POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XX, Issue 3, 20 March 1920, Page 184

POULTRY-KEEPING.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor.

CULLING AND SELECTION OF THE BREEDING-HENS. The culling of the hens that have passed their best period of production, and the selection of the most desirable specimens for next season’s breeding-pens, are matters which should claim the first attention of the poultry-keeper at the present time. Indeed, if this important work be delayed now it is impossible for it to be carried out to the best advantage at a later date, chiefly for the reason that .if left till the flock has fully moulted choosing between the good , and bad layer is a matter of great difficulty. All things being equal as to the time of hatching, and when the flock has received uniform treatment in regard to feeding and general management, it will usually be found a safe course to discard the birds that moult first and retain in the flock the late moulters for breeding and laying purposes. In this connection it is not to be inferred that all late moulters which give indications of being, heavy layers are desirable breeding specimens, for the best layer is not necessarily the best breeding-bird. Breed and laying the desired size, together with points indicative of constitutional vigour, must , be combined if desirable progeny is to be produced. For instance, a freak type of bird may prove to be a late moulter and a heavy layer, but, if bred from, its progeny in all probability would prove disappointing. The point cannot be emphasized too strongly that, to maintain a flock of heavy egg-producers the breeder must have an ideal type in his mind’s eye, and choose birds as near to this as it is possible to do. Breeding from hens of various types and sizes merely because they have a good egg-performance behind them is no doubt responsible to a considerable extent for much of the weak stock being bred at the present time. I have recently seen breeders who were pinning their faith on small weedy hens as future breeding specimens for the sole reason that they possessed a fair single-pen egg-record, whereas birds were to be

seen among the general flock and of the same strain that were of ten times the value from a breeding viewpoint. This is not said in any way as a condemnation of single pens, but rather to emphasize the importance of placing in the testing-pens in the first instance only pullets of uniform type and desired size, and which are at any rate likely to produce desirable progeny when bred from. It is, however, not always feasible or convenient for every poultrykeeper to use single pens as a means of determining which are his best layers. He must therefore depend on picking out according to . layingtype and points indicating constitutional vigour, and in this connection the time of moulting gives the best guide to a bird’s productive capacity. For a bird to produce a high yearly egg-record, whether, confined in a single pen or running with a flock, she must necessarily be a longseason layer and obviously a late moult er, for it would be an exception to the general rule for a bird to complete .its moulting process and continue laying at the same time. In addition to being a late moult er the good layer at this season of the year will usually have weatherworn shabby-looking plumage, red healthy-looking comb and face (the latter being free from feathers), bright prominent eyes, well-bleached shanks (in the yellow-legged breeds), fullness of abdomen, and wide pelvic bones. She will also be a heavy feeder and still retain an active businesslike appearance. The poor layer, apart from being an early moult er, is usually very fat, has well-kept plumage, bright yellow legs, feathered face, overhanging eyebrows, spare abdomen, contracted pelvic bones, and generally an inactive appearance. The selection of the late moulters for future breeding is not the only essential. Something more is required. They should be marked as breeders, and then, by lighter diet or a change of diet, or a change of quarters, be discouraged from laying and encouraged to moult. Changing the ration from wet mash to whole grain for a week, and then suddenly changing back to the mash, will usually have the desired effect. This will give the birds an opportunity to recuperate and • build up their bodily vigour before being called upon to lay eggs for hatching purposes. This advice is based on hard experience. I have bred from high-scoring competition and forced birds, only. to find that the progeny were weakened specimens, unprofitable as producers, and most undesirable as breeders.

TUBERCULOSIS. This.is the time of year to keep a watchful eye for birds showing signs of being affected with tuberculosis. One- and two-year-old hens that are finishing up an exhausting laying season and are not in a vigorous condition are most liable to become affected with this disease should they come in contact with the tuberculosis germ. The latter usually attacks the liver and spleen, which later become covered with tubercular nodules. These vary in size, sometimes being as small as a pin-head and in other cases as large as a pea. They can easily be seen on post-mortem examination and when the disease has reached a fair stage of development. As a rule the first outward symptom is a rapid wasting of flesh, particularly surrounding the breast-bone, the latter standing out as a sharp ridge. Later, the wings and tail droop, the plumage becomes ruffled, there is usually lameness in the right leg, and the bird will frequently be seen standing on one leg with its

head under its wing. At this stage the bird shows, little desire for food, even when of a most appetizing nature. Later the evacuations become a greenish-white, and often adhere to the fluff feathers surrounding the abdomen. From this onward the bird appears to be in a dazed, listless condition. It gradually becomes more emaciated, ' and finally dies. , Tuberculosis is probably the. most dreaded disease that the poultryman has to fear. Most other troubles which affect poultry can be easily checked if taken in time, but it is entirely different with this disease, and once it makes its appearance in a plant there is no telling when it is going to be effectively stamped out. . The excreta of a diseased bird contain large numbers of the tuberculosis germ, and it will be easily understood that the. food, &c., may get contaminated, and a healthy bird become affected. It is useless trying to doctor a bird affected with tuberculosis. All that show the slightest signs of beingaffected should be killed and burnt at once. Prevention is the one and only safe course. The first essential in this connection is to breed birds with the necessary constitutional vigour to resist the infection'. Further, too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the value of cleanliness, good feeding, and well-ventilated houses. Above all, never allow the runs to get into what may be termed a “ poultry-sick ” condition.