POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXV, Issue 1, 20 July 1922, Page 54

POULTRY-KEEPING.

F. C. BROWN,

Chief Poultry Instructor.

August and September are the two principal months for hatching out chickens for the renewal of stock, and therefore constitute a period of considerable importance in the poultry calendar. Chickens brought out after September, or early in October at the latest, usually prove disappointing. I would therefore urge breeders to make every possible effort to secure the required number of chickens during the period named. To succeed in artificial chick-production the first great essential is to know that the parent birds possess constitutional vigour. Next in importance is to ensure that they are fed and managed in such' a way as to promote the production of eggs containing strong germs. Many poultrymen consider that the incubation and brooding stages are the main considerations, but these are only necessary links in the chain of management. It is safe to say that the best incubator - or brooder ever built will not give the desired results if the eggs in the first place are produced from weak or improperly fed stock. In the May number of the Journal some advice was given in regard to the care and management of the breeding-birds, and too much importance cannot be attached to this phase of the work. Strong chicks imply strong germs, and strong germs come only from healthy, vigorous breeding-stock. Given eggs containing the desired strength .of germ, and with the up-to-date incubators now available, together with the increased knowledge as to their working, the matter of securing at least a fair hatch is > generally assured. INCUBATING POINTS. ’ .Owing to there being so many different makes of incubators on the market, with varied systems of working, it is impossible to lay down any one general set of rules which could be applied to all machines alike. Thus the novice would be well advised to try no experiments, but to follow closely the instructions given by the maker for working his own particular machines. Of course, even with the most popular makes of incubators it. is necessary at times to depart from the makers' instructions in order to suit special local conditions. Only after gaining some experience as a result of study and observation, however, is it a wise course to depart from the instructions laid down. There are some rules, needless to say, which apply to practically any class of incubator, such as the maintenance of an even temperature at about 102° F. for the first eek, 103° for the second, and 104° when hatching. The correct degree of heat required means the temperature required by the germ which floats uppermost as the eggs lie on the tray. Thus the bulb of the thermometer should lie close between the tops of the eggs if the right degree of heat is to be recorded. As a general rule, if the eggs commence to pip on the twentieth day, and if the hatch is cleared up on the twenty-first day, it may be taken for granted that the. proper degree of temperature has been maintained, and usually really good hatches are obtained only under such conditions. Sometimes thermometers fail to register the correct temperature. If there is doubt in this respect it is well to have the thermometer tested. This is a simple matter. Place a clinical thermometer and the one to be tested in water at 100 0 F., stir gently, add slowly at the same time hot water, and observe the different readings. If the incubator instrument reads,, say, a degree lower or

higher than the clinical it must be worked a degree higher or lower accordingly. Most chemists will undertake the work of testing a thermometer at a moderate cost. With incubators in which thermostats are used care must be taken that the screw part of the connecting-rod between the thermostat and the arm carrying the disk is perfectly straight. Once this becomes bent the disk will not rise and fall in complete harmony with the thermostat, and consequently extreme fluctuations of temperature will result. If a connecting-rod becomes bent the only safe course is to take it out and put a new one in its place.

BROODING. In rearing incubator-hatched chicks it should be remembered that, if success is to follow, the attendant must largely take the place of the natural mother. There is no brooder yet made nor set of instructions framed which satisfies the requirements of little chicks to the same degree as does the mother hen. The novice should therefore not rely entirely on theoretical knowledge or even the sound advice of a poultryman, but rather should study out things for himself, having at all times in mind the lesson to be learnt from the mother hen and her brood. For example, the hen has no rule-of-thumb methods, but adapts herself to the special conditions surrounding her. She has no hard-and-fast time for allowing the chicks to exercise and feed, nor any set ration for her young ones from day to day. The hen anticipates their requirements and acts accordingly. So this must be the case of the attendant where artificial methods are employed. No doubt the chief cause of mortality in brooder chicks is by allowing them to become chilled. Here the mother hen gives a striking lesson. During the first few days, and especially if the weather is unfavourable, her whole endeavour is to keep her young ones warm, while at the same time she sees that ample fresh air is available at all times. There is no coddling in her methods, as plenty of time is given’for exercise when the age of the chicks and the weather conditions warrant it. Thus in the work of brooding see that a uniform degree of heat is maintained and provision made for plenty of fresh air without draughts. The hatching and ventilation systems must be adjusted according to the age of the chicks and the prevailing weather conditions. As to the degree of heat to be maintained in a brooder the behaviour of the chicks gives a better guide than a thermometer. If they are well spread out over the floor of the brooder it indicates that the heat being maintained is correct. On the other hand, more warmth is required if they are seen to be huddling; while if the heat is too great they will be gasping for breath with wings spread out to a greater or lesser degree. Some brooders are made in such a way that the chickens cannot get away from the heat when it is excessive. This is a serious defect, especially in an artificially heated brooder. Overheat is as dangerous as underheat, it having the effect of making the chickens susceptible to chill immediately they leave the brooder. Once chickens become chilled it is next to useless trying to doctor them ; they usually die in spite of whatever is done for them, and very often it pays best to destroy them at the outset. The most common signs of chill is bowel trouble, droopy wings, excessive thirst, and no inclination to leave the brooder, while there is a general tendency to huddling. Next, the legs become spread, and this condition will be all the more severe if there is insufficient bedding-material on the brooder-floor. The constant huddling and slipping on a smooth brooder-floor soon injures the delicate legs. It is a good plan to place a piece of sacking on the floor of a brooder ; then if the chickens are inclined to huddle a grip is provided for their feet. Do not make the common mistake of putting more chicks in the brooder than it is capable of brooding to the best advantage. Overcrowding is simply courting disaster. Strict attention to cleanliness is another important matter which must not be overlooked. If the quarters are allowed to become foul or filthy the presence of parasites, lice, mites, &c., is encouraged, and disease germs also. Before a new hatch of chicks is placed in the brooder the latter should be well cleaned and disinfected. •

Feeding Brooder Chicks. Chicks require nothing to eat for thirty to forty hours after hatching. Then for the first few days they should be kept on the hungry side, only allowing them what they will pick up in a few minutes. They should be fed every two hours for the first few days, and the intervals should be gradually extended as they

grow older. For feeding young chicks there are many different grain mixtures that will give equal results. For the first two days they may be given dry coarse oatmeal. From then to a month old the following may be fed : Crushed wheat, 55 1b.; crushed maize, 15 lb. ; hulled oats, 30 lb. Of course, quantities in proportion can be mixed to suit individual cases. Before using, the mixture should be moistened with hot water or sweet skim-milk and allowed to stand for about an hour. It should be well stirred at least once during this time. In this way the food will swell and become more easily assimilated than is the case when fed in a dry form, which is an unnatural food for little chicks. Here the mother hen with her brood, when under natural conditions, gives another forcible lesson, for it is obvious that hard grains would not be available out-of-doors at this period of the year. Whatever grain ration is provided some dry bran should be placed in shallow trays, tins, &c., and left before the chicks for them to pick at. Chicks are very fond of this, and usually what they like is good for them. From the start clean water, grit, and charcoal should be always before the birds. Do not forget an ample supply of green-stuff, and whatever may be supplied see that it is not. old and fibrous, else crop and gizzard compaction will result, which usually causes death. Success in rearing brooder chicks chiefly depends on the attention given to the numerous little details connected with the work. Unless these are observed to a high degree failure is inevitable. After all, it resolves itself into a matter of common-sense on the part of the person in charge of the work.