THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume VI, Issue 2, 15 February 1913, Page 206

THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.

F. C. Brown.

MARCH MATTERS.

The inauguration of the winter-egg season is at handthe time when the maximum returns are to be obtained by those who have bred and managed their pullets to the best advantage. Because guaranteed fresh eggs are worth big money in winter it is not to be supposed that all plants then carry profitable stock. The winter layer costs, on the whole, more to produce and maintain than a bird bred in its natural season, and unless the winter-egg pullets are all bred to the right time and brought to lay just when their eggs are needed most the production of winter eggs is seldom a really profitable undertaking. With pullets going into a moult just on the dear-egg season, and many not laying as strongly as they should, through absence of proper quarters or weakness in management, it would pay some poultrymen better to hatch a little later in the season —October and November, thus taking no risk of the pullets going into a premature moult — depend more .on eggs laid in the cheaper season, which, if the price be too low, can be held over in a preservative and sold at a good figure later on. It must be remembered that the very dear season is being more and morp curtailed, and it therefore becomes increasingly imperative that the pullet intended for winter-egg production should be handled with the greatest care, so that she can be depended upon to lay just when required. It is to be feared too many fail to attach due importance to the cost of production. If the early-hatched pullet is to. pay her way, she must be encouraged to give every egg she can, provided, of course, she is not unduly forced in this connection. In the first place, she must be brought naturally to maturity, and must not be subjected to many changes in environment if her first laying season is to proceed without check. I have lately seen owners with pullets which should come to their laying season about March changing them from run to run,. with the object of retarding their laying till the dear-egg season sets in. This is a good policy where the birds being bred are coming too rapidly to maturity .and promise to commence their laying season before they are sufficiently well developed to enable them to lay a decent-sized egg and to last out ' a profitable season. Where, however, the birds are sufficiently maturedhaving been bred in July or Augustand are ready

for a good laying season, they should not be interfered with in any way; though, of course, it is not necessary to force them at this stage by feeding a full meat ration. In any case they will probably go into a moult before winter, but, if they are of the heavy-laying type, the moult should only be a light one, and this will certainly not lead to lessened . production in the dear season to the same extent as will any artificial postponement of the laying season. The man who will be successful in having his birds laying just when he wants them to is he who really knows the strain he is working with. Some strains mature at, say, four and a half months old, while others will not mature till they are six months of age. Being acquainted with the average age at which his particular strain will mature enables the breeder to hatch at the right time and carefully bring his birds to lay just when they are in fit condition. Unfortunately, too many poultrymen have such a mixture of strains in their flocks that they have no means of knowing when to expect them to begin business. One of the curses of the poultry industry at the present time is the craze for early maturity and the mad striving after yield, regardless of the size of eggs laid. Modern utility-poultry breeders have good reason to congratulate themselves on the perfection of the laying-machine into which they have converted certain races of domestic poultry, but there is always a limit to man’s interference with nature. We have a striking demonstration of this in the deterioration in the size of eggs resulting from phenomenal yield. It is only natural to expect the bird forced (by selection) to early maturity—built on fine, small lines — to lay small eggs ; but we have birds which are of. good desirable size and coming to full maturity before their laying season the eggs from which are most disappointing. The Poultry Gold-mine. A correspondent sends me a page advertisement from an American magazine ' which contains the statement that £3OO has been made from sixty hens in ten months on a city lot 40 ft. square, and asks, Could you advise me as to the value of this statement ? It appears too much like a royal road to the poultry business.” I have repeatedly been called upon to disillusion many who have been misled by similar overdrawn statements into taking up poultry-keeping as a means of livelihood. The American boomster says nothing of the settings and birds he sold at fancy prices, which were almost entirely responsible for the' return he advertises. I have insistently declared that poultry-keeping as a business is only successful under exceptional circumstances, the chief of which is that the man in charge has a combination of necessary characters found in few individuals. Experi-

