POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2, 20 February 1924, Page 133

POULTRY-KEEPING.

CLASSIFYING AND CULLING THE STOCK

March is the best period of the year for going through the stock for the purpose of weeding out. all birds that have passed their most profitable period of production, and also to select the best specimens for future breeding-purposes. It is then, or just before the moulting process commences, that certain signs manifest themselves indicating whether a bird has in the past year been a heavy producer or whether it is likely to be so during the next. In a general way these signs vanish as soon as the birds, have moulted. There should thus be no delay in carrying out this important work.

In classifying the stock three grades should be made —namely, future breeding specimens, birds which'show indications that they, will pay to keep another year, and the culls. The latter should be the first to remove from the flock. There must be no sentiment allowed to -enter into this matter... If the maximum return is to be made from poultry- no birds (except noted breeding specimens) should . be kept beyond the second laying season. One of the .great weaknesses, especially on farms, at the present time is that too.many birds are kept till they have long passed their stage of usefulness and for years have been practically eating off their heads, being allowed, as a matter of fact, to die of old age. The farmer would not think of continuing to milk a cow that was hardly, giving enough milk to rear a calf, or of using an old horse that could not do a decent day's work, but too often he -will allow any number of old hens to mope around which are not even paying for their board.

In order to simplify the work of culling, all young birds should be marked in the web of the foot by a special punch made for the purpose. In this way, and by keeping a correct register of such marks, the different ages can be ascertained at a glance and the old birds weeded out at will. This must not be held to. imply that it will pay to keep all birds till the. termination of their second laying season. In all flocks of one-year birds, no matter how well they may be bred or fed, individuals are to be found that will not pay to keep for the second year.

SELECTING THE LATE MOULTERS.

It is now generally recognized that lateness of moulting is one of the best guides to heavy productive power, but this only applies where the birds are of about the same age and the management received has been uniform in all respects. For example, in a mixed flock of first and second season's layers it will be usually found that the former will moult first. Especially is this the case where the older birds were selected the previous season as late moulters. Then again, where a flock has recently been subjected to violent changes of food or change of quarters the good layer is apt to moult early, as is the case with the poor layer. It will thus be seen that local conditions should always be taken into consideration when classing stock according to their time of moulting.

General appearance : This, apart from the question of the time of moulting, gives a good guide in determining a bird's productive power. The heavy layers will present a more or less shabby appearance, and owing to this fact are often the first to be culled out by the inexperienced poultry-keeper. In white-coloured breeds the plumage will usually be more of a straw colour than a white, while in the case of black birds the feathers surrounding the thighs and abdomen will bear a more or less rusty appearance. Birds with a well-kept, glossy plumage, and which are usually well above the ordinary weight of their breed at this period of the year, are flesh-makers, and should therefore be culled out. The good layer is always tight and thickly feathered. Not only does loose feathering denote poor laying-capacity but an impaired constitution as well. • - - •

Head points : The head of a bird is a good guide in the selection of stock. The good layer will show a clear face free from wrinkles

and feathers. Indeed, with the exceptionally heavy layer it is not uncommon for the head to become completely' devoid of feathers towards the termination of - her laying season. Of course these are always renewed at moulting-time. The eye of the heavy producer is round and prominent, and presents a fiery expression. In short, the head should be neat but moderately deep and broad, with a stout well-curved beak. Birds with coarse heads, long thin beaks, heavy feathered eyebrows, dull sunken eyes, and wrinkled skin surrounding the eye, mostly indicate poor egg-capacity and low vitality.

' The pelvic bones : While the width of these gives no guide to productive power, their condition will serve as a guide to the novice in the work of culling. When a bird commences to lay these bones expand to a more or less .greater degree, but when the bird is about to take a .rest they contract. Thus, with say, a two-year-old bird it is intended to cull at the end or the present laying season, and where the bones are found close together, it may be safely assumed that it is not laying or likely to in the near future, and it can be weeded out accordingly.

. J The abdomen : The condition surrounding the abdomen : gives probably the best guide of all to laying-capacity. . In the good bird it will be found full, pliable, and soft to the touch. Of . course, the abdomen is not the egg-basket, but the development of the eggcluster or ovary, which is situated much higher up, causes rhe intestines to fall, and consequently a fullness of the abdominal region occurs. Therefore when the abdomen appears, to be full and is soft to the touch it may be taken for granted that the egg-cluster is in an active stage of development, and that the bird is either , laying or on the point of it. On the other hand, the abdomen of the low producer will be found more or less shrunken, besides being thick and hard to the touch.

SELECTING THE BREEDING-BIRDS.

Having removed all the culls from the flock, the next important step is to choose the prospective breeders. In this connection I cannot emphasize too strongly that the best layer is not necessarily the best breeder. The danger of improving one character by weakening another should always be kept in mind. In addition to possessing a maximum of laying-points the ideal breeding-bird should be at least a fair specimen of the breed it represents. In other words, it should conform to breed-type. If a heavy-producing strain is to be built up or maintained it is imperative that the breeder shall have an ideal type to aim for pictured in his eye. Egg-record alone will never achieve this end. Above all, only birds which conform to standard weight requirements, and those which lay a decent-sized marketable egg, should be bred from.

For a bird to produce desirable progeny for the maintenance of a -laying strain it is essential for it to have some “ timber about it. Not only should the back be broad, but there should be a great depth of body, well developed in front and in the abdominal region The small-egg question is becoming a serious matter, especially in view of the fact that nothing under a 2 oz. product is suitable for the export trade. There is no better way of raising the standard of eggs

than by eliminating from the breeding-pens diminutive specimens of a breed. These latter, by the way, are too often bred from throughout the Dominion to-day. . . - -.

In the case of novices and those who have not had much experience in the selection of breeding-stock, I would advise them, if they have not already done so, to obtain a copy, of the New Zealand Utility-poultry Standards. This booklet is obtainable from the Department of Agriculture, Wellington, at a cost of 3s. The illustrations contained therein of the ideal types of the various breeds, will serve as a guide in selecting the most desired class of bird to breed from for the production of a uniform flock. ■ .

MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING-BIRDS

After selecting the most desirable specimens for future breedingpurposes the birds should be carefully marked and kept by themselves. This is in order that they may be specially attended to. The food to be provided at this stage is most important. On no account should the birds be forced for egg-production. On the contrary, an endeavour should be made to retard egg-production by providing a plain ration or by frequent changes of diet. This will induce the birds to moult and give them an opportunity to recoup. True, there will be a loss of eggs just at a time when the price of the latter is advancing ; but any loss in this way will be easily made up by the' fact that they will commence their next laying-season much earlier and when eggs from adult stock are most desired for the production of early ,chickens. Too many poultry-keepers depend on pullet-eggs for the production of early chickens, owing to the adult birds not coming on to lay at .the desired time. This is a weak practice, and if continued: from generation to generation it is more than probable that the stock will decline in size and constitutional vigour and be layers of secondgrade eggs.

— F. C. Brown,

Chief Poultry Instructor.