THE POULTRY-RUN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XII, Issue 3, 20 March 1916, Page 227

THE POULTRY-RUN.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor.

. PULLETS AND WINTER EGGS. ■ ■ ■ To secure eggs in. the ..dear season the , pullets must be chiefly depended upon for production, as even with, the late-moulting . hens it will' only be .an odd bird that is not then taking a , rest and undergoing the .process of producing a new coat of feathers. In many cases the early hatched and particularly the more precocious pullets v will have commenced to lay before now, but it is hardly likely that these will continue laying’ during the winter season, for the reason that . they will go into, a moult. at' the same time or perhaps a little- later than the adult . stock. The pullets that are going to be most profitable are those that have been hatched at the right time (say, at the end of September for the light breeds and a month ■ earlier for the heavier), and which are Well , grown and start to lay about April. Providing these, birds are. properly handled they will.go right through their first laying season without moulting. . -■ , • '? . The management of . the pullets when nearing the laying-point is all- essential, for even ..when hatched at the right .time they are apt to go into a moult if the treatment they receive is not uniform in every respect. In the first place there should be no delay in getting the birds into their winter quarters, so'that'they will be well settled down before 'the laying-period, commences. Care must also be taken- that- no sudden change of food is given, nor a change made in the manner in which it is supplied. The? changing of. the food or .quarters, even if' it be ever so slight, when the pullet is on the point of laying or just started to lay, will generally bring on. a false , moult, and the producing of new feathers rather than

the production of high-priced winter eggs. Rough handling is another common cause of the pullet moulting at this stage. An endeavour should always be made to make the birds tame by going quietly among them and talking to them, so that they will have confidence in their attendant instead of doing . their best to get out of his way. ' . The houses should be roomy and well ventilated without draughts. It is also essential that they be kept in a thoroughly sanitary state and free from vermin. If there has been adult stock in the houses previous to the pullets being placed in them, a sharp watch should be kept for vermin. Even where the houses have been sprayed and cleaned it is surprising how red-mites will turn up and multiply if not kept in constant check. Red-mites will remain in a house for months without living on the . fowls, and if the pullets are to do their best it is imperative that they should not have to fight against parasitic life. The floor of the house should be well covered with litter and the grain foods scattered in it. This will induce the birds to exercise and keep busy. If the birds are to reach their maximum artificial production ample food of the best quality should be supplied. On no account should sound wholesome grain be fed at one time and an' inferior quality at another, or a false moult may be expected. While meat or its substitutes are necessary if the best results are to be obtained, it should be gradually introduced and, if possible, fed separately, so that the birds may be given a chance to balance their own ration. Green food, such as lucerne, cabbage, rape, silver-beet, &c., may be fed separately during the day. Where lucerne hay or . clover hay is available, this, if chaffed fine and steamed overnight, will make a valuable addition to the morning mash. It should, however, be introduced by degrees, and if at any time it is observed that a quantity of it is left in the trough, and the pollard, bran, or ground grains eaten, the proportion of chaffed hay should be reduced, as neglect of the latter food" is a sure sign that the quality is inferior, or that the birds are getting too much. Gravel grit, crushed oyster-shell, and clean water should be always before the birds. ;

MATURITY.

A matter that must very often confuse the novice in reading poultry literature is that of early maturity and whether this is desirable or not in' the pullet. Some authors hold that early maturity is a sure indication of laying-power, while others disapprove of it. It would therefore appear that there is a wide .conflict of opinion on this particular point. This, however, is not

necessarily the case, for what one man considers late maturity another may consider early or even . pre-maturity. It is well known that certain breeds and strains of breeds mature earlier than others, and this to a great extent is responsible for the conflicting opinions so freely expressed often by practical men —on this important matter. A case in point recently came under my notice. The owner of a plant, a strong advocate of . the view that early maturity is a sign of laying-capacity, pointed out to me a special layinghen which was the first one of a particular batch of pullets, full sisters and of the same age, to commence laying. On making inquiries as to ' the age when this particular bird started to lay I was informed that she produced her first egg when six months old, being from three to five weeks earlier than any of her sisters. As the bird in question was a White Leghorn, I remarked that it could not be considered as an early-matured bird, but rather that the sisters were late-maturers.

In the circumstances the breeder was right in advocating early maturity, but only so far as his particular strain was concerned. I have frequently seen White . Leghorn pullets start laying at four months old. In fact, it is not uncommon to see birds' of the heavier breeds, such as Black Orpingtons, laying at four and a half months. It will therefore be seen that very often when - early maturity is spoken of by different persons it may mean on the one hand condemning a pullet that commenced to lay at the early age of four months and, on the other hand, recommending it (early maturity) with a bird that started to lay at nearly double the age. ' It should always be remembered that when a pullet starts to lay she ceases to grow, and as a consequence she never attains the desired size as a breeder, nor will she produce suitable-sized eggs for market or reproductive purposes, if she starts to lay at a very young age. Early maturity is certainly desirable, but only when the bird has attained a complete stage of development. Generally speaking, with light breeds about six months is the proper time for a pullet of a laying-strain to start on her laying season, and this may be extended a month in the case of the heavier breeds. RESERVE BREEDING-COCKERELS. When .making the selection, of cockerels for the next season's breeding-pens it is always a sound policy to keep an extra bird as a reserve sire. It often happens that a breeder has had his breeding operations upset because of depending on one bird which met with an accident or proved himself' useless for fertilizing the eggs. The cost of keeping a second. bird is a minor consideration, but

instances are common where' the? best part of -the breeding season has been lost all for want of keeping an extra cockerel as a standby. It is always a good policy to cull a drone hen rather than dispose of a cockerel which. promises to make a good breeder. t • . . . ’ . . .“ ' ■ . L. ~ • WEAKNESS IN COCKERELS. Many inquiries have reached me in regard .to leg-weakness in young cockerels. This is one of the many troubles affecting poultry which prevention is the only way of fighting. ‘ The invariable' cause is insufficient' exercise and the overfeeding of forcingfoods. In the case where cockerels are intended for breeding purposes forcing-food and confined quarters at this stage are ; a mistake. It stands to reason that feeding rich foods to birds in small runs will-have the effect of encouraging size of body beyond that which the undeveloped legs are capable of carrying. Of course, where birds are to be marketed young and in prime condition forcing-food as well as confined quarters are necessary, in order that the bird may make the greatest growth possible in the shortest space of time. The highly forced male; however, is • not the one to be regarded as a desirable bird for heading the breeding-pen. The fact of the bird being weak in the legs indicates that it has an hereditary weakness or that constitution has been weakened through improper management. It may be emphasized that the breeding-cockerel should have ample range under the most natural conditions' possible. Where this is not available 'the bird should be compelled to exercise by ' providing ample litter, and feeding the grain foods in it. * . ''

THINGS TO REMEMBER.

Never attempt to keep more fowls than can be properly .handled. The first birds to moult should be the first to be culled., . On no account should late-hatched pullets be forced to maturity. - ' Drastic culling is imperative on the majority of plants -at the present time.. • No flock of fowls can produce their maximum number of eggs if the houses are infested with red-mite. He who stints .his fowls of food and . water is cruel, and should be. employed at some other occupation. Keeping birds till they die of old age, and careless methods ; of marketing, are. the. chief weaknesses in farm poultry-keeping. ■ It is - unwise for any one to take up poultry-farming unless he has the ability to conduct it on the same strict business principles as those of any other commercial undertaking. . . •