POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XVIII, Issue 3, 20 March 1919, Page 174

POULTRY-KEEPING.

By

F.C. BROWN

Chief Poultry Instructor

THE MOULTING BIRDS.

At this time of the year most of the adult females of the flock will be on the point of going through their moulting process. Far too many poultry-keepers fail to' realize the importance of feeding the moulting bird to the best advantage, merely because she is not laying.- This short-sighted .policy is much to be deprecated it is not only cruel but decidedly unprofitable. It should be remembered that during moulting-time the bird's system is taxed, to the utmost in producing her new crop of feathers, which must necessarily come from the food she eats. , Especially. is this the case with the high-type layer that has just finished an exhaustive laying-period. If her next season’s laying is to. be profitable it is therefore imperative that she be given ample food in order to recoup her strength and resume laying in the shortest space' of time. Undoubtedly the length of the next layingperiod depends on the attention the birds receive now. As to the feeding of moulting stock, there is nothing better than their usual diet, making sure, however, that ample green food is provided. Maize may be added to the grain ration, and the morning mash should be made as appetizing as possible by mixing it with boiling water or milk, while a pinch of sulphur, given once a week in the mash (say, an ounce for every twelve birds), is always helpful during the moulting-period.

THE PULLETS AND WINTER EGGS.

The fact of possessing pullets is not in itself an assurance that winter eggs in good numbers will be secured ; there are other requirements necessary to attain this end. In the first place, the birds must be hatched out at the right time—say, August or September for'the heavy breeds, and September or early in October for the lighter breeds. " As a rule, the very early-hatched pullet lays a few eggs in the late summer and early autumn, and then moults like the adult fowls during the dear-egg

■season. On.the other hand, the late-hatched chicken can scarcely ever be depended on to lay before the late winter or early spring, except, of course, when it has been specially cared for and is the descendant of an early-maturing strain. The object must, be to have the pullet commencing to lay in April and go right. through her first laying, season without moulting.

To secure a good winter egg-yield not only must the pullet be brought out at the right season of the year, but in addition it must be properly fed and managed from the time it leaves , the shell and throughout all stages of its development. Special care is necessary with the pullet just before or after it has commenced to lay. The treatment must be uniform in every respect or disappointment will be met with at a time when dear eggs are expected. The pullet should be placed in its winter quarters well before the laying-period commences, in order that it may get over the fretting stage and feel at home before being called upon to lay. ' A change of food or quarters will .usually upset any' laying flock, but this applies in double force where the' young pullet is concerned, having the effect of putting the bird into a premature moult at a time when eggs are most desired. . Not only does the maintenance of the one diet often prevent a false moult, but . it encourages, a bird to attain its maximum production. That laying-birds require frequent changes of diet is one of the theories which sadly fail when put into practice. The truth of this is borne out by results obtained at egg-laying competitions, 'when the one class of food was used from start to finish.

Of course, practically any old hen, even when subjected to indifferent treatment, will lay in the spring and summer months, the natural breeding season for bird-life. In the case of the pullet, however, although she may be bred to lay in winter she will not produce her artificial product unless ■everything is in her favour. In short, the birds should be provided with ■conditions resembling as far as possible those that prevail in spring and •summer time. The house must be roomy, with an.’open or partly open front in order to secure the admittance of fresh air and. sunlight to all parts of its interior. Care must be taken that there are nd cracks in the back or side walls to let in a cold draughta most common cause of ■colds, the forerunner of roup. The floor of the house should be at least a few inches above ground-level, in order to keep it dry, as a wet cold floor does not tend to promote winter laying. Have the floor well •covered with scratching-material, such as straw, &c., in which the wholegrain food should be scattered. This will induce the birds to exercise and keep busy, an essential for the maintenance of good health and vigour.

' Referring again to the importance of not subjecting the pullet to any ■sudden change when entering her productive season, it may be mentioned that even suddenly changing the class of litter used will sometimes have an undesirable effect on the egg-yield. I have seen flocks of pullets •go right off faying from no other cause. Any contemplated change in this respect should be introduced by degrees. Another important point in handling the pullets is to have the birds so tame that the attendant •can go among them without frightening them. In this connection more eggs will be gathered if the care of the birds is left to one person: Keep the quarters sweet and clean—the secret of preventing vermin from making their appearance..

It goes without saying that for a pullet to do its best in winter it. must be fed to the very best advantage. Only the best grain foods available should be provided, while.the ration should include meat or meat-meal, preferably fed by itself. Where such forcing-foods are oversupplied sin a mash, it will have the inevitable result of bringing on ovarian troubles, protrusion of the oviduct being a common phase. As is the case with all classes of poultry, green food should be provided in abundance, while grit, crushed oyster-shell, and clean water should be always in reach of the birds. '

It will thus be seen that the management of the pullet with a view of securing winter eggs is a delicate matter, and that the. poultry-keeper who gets them well deserves his reward. . . .

TUBERCULOSIS

This is becoming a common disease in poultry, and at no time' is it more prevalent than just before or after the moulting-period. The disease affects old birds, though young stock are not immune, and is caused by a micro-organism known as tubercle bacillus. The chief source of the infection is through the digestive tract. The droppings of an affected bird contain enormous numbers of the deadly germs, and it will therefore be readily understood that the feed, &c., may become contaminated, and the disease spread at an alarming rate. Usually tuberculosis attacks flocks where the surrounding conditions are insanitary and the birds do not possess a vigorous constitution: The disease , is very contagious, and if it once gets a good foothold there is no telling when it will be.stamped out.

Tuberculosis is undoubtedly the worst disease the poultryman has to fear, chiefly because in its early stages there are no definite signs by which it can be detected. As the disease develops, many symptoms manifest ■ themselves, which are apparent only to the experienced. A gradual loss of weight and an apparent shrinkage of the body is perhaps the first and plainest sign of the disease. Then the breast-bone stands out sharply, and the neck is devoid of flesh. ' Later the comb becomes dark, and the bird gets dull and listless and is not inclined to mix with other members of the flock. Sometimes at this stage diarrhoea accompanies the disease, and there is lameness in one leg.' . From this on the disease rapidly develops, the bird becomes more and more emaciated, and finally dies. When a diseased bird is opened up the liver is found to be' greatly enlarged, and spotted with tubercle nodules. Sometimes the terms “ spotted liver ” and “ going light ” have been used to designate the conditions of a bird whose liver presents this appearance. It is, however, tuberculosis and nothing else.

For this disease there is absolutely no cure. . The only way : to fight it is to prevent it, and the first thing to do in this connection is to breed birds with the necessary constitution to resist the infection. Any bird showing symptoms similar to those described should be killed and' burnt without delay. ' It often happens that the heaviest layers in the flock are the first to contract the disease, but no sentiment should be allowed to enter into the matter. Drastic methods of suppression are most necessary. The houses where the affected birds have been kept should be thoroughly cleaned and all sources of infection removed. This should be followed by a good spraying of strong sheep-dip or similar preparation.

Until the disease is thoroughly stamped- out all the droppings should be carefully gathered up and burned, or deeply buried with lime. Where possible, the'quarters where infected birds are found should be given a rest, and the runs turned up, heavily limed, and sown down. : It cannot be too strongly emphasized that prevention is the only way'of combating this disease. It is., therefore imperative that the environment should be as sanitary as possible, and the birds strengthened and invigorated by good feeding and sensible management generally. '