THE POULTRY-RUN.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 5, 20 November 1916, Page 401

THE POULTRY-RUN.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor.

The growing pullets must now be given the very best of care so that they shall not fail in their future function of winter-egg producers. The slightest set-back in a growing bird is never caught up. One thing that must be sedulously guarded against is overcrowding. Of course, the plant will be now taxed to its utmost capacity, but it is only inviting trouble to make the buildings carry more stock than they are capable of properly

accommodating. It will generally be found more profitable to cull out some of the drone type of hens or the surplus cockerels rather than place the pullets in overcrowded quarters.

As is the case with birds of all ages, an ample supply of good food is imperative for growing pullets, of which good plump crushed oats should form the bulk of the ration. Am inferior grade of oats should never be fed, as they are next to useless as a poultry-food. Care must be taken not to oversupply forcingfoods such as meat or its substitutes ; especially does this apply when birds are indicating early maturity. Early maturity is all very well to a certain degree, but very often too early maturity means false maturity. Even with the early-maturing breeds, such as Leghorns, &c., they should not commence to lay till they are at least six months old. Green food should be supplied in abundance, while grit and clean water should be always - available. Good shade is also an essential for the well-being of young stock at this season of the year.

Now that the warmer weather is approaching, vermin will commence to give trouble, and unless precaution is taken in regard to cleanliness and keeping these parasites at bay the developing stock will seriously suffer in consequence.

INTERNAL PARASITES.

It is not generally realized by the majority of poultrymen what. a great loss of poultry-stock occurs annually through the birds being infested with intestinal worms. Many cases have recently come under my notice of heavy mortality and a reduced egg-yield through no other cause, and the matter is one that should receive special attention at the present time. While there are many species of these internal parasites, the most common source of trouble is known to the poultryman as the round worm, which measures from Jin. to 3 in. in length. A few worms may not seriously affect the health of a bird, but if present in large numbers they will sooner or later cause serious trouble. Adult stock of exceptional vitality may also lay fairly well for some time even when badly affected, but the weaker birds of the flock will generally succumb. . The effect of worms is most destructive to- chickens at an early age. Recently a case came under my notice wh t ere heavy mortality was taking place from some - unknown cause among chickens of from eight to ten weeks old. An examination of the intestines of some of the ailing birds showed that these contained worms varying from Jin. to 3 in. .in length and nearly as thick as an ordinary darning-needle.

By making a post-mortem examination of any birds that die, or that are killed as being suspected of having worms, the poultryman may keep himself aware as to whether worms are present in his flock or not. If the digestive tract is followed and opened by means of a sharp small-bladed penknife any worms that are there will readily be seen. The large worms will be found in the small intestine, while the small ones are principally found in the appendix. When fowls are badly infested with worms these will be found in the droppings. Sometimes the worms expelled in this way are of a deep-red colour, and are often mistaken for a small clot of blood.

The most common symptom of the trouble is that' the birds stretch their necks and make a screeching noise— sound similar to that made by a seagull. This noise is . often thought to be a throat trouble or croup. Other symptoms are a ravenous appetite, unthrifty condition, . unkempt appearance of plumage, the comb black and the face pale; while a frequent yawning may be noticed.

There are several 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 salts (say, a i oz. packet for every twelve birds), 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 thay are moistened. The effect of this diet, given after a fast, will be to expel the worms. Care must be taken to thoroughly clean up and effectively destroy the droppings after treatment, or the birds are apt to eat the worms expelled. It is well, therefore, to confine the affected birds during treatment in a small space, so that the cleaning-up process may be properly carried out and lessen further risk of infection. Where the treatment has not been efficacious it should be repeated in a week's time. ■ '

This trouble, like most others that affect poultry, is usually found on dirty neglected plants, and the fact cannot be emphasized too strongly that prevention is the one thing to aim at in keeping it at bay. Too much importance cannot be placed upon the necessity of cleanliness and of preventing the runs from getting tainted. They should be periodically turned up, well limed, sown down, and, if possible, given a rest. This can be easily arranged if double runs are provided. The houses should be kept in a sanitary state and frequently sprayed with a strong solution of sheep-dip or other good disinfectant.

FARMERS AND PUREBRED STOCK.

