Notes for the Poultry Farmer

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 69, Issue 4, 16 October 1944, Page 377

Notes for the Poultry Farmer

Production of Green Food

NO poultry farm is complete without an area under cultivation for ample supplies of succulent green material. The green food patch is of paramount importance for every poultrykeeper unless other sources of supplies of green food, such as watercress, lawn clippings, and suitable vegetable tops, are available in the district at a nominal cost or just for the labour involved in collecting them. While it is important that this food should be in abundant supply, it is also imperative that it be of such quality that it will be readily consumed and relished by the birds, either when fed separately or incorporated with other foods given in their daily ration. It is questionable whether the true value of a plentiful supply of succulent green food is sufficiently realised, for on many places fowls get only what they can pick up in the pens or fields. This is not enough, and where poultry are kept in limited areas the ground quickly becomes tainted and stale, with the result that the quality of the green food available is of little value from a feeding point of view. On some farms one sees no great attempt to cultivate the soil for growing suitable supplies of green food. Economical and Health-giving Food Abundant supplies of green food not only make for economical production, but they are essential for the maintenance of the good health of the birds. Now that grains and meals are at high price levels and are also difficult to obtain regularly, it will pay well to feed green food and suitable root crops with a .liberal hand. The young leaves of growing plants and blades of grasses are a most valuable food for poultry because of their natural juices, and when fed in regular supply they assist Nature in imparting fresh life to the birds. They also prevent troubles caused by the confinement of poultry to limited areas. . The necessity for regular feeding of green food to young growing stock cannot be too strongly advocated. They always make the best growth when they do not receive a setback of any kind, and often the worst check of their healthy development may be caused through the lack of green food during the growing stages. While green food materially assists in reducing the cost of feeding, therefore, it also maintains

the good health of the fowls, building up their vigour , and resistance to disease. Effect on Quality of Eggs Complaints are frequently made by ■consumers about the paleness in the colour of the yolks. This is generally due to the birds not receiving sufficient and regular supplies of goodquality green food, which particularly applies where poultry are kept under intensive methods of housing. Green food is also of considerable importance to breeding stock, and its value is reflected in . the embryo development of chicks and the production of chickens with strong vitality, so that no poultrykeeper can afford to neglect the vital importance of seeing that his flock is supplied regularly with a good variety of succulent green food. Suitable green materials can be obtained from various sources on the farm. Firstly, there are permanent green food areas which can .be laid down, including lawns and lucerne, clover* or watercress patches, which supply large quantities of good green food over the greater part of the year. Secondly, there are seasonable green materials which are best planted at certain times of the year, and, if given good average cultivation and general care, will supply abundant quantities of very good green stuff for many months. In this case, it will be necessary to replant each season at suitable times for the best growth in the district concerned. These crops are silver beet, Chinese or mustard cabbage, or those of the cabbage family, such as rape, kale, and chou moellier. Thirdly, a particularly good method of producing large quantities of succulent green food is by catch crops which can be planted almost at any time of the year or sown down at certain seasons most suitable for their quick growth. The best for this purpose, are oats, cape barley, Japanese millet, maize, and. garden vegetable plants, such as lettuce and cabbages. With _ all these sources, there is little reason for poultrykeepers to be short of green foods at any time of the'year in this country. However, it is generally realised that the cold winter months are the worst season for obtaining regular supplies. Preparation

