POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 1, 20 July 1923, Page 56

POULTRY-KEEPING.

HATCHING-TIME.

Poultry-keepers who have not commenced hatching operations are reminded that August and September are the best months to have the chicks hatching out, those brought out later than this seldom proving satisfactory. No time, therefore, should be lost in securing the required number of stock. In many cases, of course, hatching operations will be delayed till October, or even later, owing to inability to secure broody hens. The poultry-keeper who is really anxious to secure the greatest profit from his undertaking will, however, not waste time waiting for broody hens, but will adopt artificial methods, and thereby be able to have all his stock hatched out at the right time. It is now recognized that the maximum returns cannot be secured from poultry unless late autumn and winter eggs are produced in.good numbers. It is also recognized that the pullets must be chiefly depended upon to . produce these, and to do so they must be hatched out early. ..

This involves the adoption of artificial methods, as on most plants it is impossible to secure the desired number of broodies when they are required. Even on the farm artificial methods must be resorted to. The chief reason why the farmer does not get winter eggs is because the greater number of the fowls kept by him have passed their best period of ■ production, or that, having been bred-at the natural season, the birds lay when nature dictates and take a rest during the dear-egg season. While a variation of . price between summer and winter eggs will always be experienced, there is no reason why the selling-price should fluctuate between is.-and 3s. 6d. per dozen. . .'

FARM POULTRY AND ITS POSSIBILITIES.

The last census returns showed that there were 3,991,009 head of poultry stock in the Dominion, and that the average flock consisted-of two dozen birds. Obviously, this goes to show that the great bulk of the poultry in the Dominion isTon the farms. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that few high-priced eggs come from the farmer. They are chiefly supplied by poultry-keepers who specialize in the business, hatching eggs from tested stock at the right time, and feeding and managing their birds on the best principles. Of course, the'extra profit made on winter eggs justifies the special effort to secure them. No doubt farms in general,

or at least the womenfolk of the farm, find 'the keeping of poultry a profitable side-line, having regard to the general low costat which the fowls are maintained/ The present revenue, however, is nothing to that which would be secured were the farm poultry handled to the best advantage.

If more eggs are to be secured next autumn and winter the farmer must, first of all, ’guard against having late-hatched stock. Even with light breeds such as Leghorns, the birds will not lay till the spring if brought out later than September. It is always better to hatch out on the early side rather than on the late side. It should be always remembered that the laying-year ends with the moult, so that the late-hatched bird has no opportunity, having regard to the short season available, of producing a good egg-yield during the pullet-year. /■

Where it is not convenient to use incubators a good means for the man in a small way to overcome the drawback to timely hatching is the facility now being offered of securing day-old chicks from reliable breeders of high-type laying stock. With fireless, brooders, where the necessary attention is available, . these chicks can be satisfactorily brought to maturity. Chickens can thus be secured, at a season when they will have every opportunity of developing well, and of coming to . their laying season at the most profitable A age of the egg-market. On the small plant the day-old-chick business, as well as the fireless brooder, has come to stay, though if it pays one man to hatch day-old chicks for sale it will surely pay the farmer to artificially incubate on a small scale for himself. The problem, after all, is the : rearing of chickens rather than the hatching of them, and if a man cap rear successfully he should certainly be able to manage the more simple process. Artificial incubation and brooding have passed the experimental stage, and with a : little care and attention no difficulty is' now experienced in providing sufficient pullets each year to ensure a good supply of eggs in the dear season. With the up-to-date incubators and brooders now available persons with an ordinary amount of intelligence can soon master their working. Naturally, where possible, the. beginner is advised to get a few lessons from a practical operator and thus gain the benefit of his experience at the outset.

Because a person is capable of working an incubator or brooder successfully it does not necessarily follow that the best results will be obtained. The first essential in securing good hatches of chickens that are easy to rear is to have strong, vigorous breeding stock that are not overfat, and which have not been and are not being overforced for egg-production. Usually it is a weak policy to buy a cheaply built incubator, or one of those which find their way to an auction-mart. These are mostly amateur-made or out-of-date machines, which in many cases have been discarded by the person of experience.; Obviously, if he is installing more up-to-date and better machines the novice should do likewise.

