THE POULTRY-YARD.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume X, Issue 5, 20 May 1915, Page 475

THE POULTRY-YARD.

F. C. BROWN.

It is only to be expected in a season like the present, with foodstuffs at abnormal prices and poultrymen in general looking for means to reduce the high cost of production, that unsatisfactory results should be recorded in very many instances. The birds have been hatched at the .right time, but they have either failed to lay as soon as they should have (notwithstanding the exceptionally favourable season from a weather viewpoint), or have gone into a false moult just when it was thought they had settled down to a prolific laying season. I have been besieged with letters from Journal subscribers who have been quite at a loss to account for their disappointments. Without seeing the birds or making a close examination of the methods of management from the shell to maturity it has been a simple matter to determine the cause. In a normal season the poultryman appreciates the importance of good feeding, especially for growing stock, and no radical alteration in the diet; but with the main foodstuffs soaring to a high level he is naturally inclined to economize at the wrong end, while he is apt to lend a willing ear to the advice of neighbours and others who have some new idea on feeding poultry by cheap substitutes without interfering with the egg-supply. Reducing the food-supply and repeatedly testing new systems of feeding obviously leads to postponement of the commencement of the laying-period and, when laying has started, to false moults and a consequently poor eggsupply.

The important subject of reducing the cost of production is one that should be approached with the utmost care. It is much easier to lessen the cost of labour in feeding poultry than to lessen the cost by introducing substitutes for the common constituents of a fowl’s diet, particularly wheat. This is not to say that the cost of feeding fowls cannot be reduced. In many cases I believe it can be, principally in- the direction of supplying good green stuff in abundance and by a liberal meat ration ; but this lowering of cost is much more easily accomplished in the warmer months of the year, the fowl’s more natural laying season.

I have said that a good supply of meat (or even a substitute of this) is desirable, but this does not mean providing this highly nitrogenous concentrate in such abundance that it has to largely take the place of grain. In other words, good green stuff and meat given in sufficient supply—provided in such a form that the birds can take just what they want of these without being forced

to eat more than nature demands —are an excellent means of reducing the fowls’ demand for grain food. A very common mistake made is to think that all grain is alike — cheap defective wheat and low-grade oats, barley, &c., are economical. The food-value of these is almost invariably in direct proportion to their cost, and it is generally the case that the best grades of grain are the cheapest in the long-run, for, given all the green stuff and meat desired by the bird, it will satisfy itself with a much smaller proportion of good-quality grain than it will with a cheap grade. The waste also is often considerably less with the better - quality article ; indeed, cheap grain for poultry is false economy in its worst form. Quality rather than quantity should always be the objective in deciding on a ration for the layer.

In some cases poor egg-returns are causing dissatisfaction, probably because the amount of the egg-yield is much more keenly watched at the present time. The dissatisfaction would be far less general had the advice given before in these notes been heeded—to cull out the old birds and to depend on the pullets. It is only the exceptional hen that is laying at the present time, and almost invariably this is the bird that has not yet moulted and consequently the best bird for the breeding-pen, • especially if given a rest when her laying season does end, and if she be then fed well on a non-forcing diet and be given opportunity to exercise and build up her vigour before being placed in the breeding-pen. Where all the early moulters have been disposed of it will assuredly prove to be a great saving. Of course, where these have been retained up to the present time they may just as well be kept on, as they should be commencing to lay within the next month or two, providing they have been well treated in the direction of good housing and feeding, a necessary feature of the latter being a plentiful supply of green stuff and a good but non-forcing diet. Of course, when approaching their next laying season meat should form an important item of their diet.

It would be amusing, were it not so serious a matter, to read in several letters from inquirers that potatoes • and pollard form the bulk of the fowl-food and that the egg-yield is unsatisfactory. In one case a correspondent was rather indignant when I suggested that perhaps his hens, which were laying very poorly, were not being fed well enough. He said they • were getting as much as they could eat; but when pressed for information as to their diet he said they were living principally on fruit, having the full run of an orchard and being allowed to eat the windfalls. Of course the case is most exceptional. Fortunately, the great majority of our poultrymen realize that if eggs are to be secured, /especially in

winter, the fowls must, be fed well on suitable foodstuffs. The common mistake is in expecting low-grade grains, &c., to be satisfactory and in experimenting with the object of discovering a cheap ration.