ence, enthusiasm, business capacity, passion for detail, and a love of neatness and cleanliness, are qualities which must be possessed in greater or lesser degree ; and combined with these there must be the necessary capital ' behind the venture, while the site of the plant must be suitable, and the location must be near a good market. The business of keeping poultry on a large and extensive scale is indeed so exacting that it cannot be expected it will succeed except with a small minority. Where the. great bulk of the poultry are being kept to-day is where they will be kept in the future— the farm, as a side line. Realizing this, it is the desire of the Department to raise the standard of farm poultry, to bring about a keener appreciation of the possibilities in poultry products on the part of the . farmer as a mere adjunct to his general farming operations, not so much on the sheep-farm or cattle-run, but on the small. farm where the successful production of the minor products bulks large in the year’s revenue. Many a farmer’s wife or daughter has paid for the groceries and has been provided with a little pocket-money from the poultry, even though these may be a nondescript collection and housed and managed in a rough-and-ready manner. Instead of having to feed the birds out near the stable or cow-shed . and hunt 'along the hedges for the eggs,' how much more pleasant it would be, and decidedly more profitable, were the birds kept in comfortable quarters and managed as they should be. Of course, range for young stock is always desirable, and a free run for the hens for an hour or two in the afternoon is an advantage. If poultry-keeping were studied by the girls on the farm, and only young and high-type layers of a general-purpose breed kept, and then only sufficient to be handled with advantage, what pleasurable and satisfactory work' it could be made ! Viewed as it should be, as a properly conducted side line on the small farm or the suburban holding, poultry-keeping becomes an important wealth-creating medium. At the present time there are probably more people producing eggs and poultry in the Dominion than are the people engaged in producing any other commodity. Hardly a farm is without its few . fowls, while the majority of suburban and. country residents have their little flocks. The individual production is small, but the aggregate is great; in fact, the total wealth produced by medium of the hen would be found to be greater than that of any of our smaller industries could an accurate census be obtained. It is safe to assume that the great majority of the people keeping poultry find it profitable to do so, especially in these days when so - many facilities are afforded for the securing of really profitable layers. Indeed, the most' gratifying feature of the industry at the present time is the improved character of farm poultry from an egg-producing point of view, while a desirable tendency is observable on the part of the farmer to keep general-purpose breeds of the laying type. What is

most to be desired now is an improvement in the methods of keeping birds on the farm, together with a more sane method of marketing. Poultry would then be a much more profitable side-line than it has ever been in the past.

Even with the improved standing of utility-poultry keeping in New Zealand of late years, some people ridicule the fact that poultry can be made really profitable stock. They are certainly right so far as the stock they fancy are concerned. To enthuse over Brahmas, Cochins, and Langshans, as well as the extreme fancy types of some other breeds, proves that they regard poultry mainly as a monstrosity for the exhibition of extraordinary form or the display of fine feathers. A well-known retired southern Langshan-fancier admitted to me the other day that his pullets did not commence to- lay till they were twelve to thirteen ‘ months old. This was a result of continual checking of the laying-propensity in order to secure extreme size for the show-pen. Of course, such stock are unprofitable to any one but the fancier. The best argument that can be produced to prove the increasing popularity of poultry-keeping, now that the utility characters of poultry are being developed, is that according to the last census the number of birds in the Dominion increased by over half, a million above the number returned at the previous census. Disease. When a bird is moulting she is just in the condition to. contract disease, especially such a disease as tuberculosis. It is imperative, therefore, that the birds at this time should be in as good a condition of health as possible. Naturally they are not as robust as when they commenced to lay, but their blood should be in good order and their surroundings should be as sanitary as possible. A plentiful provision of green food, clean water, and grit are also important, while a plain nourishing diet should be supplied. If birds which it is desired to breed from (the highest-type layers of the flock) are found to be affected with tuberculosisand it is often the case that the heaviest layer is the first bird to contract disease —no sentiment should be allowed to enter into the matter: they should be killed. Drastic methods of suppression are most necessary, and no time should be lost in thoroughly cleaning up the plant and removing all sources of infection, chief amongst which is the droppings of affected birds. The most serious cases of tuberculosis I have come across have been where the birds have been housed in badly constructed and ill-ventilated quarters. The symptoms of tuberculosis are many, but it is only the man of experience who can detect them. To the novice a wasted appearance

