January,^ 1914 



379 



Iv the fowls show sij^ns of having 

 eaten all they care to. Curtains 

 of sackinj; or sail cloth arc then 

 drawn across the eagles, and the 

 fowls left in jveacefiil darkness until 

 the next meal time. Liquid is not 

 usually given, as sullicicnt is con- 

 sumed with the food. 



The cramming machine is the 

 process in nearly all ca.ses adopted 

 by those dealing with very large 

 numbers of fowls. In the hands of 

 an expert operator the cramming 

 machine cannot be said to entail 

 more than slight temporary dis- 

 comfort upon the bi'rd, but the pro- 

 cess is viewed with disfavour by. 

 many. 



The food, which is mixed with 

 great care to the consistency of 

 thick cream, is poured into the 

 cramming machine, and the opera- 

 tor, holding the fowl under one 

 arm, extends its neck and inserts 

 the rubber nozzle of the machine 

 into the beak and down the gullet. 

 With a firm but gentle pressure of 

 the foot upon the treadle sufficient 

 of the food is pumped into the 

 crop, the fingers of the disengaged 

 hand gauging the quantity. 



The operation, though a simple 

 and quick one, needs care, dexteri- 

 ty, and a keen judgment, or the 

 crop of the fowl may be either 

 insufficiently filled or gorged to 

 bursting point. It is imperative 

 also that the operator be careful 

 to release the treadle of the ma- 

 chine with a sharp jexk before 

 withdrawing the nozzle from the 

 fowl's gullet. Neglect of this pre- 

 caution may cause a quantity of 

 food to be pumped into the fowl's 

 windpipe, when suffocation almost 

 immediately ensues. 



Mr. Masseren, a Victorian breed- 

 er, gave a demonstration of ma- 

 chine cramming some years ago 

 at the Royal Show and had at 

 the same time some of th's finest 

 table poultry on view which we 

 have ever seen. They were Fave- 

 roUe cockerels, 7%ft). at 4% months. 

 The machine, however, has never 

 caught on here. One was, we re- 

 member, purchased for Rose- 

 worthy some time ago, but whe- 

 ther for use or ornament we do not 

 know. 



WANTED TO SELL 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS, 

 Simplex, awarded first price (silver 

 medftl) Adelaide Exhibition, 1910. 

 Agent for Cort's Patent Cooler-safe, 

 a boon in simuner. Send for price 

 list.— D. LANYON, Manufacturer, 46 

 North Twraoe, Kemt Town. 6-12. 



Egg-Eating Hens. 



The most common causes of egg- 

 eating amongst hens are absence 

 or want of a sullicieut su])j)lv of 

 1 nie, grit, and shell-forming mate- 

 rial, giving the birds broken egg 

 shells to eat, improper and insuf- 

 licient nesting accommodation, 

 which, of course, causes the birds 

 to lay elsewhere— -probably on the 

 lloor, whe're the eggs get pecked 

 at and broken — want of occupation 

 and amusement to pass away thedr< 

 time, the accidental breaking of an 

 egg in the nest, and laying soft 

 eg-gs about the yard or run! 



The vice in question is contagi- 

 ous, that is, one bird will quickly 

 imitate another, and onoe a hen 

 has tasted the contents of an egg 

 she wUl continually be on the 

 sharp look out for others, and in 

 time become a confirmed egg-ieater, 

 the habit being far more easily 

 acquired than cured. Immediately 

 a poultry-keeper is aware that 

 there are egg-eaters amongst his 

 birds he should endeavour to dis- 

 co\-er the culprits, the best way of 

 doing this being to place an egg 

 on the ground shortly after feedingi 

 the fowls, and watch results. Birds 

 that are not addicted to the, habit 

 will either take no notice or mere- 

 ly roll it over, but the offending 

 bird or birds will quickly have a 

 hole through the shell and be tast- 

 ing the contents. 



The quickest and safest way of 

 dealing with egg-eating hens that 

 are of little value is to hill them, 

 although other remedies may, of 

 course, be tried. 



A favourite remedy for curing 

 egg-eating hens is to take an or- 

 dinar^' egg, blow out the contents, 

 and fill the shell with a strong 

 mixture of mustard and cayenne. 

 Place the egg where the offending 

 birds are likely to see it, and when 

 the contents are tasted the effect 

 upon the delinquents will be so 

 startling that two or three doses 

 are frequently sufficient to bring 

 about a lasting cure. Cutting or 

 filing a piece off the point of the 

 upper and lower beak of offending 

 birds prevents them breaking the 

 shells of the eggs ; and placing a 

 few china eggs in the nests for the 

 egg-eaters to peck at will sbme- 

 times effect a cure, as the, birds get 

 tired of pecking the hard surface 

 with no satisfactory result. In 

 yards where the vice is very prer 

 valent nests with false bottoms 

 will be an effective remedy, but the 

 best " cure " is prevention of all 

 induoement to acquire the habit. 



General Purpose Club. 



It is interesting to know that 

 a scheme based on the suggestions 

 originally made by Messrs. Laurie 

 and Manuel has now l)een 1)rought 

 into definite shape and the matter 

 so far advanced that the whole 25 

 I)ens required have been entered or 

 guaranteed. It is understood that 

 further entries for this *s/action at 

 the next competition, can only be 

 accejited from club members. If 

 necessary we are told that about 

 five more entries can be provided 

 for. The drafting of the rules and 

 conditions of entry has occasioned 

 very con.sidierable work and careful 

 thought on the part of the com- 

 mittee of the club, for which they 

 are to be highly commended as are 

 Messrs. Gibson, Smith, Manuel, 

 and th^sec, Mr. A. .1. Todd, for 

 bringing aboiit the [iresent very 

 satisfactory position. 



4 



Egg-Bound Hens. 



There are many causes for egg- 

 binding. Abnormal size of eggs, 

 general debility on part of hen, 

 diminutive stature, as in bantams, 

 and so on. Whatever may be the 

 cause, its danger to life exists. 

 The one great object is to get the 

 egg away unbroken. Plenty of 

 olive oil shou,d be poured into the 

 cloaca, and the finger should be 

 inserted, with a view to bring the 

 shell, without cutting or injuring 

 the bird. In the case of a shell- 

 less egg, it is advisable to prick 

 the skin with a needle ; its bulk 

 will at once subside. The bird, 

 feeling relief, will make an effort, 

 and the tough membrane can be 

 seized and drawn out, the cloaca 

 afterwards being well cleansed with 

 a diluted disinfectant, l^gg-bound 

 hens are generally discovered by 

 their muffled-up appearance. It is 

 best to place the bird in hot water 

 and keep her there from ten to 

 fifteen minutes, tUl the muscles 

 get soften and she hns rested a 

 while from all effort. Insert the 

 finger behind the egg, and with the 

 other hand the cloaca is opened as 

 widely as possible, backward, over 

 the protrudinor eg ■■ ; then a back- 

 ward push from the finger of the 

 other hand will generally start 

 things, and, once started, the bird 

 will herself help matters, and nine 

 times out of ten the egg will be 

 laid in the hand or water. Rinse 

 the cloaca with a little diluted dis- 

 infectant, which will help to allay 

 any inflammation that may arise. 

 Place the bird on a warm nest for 

 a few hours, by which time it will 

 be recovered. — Exchange. 



