POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 3, 20 March 1925, Page 200

POULTRY-KEEPING.

PRECOCIOUS PULLETS. The incorrect information so often ■ given that early maturity is an indication of egg-laying power, and that premature laying is the sign of the desirable breeding-bird, has led many poultry-keepers to overforce their pullets with rich foods such as meat, milk, &c., with the result that many of the young birds have commenced to lay at about four and a half months old. This precocity, of course, is very undesirable, because under the conditions mentioned the birds cannot grow into vigorous stock. Further, from a productive point of view they will prove unprofitable, and it is not unlikely that their eggs will never be of a satisfactory size. ■ Later on such pullets will be undesirable for breeding purposes. Where fowls have been bred to an extreme egg-producing objective generation after'generation, the natural inclination to lay is so stronglydeveloped that no forcing methods are needed to make them lay as soon as they have reached the correct .productive age. In the

breeding of any class of live-stock it is now recognized that constitutional vigour is the foundation on which success rests, and with the modern high-type layer, upon which there is such an exceptional strain, the possession of outstanding constitution is of special significance. It stands to reason that constitution in a flock will never be maintained by breeding from a bird of a . super-laying strain that was brought on to lay before it became fully developed. : Of course, precocity should not be confused with the early laying of the well-developed bird; these remarks apply only to pullets which commence to lay when little more than half-grown: Where it is found that the pullets are making premature development their diet should be changed and a plainer one , substituted. 1 In this connection it is a good plan to feed plenty of good plump oats (when the price warrants their use) and an abundance of green food. SCALY -LEG. ' Scaly leg is caused by a minute mite which burrows under the scales of the feet and legs of fowls, giving the legs an unsightly appearance. The trouble is most common where fowls are running on sandy. ground, or where the quarters are not kept clean. Scaly leg should never be neglected, as it is easily spread from one bird to another. . There are several remedies that. can be applied to destroy the mites and thereby effect a cure. A few applications of a mixture of equal parts of sulphur and lard, liquefied with kerosene to a consistency of thick oil, will ’.usually prove efficacious. Another proved cure is to dip the affected parts for a . few seconds in a mixture . of equal parts of kerosene and raw linseed-oil. . In each case the legs should be wiped over with a dry cloth after treatment, in order to prevent as far as possible the ’ mixture from getting on the bird's feathers. . LEG-WEAKNESS. A trouble that may show itself now among the growing stock is a loss of leg-power, although the affected birds may show every indication of being in normal health in all other respects. Cockerels are more subject to this trouble than pullets. ' Leg-weakness is often confused with rheumatism by poultry-keepers, and in their endeavour to effect a cure they rub the legs with liniments, &c., but seldom or never with the desired effect. There is practically no way of curing this trouble, and prevention is the only feasible way of dealing with it. Leg-weakness is often brought about by overfeeding rich foods such as meat, table scraps, &c., but more frequently it can be traced to insufficient exercise. These influences tend to force the body to a degree that is beyond the strength of the undeveloped legs to carry. On the first sign of leg-weakness all forcing foods should be eliminated from the ration. In addition the birds should be kept busy by compelling them to scratch in deep litter for their grain food, or, better still, by providing a good range under the most natural conditions possible. Free range is essential to healthy development, especially for cockerels that it is intended to breed from. Confinement is necessary in fattening birds for table, but is most undesirable for vigorous and healthy growth.

FLYING-ANTS.

It is safe to say that many fowls die annually as a result of eating flying-ants, yet in the great majority of cases the owners have no idea that these are in any way responsible for the mortality. Several such cases have recently come under my notice. In some instances the birds lost were few, while in others the losses were considerable. The ants make their appearance mostly on a hot sultry day, and, as a rule, just before a shower of rain. They are seen near the sea-coast more frequently than inland, and they usually settle on a sandy area. It would appear that when on the wing they instinctively know' when they are nearing the sea, with the result that they fall to the ground, cast ' their wings, and soon afterwards bury themselves in the sand. In the majority of cases death of the birds soon follows upon their having eaten the ants, while in other cases they may linger for a few days and finally die. Once a bird has eaten these ants little or nothing can be done to save. it. The only safe course is to get the birds into the house and confine them there immediately the ants are observed to be on the wing, as it is seldom that the ants find their way to the interior of a house. As an extra precaution it is a good plan to fasten some sacking-material over the open part at the front of the house when the ants are about. (An interesting natural-history note on flying-ants by Mr. W. W. Smith, of New Plymouth,'was published in the Journal for July, 1921, p. 6. —Editor.) VERMIN AND DISEASE. - • Poultry-keepers are often lured into a false sense of security because, having new houses and runs, they go on for several seasons with their stock in a healthy condition. In time they become a trifle careless, failing to realize the importance of keeping the quarters as clean as they should be and .the runs fresh and sweet. Then they are suddenly confronted with some infectious disease, and a drastic cure becomes imperative, while stringent means have to be taken to prevent the trouble from spreading. Had preventive measures been in force right from the establishment of the plant the trouble would have been avoided. Although the quarters may be comparatively new it is of the greatest importance that all causes favourable to insect-life and the germs of disease be frequently removed. This implies strict attention to cleanliness, combined with the periodical spraying of disinfectant. In the great ' majority of houses, however, the spraying against insect-life is not as effective as it should be, as the spraying-material does not reach the . crevices and cracks where the insects swarm most thickly. Therefore at the outset it is a good plan to give the whole interior of the houses, as well as all fittings, a good coating of tar. A house well coated with tar can be thoroughly disinfected and disease - germs destroyed, but it is seldom that the interior of an ordinary untarred fowlhouse can be treated with any measure of success. The run is also a great source of danger to the flock,' for the germs of disease and parasitic life may survive in the soil for a considerable time. If these germs are to be destroyed the soil should be periodically turned over, well limed, and sown down with, grass, rape, &c. A common mistake made in the laying-out of poultry plants is to have only one run allotted to each poultry-house. The result is that by

constant stocking the run soon becomes poultry-sick, and, having no opportunity of a rest, it provides a harbouring-place for germ-life of all kinds. Moreover, if disease does appear, proper means cannot be resorted to in order to prevent the trouble from spreading. The importance of having two runs for each house and allowing the birds access to them alternately can scarcely be overestimated. No poultry plant is complete unless there is an alternate run to each house. . In this way a certain area of ground can be turned over each year, sown down, and allowed to sweeten. The first thing to do on the appearance of disease is to promptly isolate affected birds, and if the bird is badly affected it should be at once destroyed and the carcase burnt.

F. C. Brown,

Chief Poultry Instructor.