Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-06-19
agricultural.
Raising Turkeys.

Raising turkeys.
Thr farmer Of these days shoul1 study his
interests in turkey breeding. That they are
not more universally bred than they are is
a regret That they can be bred as cheaply
and with as little care and outlay of money
as any other stock is a fact that Is worthy
of investigation by all farmers who desire to
furnish their tables with health giving food,
and replenishing their depleted purses from
the sale Of the turkeys they DO not consume
For this reason we propose TO give short
chapter on the manner and general manage
ment of turkeys.
Pcculiarities Of the turkey That the turkey
has some singular peculiarities in It's nature
can not well be gansayed. Among them
may be mentioned its uncommon tenderness
when young, and It's unqualified hardness
when full grown. Nothing in the poultry
yard Is 50 tender, delicate, and so easily
destroyed when first hatched as the turkey.
Ii is easily chilled past recovery, by cold
or storms, and yet when full grown, it will
endure some Of the most severe and pelting
storms of mid-winter We have seen them
roOst high on the apple trees during fierce
nOrth-easter, with the!snow and ice collected
upon their heads, apparently uncOncerned
about shelter or protection
Matching of turkeys.-TO rear brood Of
turkeys successfully, the eggs should be
placed under the common barn-yard fowl
We would advise not to have the eggs set
under the hen turkey (ior though they are
inveterate settlers, they are poor mothers
and 1t Is ten chances TO one If they will
prove successful, with their roaming habits) 8,
IN rearing their young The mother never
proves a good proyider for them she never
scratches for her young like hen, but gen
orally leaves them TO shift for themselves
nearly as soon as Matched. The young at
the moment of their birth give no signs of
seeking their food, but being reared by
common hen, whose instincts lead her to
scratch and peck for her chicks, the young
turkeys soon learn to initiate her example,
which determines them to pick up their food
and keeps them from starving to ceath, az
they naturally do when left to be provided
for by hen turkey.
Treatment of the young.-The first and
most essential thing after Matching is to
keep them in a dry warm place. 1t usually
takes from thirty to thirty-twO days for the
eggs to hatch The hen or hen turkey,
whichever it may be, should be placed in
coop with her young brood. For the first
three or four weeks after Matching, care
should be taken by the breeder to keep them
from the searching sun, drenching rain, and
heavy morning and evening dews. Clea nil
ness of the coOps should be vigorously OBJ
served dry, gravelly land is the most pro
per place to keep them on !; avoid all grass
plats with the movable coop. The chicks |
should never be allowed to leave the coop
in the morning until the dew is off the grass |
be sure they are cOoped in wet and IN
pleasant weather The American POulterer's |
Companion suggests that as soon as the |
Young ones are removed from the nest, they |
be immersed in a strong decoction of tobacco, |
taking care, Of course, that the fluid does /
81 IS h oh ,1-
and repeat the operation whenever they ap- |
pear to droOp.
The critical period OF their lives.-At two |
periods of their lives, young turkeys need |
more care than at others. The first is about |
the third day after they are Matched and
also when they throw out what is called the
3. red head" which they do at six weeks of
age This is a critical period for young
turkeys, much more so than at the period of
moulting; at this time, therefore, their food
must be Increased, and rendered more nutri-
tious, by adding boiled eggs, wheaton -four
OF bruised hemp seed. Mash, made of equal
parts Of cat and barley meal cooked, is also
good health giving food for a young brood
The crisis of the : req mead r once poEsvd,
the birds may be regarded as past danger,
and exchange the name of chicks to that of
turkey poults, and are considered as fairly
toughened.
We have said before, care should be taken in
the preparation of the food. Do not feed
slop food of any kind. Many breeders re-
tain the old notion Of feeding lOppered milk,
but our advice is that it should be scrupu-
lousy avoided it should not be fed under
any consideration. Sour milk, boiled to a
thick curd, is good, mixed with cooked
Indian meal, seasoning the same occasionally
with black pepper. They should be fed Of
ten, and made to eat clean what food Is given
them before repeating the feeding. The food
should be thrown on the grOund-not in
trough-sO that IN picking their food the
gravel that adheres to it will aid
their digestive organs to perform their duty.
Never feed Indian meal in an uncooked state,
for it is liable to cake in the crop, causing
death in very short time. Water should
be placed in shallow dishes near the coop,
or what is better still, one of the i'm
proved poultry fountains, so that the
young can satisfy their thirst whenever in
clined. At six weeks or two months old the
young turkeys may, as a general thing, be
considered out of danger from over feeding
&c, and should then be fed cracked corn,
boiled potatoes, refuse from the table, and
fresh boiled meat occasionally, In small
quantities The idea of letting turkeys shift
for themselves is an erroneous one, and
should not be practIced in this enlightened
age-RurGL Home.