Now that the breeding season is in front of us it is well to emphasize that if poultrymen are to keep the New Zealand market to themselves they will have to depend more and more. on the pullet, so that a big supply of eggs may be available in the off season. The higher the price of the local egg at this time of the year the greater will be the inducement for American and other egg-producers to cater to this market in their cheap seasons. At the present time American eggs are being imported by the thousands of dozens. Though many of these are of indifferent quality they are being retailed as a local product at a handsome profit. The local demand requires a larger supply of eggs in the autumn and winter months, and unless the demand can be met by New Zealand producers it will be impossible to keep out the foreign article. This is not to say that cheap eggs should be produced in the winter months, but rather that-the summer surplus should be placed in proper cool storage for winter use for the business of the confectioner and others. By means of a proper system of cool storage there would be brought about a more uniform retail price for eggs throughout the year, thereby encouraging greater consumption. The winter price would be reduced, but the summer rate would be increased, and it is an increase in the price of the summer egg, which is produced in the greater abundance, which is most to be desired.

WORMS. Quite a common trouble at the present time, especially where fowls are being kept on the intensive system, is intestinal worms. Though birds of exceptional vitality may lay fairly well when affected by this trouble, the weak members of the flock will generally succumb. - In all cases the trouble, if allowed to continue, means serious loss and a reduced egg-yield. The presence of these worms is commonly indicated by the birds making a screeching noise, which is often confused with the indication of a throat trouble, a sound very similar to. that made by a seagull. There are many methods of treatment, but perhaps the most simple, and one that is rapidly effective, is to starve the affected birds for a day and then give them a dose .of Epsom-saltsay, a i oz. packet for . every bird, dissolving this in the water with which the mash is mixed, adding also to the mash some sulphur (about the same amount as the salts), which should be thoroughly well mixed .with

the ingredients before these are moistened. The effect of this diet given after a fast will be to expel the worms. . Care must be taken to clean up the droppings after the treatment and effectively destroy these. It is therefore well to confine the affected birds during treatment in a small space so that the cleaning-up process may be properly carried out and further risk of infection thereby nullified. Where the treatment has not been found to be efficacious it should be repeated in a week’s time. It is advisable to give the houses where the affected birds have been located a thorough cleaningout, spraying with a strong disinfectant, and using a powerful sprayer so that every corner and crevice may be reached. The runs should be turned over and well limed, sowing these down with grass so that they may be freshened up as much as possible.

COLDS. Many inquiries have reached me in regard to colds in young stock, especially those that are late-hatched. Invariably the trouble has been caused by draughts in the roosting-quarters or insufficient ventilation in a stuffy, closed-in house. When it is noticed that dust and dirt are adhering to the nostrils it is a safe indication that the birds have contracted a cold, the nasal discharge causing the dust or dirt to adhere. Prevention, of course, is always better than remedial treatment, but where the trouble has made its appearance the latter is, of course, necessary. Prompt measures should be taken, for too often the neglected cold develops into the dangerous roup. Affected birds should be at once isolated, and placed in the most comfortable but most healthy quarters. The best treatment is probably holding the beak in kerosene in such a way that the nostril is submerged, and keeping the bird in this position till it breathes. The kerosene will then be drawn to the seat of the trouble. This should effect a cure after several applications. Before treatment any adhering matter should be removed from the nostrils, while after each operation any kerosene remaining on the beak should be wiped off with a dry cloth, care being always taken that no kerosene gets on the face, as, if it does, blistering will probably follow. A little Condy’s crystals may also be placed in the drinking-water, about as much as will go on a threepenny-piece to 2 quarts of water. All the drinking-water may be thus treated in a season of the year when colds are probable.

CALIFORNIAN TABLE-POULTRY MARKET.

Writing from San Francisco, under date of the 22nd March, on the table-poultry trade in California, the New Zealand Trade Commis-

sioner, • Mr. E. Clifton, said, “ It is with satisfaction it was noted that there will be but small quantities of poultry coming forward. There cannot be a market of. any importance for poultry in California. It is observed that the Australian Commissioner received quite a large consignment, and that ,he had considerable difficulty in the disposal of it.” '

THINGS TO REMEMBER.

One of the most serious leaks in poultry-keeping is the retaining of cockerels after they have reached a marketable age.

Fresh air is a necessity at every stage of a bird’s life.

Watercress is a valuable tonic and food for fowls, and is in reach of many poultry-keepers who never use it.

Changes .of food and quarters are frequent causes of pullets going into an early moult. ' ■

There is no black art in breeding poultry. The fundamental rules in breeding apply to poultry as to all other classes of livestock.

Owing to the high cost of feed many flocks are being kept in a half-starved condition. This is not only unprofitable but is cruel. Better send them to .market.

A hen found above the normal average weight of the bird indicates that the egg-laying power is not what it should be, and that she should be culled.