Poultry Notes

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 127, 31 May 1937, Page 11

Poultry Notes

REDUCING FEEDING COSTS Though false economy or any method that will lower production cannot be countenanced in poultry feeding, there are many items on which the poultry farmer can effect appreciable savings. Possibly the biggest item to watch now is that no food is wasted. At this season the appetites of the flock are inclined to vary considerably, and it is a wise plan to do the double rounds at feeding time. Adult birds, ceasing egg production, are rather patchy eaters at this season. One day they may seem extremely hungry, and tne next fail to touch their food. Here is where a careful feeder can save quite a lot. In the pullets one finds an increasing appetite as the birds come into production. It is better on the whole to mix less feed than is usually required fox the morning feed, and if in about 2l or 30 minutes the birds se?m to require more, to make a further small mixing. In soaked wheat feeding, the amount of grain for soaking should be accordingly reduced, and if more is required draw from the next partially soaked quota. To study actual daily feed requirements certainly takes additional time, but it is time well spent if you save a few shillings’ worth of feed. There are too many farms to-day on which uneaten food is to be found lying round about 11 o’clock. This food is then rarely, if ever, eaten by the poultry, and is an attraction to wild birds, who will be daily visitors if they lind a ready food supply. In the evening ration one must consider the shortening days, and the fact that the moulting bird goes to roost far earlier than the bird in production. The feeding should be so arranged that the birds all have their requirements before they go on to the perches. Pullets will require a later feeding, as they are about until dusk. On no account should any bird be allowed to go to roost hungry, for the long night, with an empty crop, is a big drain on a bird's reserve sources. Autumn and winter are two seasons in which to observe carefully individual yard feeding to effect savings, and also to ensure the best bodily condition for the stock. Future Breeding Birds Breeders should be keeping a wary eye on their future breeding birds, as it is time they were in a moult and securing that rest which will enable them to build up bodily strength and reserves to meet the demands of the coming laying season. It is the lack of the necessary rest and breathing space from production that causes so much dissatisfaction with high - producing birds when the time comes for reproduction. A bird must have a large amount of stamina to put up a good first year’s production of good-sized eggs, and it is equally certain that the demand of such production must have taken toll of the bird’s bodily strength and bone reserve. Unless, therefore we give time for recuperation, how can the bird be expected to give further good production, coupled with a strong germ which will allow of good fertility, hatchability, and rearability? If any birds need a forced moult at times, it is the future breders who and‘r k ll production after January and February. It l s better to lose a few dozen eggs and gain a few dozen b°r°ds In ?h■ C ! lie ! <S fr ° m your best will Hp t !j 1S ack of ade Q ua te rest wht hir,| Unr ° ne Of the main masons hy birds from tests often fail as yeC do S ’nm the “ r progen - v in the next Anv hGd C °? e UP t 0 ex P ec tations. Any birds which one requires to should h rCibly the abov * should be moved about, and if this si ri t SlVe the necessa ry result, restrict the mash or cut it out altogether. Grain should not be overdone and plenty of green food fed Once feathers are seen falling, gradually restore the mash so that eondiuon is not lost to any great extent. Grain should not exceed an ounce a day once the moult is well started, as internal fat should be avoided. The mash should not be of high protein content or you will get the bird through the moult too soon. Judicious changing of mash and varying of grain content according to condition must be at the discretion of the feeder, having regard to the condition of the various pens. It is in this preparation for laying, as in preparation for show, that the expert shines, and it is that intuition, coupled with close observation and long practice, which makes the breeder. Importance of Good Management Good breeding must, of course, be coupled with good management of stock at all ages, sanitation on the strictest lines, plenty of the best food from day-old stage onwards, ample hopper room and water. u Environment can soon play havoc with a good constitution, and a bird’s surroundings must be right. A bird may be bred to give high production, but you cannot take out more than you feed for, so see that it has plenty of opportunity to get all it wants of a properly balanced mash, has plenty of clean writer—without which you cannot have eggs—and is fed judiciously at critical times, such as when production begins, or signs of flagging show, or in unusual weather, and especially in dry times. Such management will help to prevent that susceptibility to disease which often lies dormant in birds. Many people contend that inability to use properly certain constituents of their food is the cause of breakdown in many birds, , and also that fowl paralysis is mainly a nutritional disease. We should avoid breeding birds that* may carry these factors, but at the same time we must also manage our birds so as to give as little opportunity as possible for any weakness to show itself. In moderation in production, so lessening the strain upon the birds, in providing breeding birds with adequate rest during the moult, and in selection of only the fittest for breeding birds, shall we find salvation from t the risks of disease and deterioration of stock and quality of eggs that is so common in other countries.