Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-05-17

MANAGEMENT OF TURKEYS.-Turkeys begin
to lay, in ordinary seasons, the last week in
March Their natural disposition leads them
to seek nests in woodlands, away from the
farm house. This should be prevented. 80
1her natural enemies are the tox and skunk.
the former steals the turkey, the latter the
eggs and where these animals abound the
chance OF escape from the one or the other is
about one in tive.
This difficulty must be met at the outset
The best way is to prepare as many portable
miniature houses as you have turkeys. They
should be three feet long, three wide, and
three feet high, triangular in shape, with an
entrance at one end.
These should be placed in some locality near
the house, where the turkeys are accumstomed
TO resort, and be partially filled with hay or
straw, or leaves-the last being the best. 1t
these houses can be partially hidden by a slight
covering of brush, or something OF the kind,
they will suit the turkeys better.
Whenever they begin to show disposition
10 wander away to fud nests, they must he
constantly kept near these little houses. Ii
your attention is diverted from them for halt
hour, especially in the fore part Of the day,
one OF The flock will probably be missing,
and when once they have made nest it is i'm
possible 10 induce them 10 lay elsewhere. This
.are must be continued for about two weeks,
meantime each OF your hens has selected her
house and begun to make her daily deposit of
ali egg.
Your first trouble il now past The eggs
should be taken from the nests each night,
and the product Of each bird kept by itself -
Che vigor OF the mother will sometimes make
days difference in the Matching and cash
turkey should have her own eggs.
-Four weeks from the day the turkey COM
mences sitting the young will appear At the
outset they are very weak, but they will grow
stronger without food for at least twenty four
hours, when, in the middle of the forenoon, or
later in the day, they should be removed from
the nest and placed in little inclosure, made
hy setting up on the edge four boards, some ten
or twelve feet long, in the form of square -
They should be fed with coarse ground Indian
meal, mixed with curdled milk, at the begin
ming, and at least every alternate morning Tor
six weeks Each night for the first week,
,hey should be driven into their respective
houses, row removed within the board inclo.
sure, and securely fastened in by putting boards
cleated together against the opening. When
they are a week or ten days old, they may be
allowed the range Of some lot near the house,
IN pleasant days, but should always be driven
up and put into some tight stable, and well fed,
as early as five o clock in the afternoon, and
never let out in the morning until the grass is
nearly il not quite dry, and not at all on rainy
Or cold, misty days.
Six weeks after being hatshed they will need
little food outside Of what they pick up during
the day. but your care with regard to driving
ND must never be relaxed. Instances have
been repeatedly known where single fox has
killed iorty young turkeys in single night,
and the nights that your turkeys are lett out
will be the nights whereon Reynard will make
his visits.
When eight weeks old the habit OF coming
up IN the afternoon will be fixed. They should
then he carefully driven into roost near the
house, and when once they get accustomed to
the Ioost, aud are always found there OF night,
you can calculate with almost absolute certainty
the number Of birds that you will have tor the
Thanksgiving or Christmas market.-Hedrth
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