The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-04-10
Farm, Garden, and Household
Hints on Turkey Raising.


port the turkey crop is 9 leading branch OF
Industry, and is more successfully prosecut-
ed than in any region have ever visited.
1t is a common measure OF success Ior a
farmer to raise hundred in year from
eight or ten hens; with larger stock, 100
10 200 are sometimes raised. Almost every
one in the business expects 10 realize three
or four hundred dollars from the crop, and
he realizes his expectations with AS much
certainty as IN other farm crops. The size
and price Of turkeys have very much in
creased within the last twenty-five years.
Formerly the tioCkS would not average more
than eight or ten pounds dressed. Now
they average from y to Is pounds, accord
ing to the care they receive, and the time
Of fattening. Nearly all the turkeys raised
here 90 to the Boston and Providence
markets, aud are sold at the top Of the
market. Dealers make business Of buy
ing turkeys OF the farmers from TAansgiv-
ing till February, and large shipments are
made every week. OF course there are
causes for this almost uniform success in
raising turkeys.
Possibly climate may have something to
do with it; II is certainly milder here by the
shore than farther INLAND, III ordinary win
ters there will not be a half dozen mornings
that the temperature falls below zero This
30 degrees below that are reported every
winter in the districts farther north The
sea air, too, may be a tonic, and mpart
health and Yigot to the tiGckS. However
this may be, there is much in the manage
ment OF the breeders to account for their
success. Those who raise the largest
Hooks place great dependence upon large,
vigorous stock. TLiS is overlooked on
most farms. A turkey is a turkey, no mat
ter how young and thin, and second and
third litter birds, hatChed as late rs Septem-
Der, are frequently used for breeding be-
cause they happen to be on hand. The
old birds and all the early y-hatched broods
nrc sold at Thanksgiving aud Christmas
because they bring good prices, and only
the runts are saved for breeding. The
cocks sometimes do not weigh over fifteen
pounds, and he hens not more than eight
pr ten. The result is weak chicks that
have not constitution enough to carry them
through cold mornings and the wettngs
that are Inevitable in the breeding season.
The successful breeders insist upon the
largest and best stock they can find, laying
special stress upon large, Well-f0rmcd cocks
Some keep over the old birds, but if this
is not done they select the largest hens Of
the early broods, weighing J. to Is pounds
and get a young tom from another flock
weighing "A or 2s pounds, and larger if they
can find him. With such stock lare
healthy chicks are hatched and success is
the rule. There is some difference of opin-
ion as to the comparative merits of old
airdS and young ones, hut none as to the
advantage of breeding from large stock SO
far as | can ascertain the chief objection to
heavy old cocks weighing - pounds and
upwards, Is the difficulty OF obtaining them
They are generally killed at eighteen
tt1-g 4 ~,
eight dollars for a single bird being too
great to be resisted. ! have no doubt that
still better results would follow from breed
ing from TWO and three-year Old cocks that
had attained their full growth. But this is
still an open question, that is likely to be
solved by the experiments Of breeders in
the next two or three years.
1t is also common practice here to ex-
change stock quite frequently. II the hens
raised on the farm are retained for breeding,
a cock IS sought from another flock to put
with hem, and he is only kept for a year.
The opinion prevails that breeding in-and-
in tends to make crooked breasts, and to
depreciate the stamina OF the birds. This
opinion is probably well founded. After
the birds are mated they are not so well fed
as while fattening during the winter
The aim is to delay rather than to hasten
there is nnch more danger of losing them.
The young broOds are not wanted until
the weather Is quite settled SPECIAL
pains is taken to keep the birds near
the house and barn. Nests are made
tor them in secluded spots, and part-
ally concealed by brush, that their instinct
for concealment may be 2ratitled while they
are breeding. These nests are of various
patterns Some are made Of stone covered
OH ,t.,,
hen-coUp shape, and often old barrels
answer the purpose. 1t is quite profitable
TO move the mother bird if she steals her
nest too far from the house, after she begins
to sit. She can be moved at night to new
quarters, in an Outbuiding, and by keeping
her confined few days she will take kindly
TO the new nest The sitting birds are
much less likely to be disturbed by Vermln
in these prepared nests than in those they
would select for themselves in the woods.
After they commence laying, the eggs are
removed daily to the house, and kept
usually in large pans, and carefully turned
every day. This usage may seem to be
classed with sold wives fables" by the I'M
initiated, but it is followed by the most
skillul breeders. They claim for it that it
initiates nature, and helps preserve the
vitality of the eggs. 1t Is safe to follow it,
its philosophy.
If all things have gone well, we may look
for a nest full of young chicks the latter
part of May. Now comes the most critical
part of the life of the bird. II we can get
them safely over the first three weeks, the
turkeys are half raised. Their greatest
danger is from straying into the grass in
the early morning and getting thoroughly
soaked with the dew. To restrain them,
we make three cornered pen with three
boards, say twelve feet long and q foot
wide or more. Set the board up edgcwise,
and fasten them in that position by short
stakes driven into the ground, or by tack
ing them with nails at the ends. Put the
mother and her brood into this pen, and
keep them quiet as possible, visiting
them regularly five times Il day to feed
them. The hen will leave the pen frequently,
but will not wander far from her brood,
which are confined to the pen. When they
are able to fly over the top of the board, it
will be safe to give them more liberty
Coarse ground Indian meal, soaked in milk
or scalded is about as good feed as they
can have at first little animal food
chopped tine is good fer them, and the
quantity should be increased as they grow
older. Their digestion is good, and they
want to be fed frequently during the first
further into the fields, the feeding may
gradually cease. During the summer
months, if they have good range, they
will come home with full crops every
night.
Some one in the household should have
charge of the broods, and see that they
come to the roosting place every night.
After little training they will come very
regularly, and if any stray they are immedi-
ately missed and looked after. This con
slant watchfnlness is the secret of success
ful turkey raising As the cool nights
come on, and the insects fail, feeding must
be resumed. II you wan. heavy birds at
Thanksgiving, crowd them with corn and
boiled potatoes and meal in September and
october A pound OF poultry is made much
more economically then than in mid winter
Poultry is generally quite as high at
Thanksgiving as at any later period, and
the most thrifty farmers dispose Of all their
early birds at Thanks sgiying and Christmas.
1t takes large quantity of food to keep a
turkey from falling off in weight after win