is perhaps the plainest sign. Then the breast-bone stands out sharply from the body, and the neck is devoid of flesh. The comb presents an unhealthy appearance. Diarrhoea accompanies the disease, and the excreta are of an unnatural colour. The bird generally limps in the right leg during the later stages of the disease. When opening up a tuberculous bird the liver is found to be greatly enlarged by reason of the presence of tubercle nodules scattered throughout the mass. . Sometimes the terms “ spotted liver ” and “ going light ” have been used to designate the condition of a bird whose liver presents this appearance. It is, however, tuberculosis and nothing else. Of course, for this there is absolutely no cure. The Late Chicken. A mistake in brooding made by too many poultrymen is to entirely disregard climatic influences.' They maintain the same conditions in the brooder in warm summer weather as in a cold period in early spring. On the other, hand, there have been instances in my experience where the opposite mistake has been made, the breeder arguing that with warmer weather the chickens can do with less heat, with the result that in the early morning or during a sudden cold spell the chickens are insufficiently protected. Successful brooding demands constant observation and attention. While the heat should not be reduced except when there is no risk of a chill, so the heat should be reduced when it is naturally present. ■ . Many losses in brooder chickens have taken place this season. In the majority of cases the mortality was due to the old trouble of overcrowding. Probably the greatest weakness in artificial brooding is allowing chickens to huddle, this being induced either by overcrowding, poor ventilation, excessive heat, or insufficient warmth. Huddling means sweating, and sweating is the great cause of brooder mortality. Its effect is manifested in several ways. The sweated condition, which generally induces • chill, brings on a weakened state which is often manifested by bowel trouble and a general lowering of the vitality. Another effect of overcrowding too common this season is a weakened condition of the limbs, the visible signs of which are swellings in the joints, with a gangrenous condition supervening, the ’ swelling first making its. appearance in the hock-joint and then travelling to the wing. In a few days the neck and head swell, and then death is not far off. In all these cases arising from improper brooder-management nothing can be done for the chickens badly affected. Those in the early stages may be saved and the trouble prevented from attacking the sound chicks by providing. the right conditions - the desired temperature (90° and less according to age) and giving ample space for the chickens to spread out while obtaining the necessary heat, together

with adequate ventilation. Good feeding is necessary for chickens, but it is not nearly such a vital consideration as provision of the desired brooding-temperature and proper ventilation. Be guided by the old hen.

Green Feed.

At this time of the —indeed, at all timesan adequate provision of green feed for ■ poultry is imperative. It not only keeps the birds in good health,' but it replaces to a material extent more costly foods. There should be no lack of it on the farm except in dry spells, which should be provided against. Watercress is excellent. The best of all green feed, however, is lucerne, and there is no reason why the vast majority of those who keep poultry should not have this in continual supply. There are few soils in the Dominion where it cannot .be grown. The chief requirement in establishing lucerne is a thoroughly clean seed-bed and applying lime to the soil. In the, poultry section at Ruakura Farm of Instruction lucerne is thriving, and is providing all the green food necessary for the flocks. Things to be remembered. Do not waste the poultry manure. It is a highly valuable fertilizer. Do not allow the males to run with the layers except in the breeding season. All surplus cockerels four and a half months old and over should now have been marketed. The table cockerel is only truly profitable when marketed before the second lot of feathers commence to develop. A pinch of sulphur in the mash is beneficial when the fowls are moulting. Do not adopt every new idea.- Test it before applying it in general practice. Overcrowding is one of the worst and most frequent mistakes made by poultrymen. Good management, of which economy is an essential detail, is imperative to the best results. Roup may be almost invariably traced to dampness or undue exposure to wet and cold weather, lice and want of cleanliness being contributing causes.

In laying out a plant the principal point to consider is economy in labour. Locate the buildings in such a way that the birds can be attended to and the buildings cleaned with as little loss of time as possible. .