it does not fully develop and is not adequately prepared for its harder work later on when it will have to grind up larger pieces of wheat and maize. Therefore I say that a chick should be given grain only for the first four or five days and then put on mash. What do you think? Soil And Temperature Sandy, or gravelly soils absorb heat more quickly and retain the heat longer than loam or clay do, and are therefore reckoned warmer and (< earlier” soils. Dark-coloured soils absorb more heat than than lightcoloured ones, so therefore, peaty and humous soils are warmer and earlier than whitish chalky soils. The more moisture in a soil, iftie more of the sun’s rays is used warming up and evaporating this water so that the temperature of the soil itself will be raised more slowly, and it will cool proportionately more quickly; therefore damp soils are cold and “late.” Th© aspect of a soil, as facing most sunlight, will much affect the amount of the heat recievcd from the sun taking either any day of the season or the whole year. The inclination of any field will influence the amount of heat received from the sun; a plain will receive less than a sloping field inclined to the sun. Prescription For Tarring Coops Add 41b of lime and 21b of pitch to a gallon of tar. Boil together and apply while hot. Do the bo'ling out in the open and not in a house or shed. How To “Vet” a Bird When you send pullets to a laying j test (says the Poultry World) always “vet” each bird as follows: See that the nostrils are dry; squeeze them gently to make sure that no mucus is present to indicate a nasal cold. Colds soon spread, and it is not fair to other competitors’ birds to send pullets with colds or from* a flock down with same. Make sur© that there are no signs of a watery or swollen eye, ill-smelling breath, w y arts on the head-points, or cheesy growths in the mouth. Examine the soles of the feet to make sure there are no signs of corns, bumble-foot, or abscesses either on the pads or between the toes. It is very necessary to examine the crop to avoid crop impaction, sour crop and the like. Look also at the vent and see that the fluff below is clean and dry and that there is no cheesy growth just inside the vent oi

. ■ ' =« discharge therefrom. Digestive disturbances, as indicated by these symptoms are fatal to good egg records. Any bird that is at all upset should remain behind on the owner’s plant.