Farm poultry-keeping is capable of great expansion in New Zealand, especially among those who are working the smaller holdings. The first thing necessary' to make farm poultry pay is to keep the correct type of bird, ' and only such numbers as can be effectively handled and properly fed and looked after. They should not' be left to hunt for their living and remain till they die of old age. Many farmers still declare that there is no money in poultry, and that the average farm hen dies in debt to her owner. This is because they have not given the noted egg-laying strains a trial under modern methods of management. It is on the farm that eggs should and can be produced at the cheapest cost, but the maximum returns will never be secured unless the poultry are given as much care and attention as other animals on the farm. Like the heavy-milking cow, the modern high-type layingbird will not maintain its great artificially stimulated yield unless well fed, sheltered from adverse weather, and treated in a kindly manner. I do not contend that it will pay to take up poultry on a large scale on the average farm except under special conditions — instance, where there is a daughter or a son who takes a keen interest in them.

There are few farmers in the Dominion who do not keep poultry to a greater or lesser degree. These notes are not written specially with the object of inducing farmers to increase the number of their fowls, but rather to impress upon them the advantages of keeping a better class of poultry and managing, them on sounder lines in order that they may furnish increased returns. It is safe to say that on the majority of farms if only half the number of good young, birds were kept, and these were properly fed and managed, they would furnish a better income than is obtained at present. Farmers and others who are really anxious to make the most profit from their poultry are advised to obtain a copy of the Department’s Bulletin No. 66, “ Utility-poultry Keeping,” in which useful information is contained on

practically all branches of the industry, and to which these Journal seasonal notes are supplementary. This bulletin may be obtained from the Publisher, Department of Agriculture, Wellington, at a cost of is.

HATCHING. WITH HENS.

Those who are hatching with hens should take care to have ample provision for cosy coops and runs for the chicks. The coops should be placed on dry ground, and made in such a way that the mother and her brood will be protected from rain and cold winds. It is also essential that they, be made cat and rat proof; neglect of this provision means heavy losses of chickens each season. In making the nest take a shallow box about 6 in. deep and 15 in. square, remove the bottom, and place on the ground. Half fill it with moist earth, and shape the nest with the hands so that the eggs will have a tendency to remain in the centre ; in other words, make it saucer-shaped, care being taken that it is flat on the bottom to enable the hen to turn the eggs, which she does several times a day. Neglect in this direction is a common cause of eggs, being broken in the nest. The nest should be lined with a thin layer of hay, fine straw, &c.

Place the hen on a few china eggs until satisfied that she can be entrusted with the eggs intended for incubation. Before the hen is placed on the nest give her a good dusting with carbolic or other insect-powder in order to destroy any vermin that may be on her. More trouble and loss are occasioned by vermin in the rearing of chickens under hens than by anything else. Do not meddle too much with the hen when she is hatching. She can attend better to her natural business than you can, but as she is not carrying out her work in a state of nature her requirements must be considered. The application of moisture to the eggs is a case in point. Sometimes the air-cell dries down to such an extent that the thin membrane inside the shell becomes so tough that the chicken is unable to pierce it and consequently dies of suffocation. Here nature may be assisted by providing moisture. The best means is to take the hen off, lift up the nesting-material, and give the earth underneath a good moistening. This is preferable to sprinkling moisture on the eggs or dipping in water. The object should be not to wet the eggs, but by applying the submoisture to encourage, by means of a hen's body, a humidity in the air surrounding the eggs.

When the chicks are moved to the coop, which should be constructed in such a way that plenty of fresh air and light are provided, both the hen and the chickens should be enclosed for the first two or three days. Then provision should be made whereby the chickens can run in and out in order to afford them exercise. It is always a mistake to allow a hen with a young brood' a free range. When the sittinghen is confined in a box she should be let off once a day to feed, drink, and dust herself. It is, however, much better for her if she is placed in a coop with a roomy run attached she can then have before her at all times everything she requires, thereby minimizing the time required for attending to her. Hard grains, clean water, and grit are all the food that a sitting-hen needs.

— F. C. Brown ,

Chief Poultry Instructor.