The egg-laying competitions have taught the farmer many lessons in regard to the management of poultry, and probably the most important one yet conveyed is the great superiority of purebred stock as compared with crossbred or barnyard fowls. Until recent years the great majority of poultry kept on the farms were of a nondescript class, and it was generally admitted that they did little more than pay for the food they consumed. Purebred stock were certainly available to the farmer previous to the inception of the egg-laying tests, but these were chiefly bred from a show viewpoint. Farmers generally preferred the crossbred or barnyard bird for ordinary purposes rather than what was then considered an ideal show specimen. This is not to say that birds conforming to the standards framed by the English poultry clubs did not combine laying - points with those of breed type. The reason the show bird was considered unsatisfactory for egglaying purposes was solely due to the judges favouring fancy abnormalities and ignoring the useful points as laid down in the plates of the original standards.

While judges have made mistakes in departing from Ludlow’s plates in Lewis Wright’s great work, the fact should, not .be forgotten that the greatly increased egg-production that has taken place during the last few years could never have been achieved had it not been for the work performed by the fancier. It was the fancier who by careful selection and a love for his work made and brought to perfection the beautiful breeds of poultry we have at our . command to-day. It' is a . recognized principle by all who have concerned themselves in the advancement 'of types in the animal kingdom that it is only the type which has been bred true to a given standard from generation to generation that has the power of transmitting desired characters. The fancier in fixing the types and characters of the various breeds undoubtedly did a great work, and still deserves the credit of building the foundation of all the heavy-producing stock of to-day. It is obvious that the making of a breed and bringing it to perfection was of much greater importance than merely improving it from an egg-producing viewpoint. After all, the high-class layer is of a distinct type which stands out conspicuously to the man who knows his business. The more I study the best-favoured birds which compete in the egg-laying tests, and also those in the utility classes, the more I am convinced that from a breeding viewpoint we have only revived the same class of bird as that of the ideals drawn by Ludlow for the various English poultry clubs probably thirty years ago.

It is gratifying to see the farmers showing their appreciation of the great advancement of the egg-yielding power of many breeds of poultry-stock. There are now few farms where purebred birds are not kept. The egg-laying competitions have sounded the death-knell of the barnyard fowl, and to a great extent of the extreme show specimen. Not only do the farmers realize the advantage of keeping purebred stock, but they also realize the importance of poultry shows. Up to a few years ago poultry shows were concerned solely with the exhibition of birds judged according to an extreme show standard. It was then an exceptional case to see a farmer exhibiting his fowls. Now that classes are provided for utility-stock—birds of laying type which combine with egg-productive power the desired characters of the breed — there is a gratifying tendency for the farmer to take a keen interest in the exhibition of his utility-poultry stock.

Some of the finest specimens I have judged during the. past season have been owned by farmers. A very important work is being taken up by some of. the agricultural and pastoral societies in this direction. At the recent show of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association, where I judged, there was staged a remarkably fine collection of useful stock. It was certainly the best I have ever seen outside of a poultry show proper, and the most pleasing feature was that the majority of the birds were owned by farmers of the district. True, the time of the year was all against the birds being shown to the best ' advantage. The display was, however, an object-lesson, which should serve a most useful purpose in creating an interest in poultry-rearing in the district as well as doing good work for the industry, especially seeing that the display was witnessed by those who require the lesson most the farming community. The exhibit formed a strong contrast to that usually seen at our country agricultural and pastoral shows. Instead of consisting of a small motley collection, the 125 birds benched were, with few exceptions, good specimens of the breeds they represented. At the Poverty Bay show last month another very fine collection of 160 birds was exhibited. This is by far the largest entry I have yet judged at any agricultural and pastoral association fixture apart from winter shows. These two progressive associations are to be congratulated on the success of their efforts, and it is to be hoped that other societies will take up. the movement in a similar manner.

Another important movement that is being set on foot by certain farmers’ organizations is in regard to taking advantage of the assistance given by the Department to foster the industry. The idea of these bodies to arrange meetings, whereby those

interested may be afforded an opportunity of attending ' lectures and demonstrations by the Department's . poultry instructors, must in the near future prove of great educational value. It is also gratifying to know that the farmer is taking full advantage of the opportunity afforded by the Department’s poultry plants to secure at moderate prices birds and eggs for breeding purposes from tested strains. :