POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1, 21 January 1924, Page 58

POULTRY-KEEPING.

THE PULLETS. Now that many of the pullets are half-grown it is obviously a time when they should be fed and handled with the greatest of care. The object should be to keep them steadily growing in the most natural way possible. In this respect a good range, preferably on clean ground, will do much for their proper development. Small runs, especially where the ground is stale, are not conducive to healthy growth. * The food supplied at this stage is most important. The ration should chiefly consist of sound grain materials in which good plump oats are included. This, together with an abundance of green material, grit, and clean water, is practically all they require. During the earlier chicken stage a good supply of animal food, such as meat, milk, &c., may be fed to advantage, but with the half-grown bird it should be fed with caution, or probably it will have the effect of forcing the birds to lay at too early an age. This condition should be avoided wherever possible, as it usually results in diminutive-sized specimens and layers of small eggs. It is not generally realized by poultrykeepers that once a pullet commences to lay she grows little, if at all, afterwards. Further, such birds never make desirable breeding-stock, however well they lay. The small egg is one of the most striking weaknesses in connection with, the industry to-day, and it is not the bird that develops prematurely that will correct matters in this respect. The aim of the breeder. should be to attain the desired size in his stock before the productive period commences. In a general way, even with such early maturing breeds as the White Leghorn, the pullets should not commence to lay before they are at least six months old, in order that they may grow to the necessary size, possess the requisite constitutional vigour, and produce a good-sized egg. The growing birds should not on any account be overcrowded, or trouble may be expected by way of vermin and disease. The profits to be made from poultry largely depend on the management the birds receive during all stages of their development. Any set-back received during the growing-period is never caught up. LEG-WEAKNESS IN COCKERELS. This is one of the many troubles affecting poultry which prevention is the only way of fighting. It is usually caused through insufficient exercise and the overfeeding of forcing-foods such as meat, milk, &c. A common mistake made by many poultry-keepers in connection with this trouble is that they select the most promising cockerels in the flock for future breeding purposes, and then place them in small runs, coops, &c. In order that they may make special growth they then provide them with plenty of rich nourishing food and special care and management. A much better plan would be to let such birds take their chance with the ordinary flock. It stands to reason‘that feeding rich foods to a bird during the growing stage and

curtailing its exercise will have the effect of encouraging size of body beyond that which the undeveloped legs are capable of carrying. The growing cockerels intended for breeding should have ample range under the most natural conditions possible so that they may develop in a natural way. Where such range is not available the birds should be compelled to exercise by providing ample Jitter and feeding the grain foods in it. ; Once a cockerel becomes weak in the legs it will never make a high-class sire, as this indicates that it has an hereditary weakness or that its stamina has been weakened by improper management. Of course, where birds are to be marketed at the right age—at about four and a half months old —-and in a prime condition, forcingfood as well as confined quarters are necessary so that they may make the greatest growth possible in the shortest space of time. Very often in the case of the heavy-combed breeds, such as White Leghorns, Minorcas, &c., leg-weakness is accompanied by falling-over of the combs. This is usually another indication of a weakened constitution, due either to an hereditary taint or to the bird being oversupplied with rich food, or by having a restricted space for exercise. Young male birds are here referred to, as sometimes a falling-over comb may be brought about at a later stage, even with' the . strongest of birds, • by a parasite attacking the comb. Its presence is usually indicated by a yellow incrustation on the blade of the comb, which gradually increases , in size and penetrates to such an extent that the comb falls over. For treatment dissolve one chinisol tablet in half a breakfast-cup of water and sponge the affected parts. If this is done when the trouble is first noticed it will soon disappear. On the other hand, if it has reached an advanced stage the only safe course is to remove the comb by means of a pair of sharp scissors. In order toprevent bleeding, a good dressing of fuller’s earth should be applied to the cut parts. With birds it is intended to show, the comb should be frequently examined in order to make sure that it is not being attacked by this parasite, many a good bird having been made useless for show purposes from .no other cause. CLEAN GROUND ESSENTIAL. ' I would again urge the importance of turning over every run possible, and sowing it down with a suitable green material before the season becomes too late. Such a run will make an ideal place for next season’s young stock after they leave the brooder. Chickens will always develop much more rapidly on such ground than on runs which have become stale. Not only this, but the'green food thus grown will prove a valuable asset during the off-season of the year. Clean ground, especially for the young birds, is one of the secrets of successful poultry-keeping, and the man who makes ample provision for this will be amply rewarded in the long-run for his trouble. One of the worst drawbacks to stale ground is that the young birds are always liable to become infested with disease and intestinal parasites, particularly round worms. • Many poultry-keepers are of the opinion that none but the adult stock suffer as a result of these parasites, but this is not the case. Cases have recently come under my notice where chickens not more than six weeks old suddenly ceased to thrive,

and many deaths took place from no other cause. Needless to say they were confined in stale runs which had previously accommodated adult stock over a period of years. The latter may do fairly well when these parasites are present, but in the case of young birds the affected cases mostly prove fatal.

It will thus be seen that the importance of having two runs, to each house, allowing the birds access to them alternately, and enabling them to be frequently turned over and sown down, can scarcely be overestimated. Were this system of laying out plants more generally adopted many of the troubles due to “ poultry-sick ” ground would be unheard of. It must be admitted that where the soil is specially suitable for fowls (a sandy loam) they may remain more or less healthy even if the runs are not given a rest, but, generally speaking, neglect in this direction will usually result in the long-run in the production of weedy and unprofitable stock.

— F. C. Brown,

Chief Poultry Instructor.