POULTRY-KEEPING.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 4, 20 April 1925, Page 273

POULTRY-KEEPING.

MANAGEMENT OF THE LAYING PULLETS. The pullets must, of course, be depended upon for the bulk of the eggs in the winter season, as even the desired late-moulting hens will be taking a rest for the purpose of renewing their feathers. Even pullets bred to lay in. winter are apt to go into a moult at any time now if subjected to improper management. Every assistance should therefore be given them so ' that they may lay to their maximum capacity. ■ ill Good feeding is imperative at this period of artificially induced production. The morning and midday meals may consist of a mash made of one part finely ground good-quality wheatmeal to two parts

of bran, moistened with milk or meat-soup, or, failing these, boilingwater. The , mash should be mixed to a crumbly condition, not sloppy. Give as much as the birds will eat without"waste ; any left over should be removed and less given• the following day. Where meat is available it should be fed separately in, say, the proportion of i oz. (cooked) to each bird daily. In the absence of boiled meat, meat-meal should be judiciously added to' the morning mashsay, about 6 per cent, of the entire mixture : in addition it may be provided in a - separate receptacle, so that the birds (usually the best layers) that crave for more of this forcing-material may be able to secure it. Where more than an odd bird or two becomes affected with ovarian troubles, such as protrusion of the oviduct,. &c., or if many shell-less eggs are being produced, the animal food should be .given in a less quantity, as it indicates that the forcing diet is being oversupplied. For the evening meal, when the price warrants use, a mixture of equal parts of wheat, short plump oats, and maize provides a-suitable ration. Care should be taken, however, to observe the manner in which the birds relish the different grains. Where it is 'noted that they are leaving any particular grain this should- be given in a reduced quantity. Of course, allowance must be made for the fact that fowls will often take some time to become accustomed to a new kind of food. All grains should be fed in deep litter as a means of providing the birds with ample exercise in scratching for it. During the day green material, such as silver-beet, rape, cabbage, chaffed green oats, &c., should be liberally provided, while crushed, oyster - shell, gravel grit, and clean water should be always available to the birds. It is well to remember, where laying pullets are concerned, that sudden changes in the system of feeding are often responsible for retarding production. ; any contemplated change should be made by degrees. For a bird to lay out of its natural season good and liberal feeding is imperative, but protection from climatic extremes, absolute cleanliness, and general common - sense management are of equal importance, and must therefore go. hand-in-hand with a sound system of feeding. ECONOMY ON THE PLANT. The heavy cost of production facing the poultry-keeper by way of dear foodstuffs makes it imperative that' economy in all things connected with the plant be seriously considered—that is to say, if payable returns are to be forthcoming. The most important point in this respect is to see that all hens of the drone type, or those which have passed their best period of usefulness, are got rid of at the earliest possible moment. This applies equally to ah surplus cockerels that have attained a marketable age— four and a half to five months old. The poultry-keeper cannot afford to retain any bird on the plant that is not paying its way nor is likely to do so in the near future. Notwithstanding the high cost of food, poultry are a good proposition provided that nothing but high-class laying-stock is kept and modern methods of management are adopted, among which economy is an essential detail for the best results. Assuming the possession of a flock of nothing but high-type layers, it is the worst form of economy to stint them in their food. It is now generally recognized that the heavy-laying bird cannot be overfed with the right' class of food.

Half-starved fowls are never profitable, and are generally the first to contract disease. It is always a sounder policy .to cull the drones than stint the profit-makers. . .

—F. C. Brown,

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