THE POULTRY-RUN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 1, 20 July 1916, Page 67

THE POULTRY-RUN.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor.

BREEDING OPERATIONS.

Now that the breeding season is at hand provision should b 6 made to have everything ■on the plant in connection with breeding operations in perfect order, so that this important work may be carried out to the best advantage. The first essential is to see that the breeding-stock are in the very pink of condition, for unless these are in a healthy thriving state it can only be expected that trouble will be met with both in the hatching and rearing of the young stock. In order that they may produce strong healthy chicks the breeding - birds should have a variety of foods. A common mistake made in this respect is to feed the one class of grain at all times. It should be remembered that a chicken is made up of many elements, and that the mother hen must be supplied with different foods that contain these if her offspring is to grow and develop to the best advantage. While sound and liberal feeding is imperative, no attempt should be made to produce a heavy egg-yield. . Meat or its substitutes should be

fed sparingly. A good range and a liberal supply of green stuff should, if possible, be provided. The greater the range the higher will be the percentage of fertile eggs and the number of strong chickens produced. Exercise is of great importance to breedingbirds. Where a good range is not available the house should be deeply littered with straw or other suitable scratching-material, in which the grain foods should be scattered, so as to induce the birds to exercise.

A careful watch should at all times be kept on the male bird. It frequently happens that a good cock who is too attentive to the hens in allowing them to have all the feed will decline in health, with the result that a high percentage of infertile eggs will be produced as well as others containing weak germs. When it is observed that the male is not in his very best form he should be fed by himself or replaced by another. It is next to useless having the females in the right nick if the male bird is in a low condition. When a male has to be taken out of the breeding-pen through going off it is a mistake to put him by himself. -He will eat better and be more contented if given the company of one or two hens. .

SUBSTITUTE FOR POLLARD

A correspondent asks whether, in view of the high prices ruling for pollard and the inferior quality of a great deal of that which is offered for sale, there is any other meal which can be used to take its place in the mash. I cannot do better than recommend the use of wheatmeal (whole wheat finely ground) as a good substitute for pollard. When it is considered that out of a bushel (60 lb.) of wheat that is milled about. 42 lb. becomes flour, leaving only 18 lb. for both bran and pollard, it will readily be seen how much greater must be the feedingvalue of ground wheat than pollard. In place of the usual mixture of 2 parts pollard and 1 part bran for making a mash I would advise using equal parts of bran and ’ wheatmeal. Though not suitable for feeding alone, bran is a very valuable food for poultry. Care should be taken to see that a good sample of wheat is obtained for grinding purposes, otherwise the door will be left open for inferior wheat .to be passed off to the poultryman ,in the form of wheatmeal. Of course, a good grade .of short, plump oats, ground finely, also ground maize, make a valuable addition to the morning mash.

TUBERCULOSIS.

Several inquiries Have recently been received regarding fowls going lame in one leg, followed by a wasted condition and finally

death. Where these outward symptoms are present it may generally be taken for granted that the birds -are affected with tuberculosis. As is well known, this is a contagious disease caused by the ' micro-organism tubercle bacillus. It is sometimes known as “ consumption,” and another name for it is "spotty liver,” owing to the fact that this organ is frequently affected, and the disease ’can easily be seen on post-mortem examination ■ —the liver presenting a spotted appearance. The spots, which are white or yellow in colour, vary in size from a pin’s head to a large pea. In some cases the liver may be greatly enlarged, even to twice its normal size. The symptoms generally shown are a listless appearance ■ and a gradual wasting, the latter condition being especially seen in the shrinking of the muscles of the breast, leaving the breast-bone practically devoid of flesh and standing out as a sharp ridge. The wings and tail droop, and the face and wattles become pale and flaccid. Towards the later stages of the disease a yellow or greenish diarrhoea is frequently present, accompanied by. lameness, generally on the. right leg. In some cases the disease runs a rapid course, and the fowl may die in a few days Tom the first appearance of the symptoms,

while in others the bird may linger for weeks and even months,

becoming more emaciated as the disease progresses. A A

Tuberculosis is one of the most serious diseases affecting poultry, as, in addition to its fatal nature, it can be so easily conveyed from' one bird to another. The droppings of a diseased bird contain enormous numbers of tubercle bacilli, and •it is easy to understand how food, &c., may become contaminated and a healthy bird become infected. There is no cure for this disease, and the only way of checking it is to prevent it. The first essential in its prevention is to breed birds with the desired constitutional vigour, ,so that they ’ may have the power of resistance should they come in contact . with the infecticn. Once this disease make . its appearance, and the flock is not a large one, the quickest and best course is to kill off all the birds in the affected pen. Where the flock is a large one, and it is not practicable to destroy them all, drastic measures of suppression are most necessary. All suspicious cases should ‘ be isolated at once, and any showing definite symptoms should be killed and burnt. No sentiment should be allowed to enter into this matter. The healthy-looking birds should be at, once removed to fresh quarters which have been thoroughly cleaned out and .disinfected. The houses where the infected birds have been kept should be well cleaned out (all litter and loose material removed) and sprayed with a strong solution of sheep-dip, while the - runs should also be turned, up, heavily limed, sown down

in grass, and given ' a rest. All the droppings in the isolated pen should be raked up daily and burnt or deeply buried with lime, while the floor under the perches should be given a dressing of lime after each cleaning. The food-troughs and drinking-vessels should be frequently cleaned with disinfectant.

The fact cannot be emphasized too strongly that prevention is the one ‘ thing to aim at in keeping this disease at bay. Too much stress' cannot be placed upon the value of cleanliness, and plenty of sunlight and fresh air in the houses, while ample food of a nourishing nature should be supplied at all times. This disease is most common when the birds are preparing for or are undergoing the moulting process. The appearance of any infectious disease should at once be reported to the Director of the Live-stock Division, Department of Agriculture, Wellington.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

To secure the best results from poultry-keeping both eggs and table birds must be marketed to the best advantage.

Turning a store cockerel into a table delicacy by good feeding doubles the weight of the bird and the profit to the poultry-keeper.

Feeding oats of inferior quality generally proves an expensive food when the egg-yield is taken into consideration.

Many failures in the work of rearing poultry stock are . put down to incubators and brooders, whereas the fault is traceable to the breeding-birds.