for this period can be made by planting in the cultivated areas at suitable times a plentiful supply of root crops, such as carrots, beet, mangolds, swede turnips, and onions, as well as those vegetables of the gourd family, such as marrows and pumpkins. All these can be used most successfully at the time of the year when green foods are in short supply. Feeding Green Food Almost any vegetable top is suitable for feeding, but the leaves must be fresh, crisp, and as tender as possible. Coarse, dry, stringy green . food contains too much fibre, and often causes impaction of the gizzard or crop binding of the birds. Variety is valuable, as some green foods contain different feeding values from others, but it is important that no sudden changes of green food are given when the birds are doing well. The best method is to introduce a change a little at a time until the birds have become accustomed to it. Many cases of troubles being caused in this way have come under our notice. In one particular instance a sudden change was made in January from succulent green lucerne to hardhearted yellow cabbage for a large flock of good-laying White Leghorns. The result was disastrous; not only were digestive troubles set up, but the great majority of the birds were forced into an early moult, causing considerable financial loss. Green food in the form of leaves can be hung up in bunches in ' the houses or placed in wire-netting baskets or green-food racks about 12 inches from the floor, but should never be thrown on the ground for feeding purposes. If the feed can be cut up finely, so much the better, as the birds will always eat more when the green food is chaffed to a reasonable size. Where moist mash is fed at least one-third of the bulk can be good green food prepared in this way. In fact, the writer has known up to 45 per cent, of the bulk to be included in the mixture and fed to the poultry with excellent results. In using the green food in the mash, the best method is to mix the green chaffed food with the dry meals overnight and then cover with a sack until morning. The liquid is then mixed with it until the mash food is in a dry, crumbly condition. This method allows the meals to absorb some of the flavour of the green food, making the mash very palatable to the birds, while

the amount of liquid used for mixing is not nearly so much as when the foods are all mixed fresh at the one time. Even when green food is fed in this way it is a good plan to give a little extra fresh-cut green food to the fowls in the latter part of the afternoon. This acts as Nature’s tonic. If a study of poultry habits is made with birds on free range, it will be observed that even after the fowls have eaten up their evening grain diet they will roam some considerable distance from the house, in the search for young tender blades of grass, and it is always wise to follow Nature’s methods. Root crops are best sliced in half and placed on spikes on the lower parts of the walls of the house, but well clear of any dirty litter on the floors. This keeps the flesh of the vegetables as

clean as possible, and once accustomed to them the birds will hollow them out to the skin. . Permanent Green Foods Freshly-cut lawn clippings make excellent green food, and if they come from good grass pastures which have been well topdressed it is doubtful whether greater feeding value can be obtained off any given area of land. At the same time, this method of obtaining green food lends itself to keeping the grounds of the home and entrance to the farm in a pleasing order, and supplies abundant quantities of suitable green material during the spring and autumn months. In laying down a lucerne patch care should be taken to prepare the ground thoroughly before planting. Regular cultivation of the soil during the

spring months will destroy most of the spring weeds. For poultry farm work planting the seed about the end .of November and sowing it in drills about 15 to 18 inches apart will prove better than broadcasting, as it allows for weeding. Once established; the lucerne is not hard to keep in order, and the quantity of food produced will amply repay the trouble. Watercress is one of the best green foods for poultry. It contains a good deal of iron, is always succulent, and appears to act as a great tonic to the birds. Like Chinese cabbage, mustard, and cress, it is hot to the taste. This causes the flow of greater quantities of saliva in the mouth, thus aiding the digestion of the foods eaten. Seasonable Crops Probably the best seasonable crop is silver beet, which is excellent for poultry. It is a heavy cropper, and is not subject to attacks\ by insect pests, as are many other plants. Sow the seed in the spring, and transplant early in December. With a reasonable season and average cultivation, one is assured of a plentiful supply of young, succulent leaves in the early autumn. Where insects attacking cabbages are not troublesome chou moellier, kale, and rape ■ can be grown. A useful method is ’to grow them in the poultry runs, and not only will this help to clean the ground, but if the birds are not allowed on the runs until the plants are well developed, they can then pick at the leaves without doing a great deal of damage to the plants. It will thus afford shade .as well as green food during the summer months. . . Catch Crops In addition to the crops which are grown in the cultivated area of green food patch, both oats and barley are most useful. They can be planted in the poultry runs in the early autumn, when on many farms the young pullets are being housed for winter egg production. The growing of oats or barley mixed with grass in these runs is highly desirable. Two or three cuttings of these cereals can be taken off the areas during the winter months, providing a very useful adjunct to the green food supply. When . the spring arrives and it is time to allow the birds out again the runs are renewed in fresh green pasture. In conclusion, the production .of abundant supplies of green material lends, itself to better management of poultry. Not only does it make for the production of better quality eggs and stock, but, if carried out on sound lines, it will go a long way towards keeping the plant in good order, preventing the ground from becoming tainted, and the fowls from becoming sick.

-E. C. JARRETT,

Poultry

Instructor, Auckland.