Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-09-02
VERMONT wATCHMAN AND State JottsNAL
Raising Turkeys.

Some people get discouraged and give up
the business because they have no luck
their turkeys die when they are small, and
they don't know what ails them. In the
first place no turkeys should be kept as
breeders unless they are really nice. IL is
best to begin right fit should costa little
more, it will pay in the end. They should
be selected with care from good aud thrifty
hocks it is better to select the gobbler
from one flock, and the hens from another.
The large breeds are the best, the young
turkeys being stronger and easier to rear.
They should be kept in a thrifty and grow
ing condition through the winter, without
being allowed to get too fat they should
have variety of food, such as oats, bran,
potatoes, crusts Of bread, &c. Before, and
at the time Of laying, they should have ac.
cess to some she'll and bone.forming sub.
stances, such as burnt bones broken fine, old
plastering, egg shells, or something Of the
kind, and should be fed better If they in
cline to lay too long before setting, stop
feeding; if we want to keep them laying
we keep feeding. They are naturally Of
shy nature, and will often make their nests IN
the woods and sly places, where it is much
trouble to find them This can in mea.
sure be prevented by keeping them as tame
as possible, and by making nests in good
places around the buildings aud putting in
hens egg scatter little shelled corn
near by, but not in the nest, to get their at.
tcntion when they eat the corn, they will
see the uest, and will 90 there often they
should find few kernels every day in the
accustomed place, and they will usually lay
in these nests Where number of tur.
keys are kept, it is good plan to set them
at the same time, or nearly So If we wish
to let the different broods run together
Hens may be set on turkey eggs at the
same time, and the young turkeys can be
taken from the nest aud reared with the
other turkeys; or the men can bring them
up, as we choose; but if taken away, the
hen should be shut up a few days, that she
may forget them
The young turkeys should not be fed or
taken from the nest until twcniy-iour hours
after Matching usually put them in a
large coop, where the young turkeys can
run in and out as they please. They re.
qure but little at FIRST hut their food should
be good and uourishing little dry wheat
bread soaked in new milk is good 90 give
them start raw eggs stirred ia at the
time Of feeding are very good for them
one egg for twenty-five young turkeys is
enough at a time. Fed in this way, they
will be quite strong in a few days, and can
take coarser food, such as curd made OF
sour milk, dough made Of fnc shorts, crusts
Of bread soaked corr meal should never be
! given in a raw state, but silted and well
baked, aud soaked, before feeding to young
turkeys. \ number Of coops may be placed
near each other, and the young turkeys will
run from one to the other, and get mixed SC
that they will all keep together through the
season this saves time in looking aitei
them The eoops should be moved everJ
day; this can easily be done while the
young turkeys are eating outside the coops
In week or two, or as soon as they APP
pear to be strong enough, they can be lei
out to 60 where they will, only looking ai
ter them little for few days. As SCOT
as they can get plenty of grasshoppers, thel
do not require much feeding they will ther
grow very fast 1t is a good plan to Sc,
that they come home nights they like t,
60 to roost while quite young, and if low
roosting poles are placed with a shelte
overhead, they soon get accustomed to tn,
place and will come themselves, and saw
the trouble Of finding and driving then