Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-05-11

if she is inclined TO no restless s, anu
and careless, remove the younp turk
from the nest as soon as dry and [as,,
in warm place in the bonse until al
are our: Dut II the hen is quiet, don't
seem lhc!lhed to tramp about in the
nest, anu III every respect behaves as a
hen with family under her feet ought to.
let her alone Until the young turkeys are
twenty-four hours old. Handle the YOUNG
turkeys carefully and as little as posi-,
bic. for they are delicate and many are
killed oy 100 much handling. Never
touch young turkey except when alb
solutely necessary, and then handle as
quickly ana rs carefully as possible. 4
strict adherence to this rule would save
the lives OF many infant turks. When
the eggs are set under turkey hens YOU
need not trouble Your head about the
young turkeys. / never knew turkey
hen TO tramp one of her children to death.
When the poults are twenty-four hours
old all that will lever amount to ANYTHING
will be tolerably strong on their feet
and ready for the coon and their f;rst
meal. And mind that, Won don't feed
them until they are about day old.
After turkeys once get in the habit of
eating, there is but little danger of
hurting them with food-provided the
food is of the proper kind-but if fed
too soon after they leave the shell. they
will be very apt TO quit living before
they are week old.
The very best food that YOU can give
the young turkeys for the first two weeks
of their lives is hard-boiled eyps. stale
wheat, bread-crumbs moistened with
milk, and curds. Yes, l admit that il
is some work to boil eggs and make cot
tage-cheese, especially if you happen to
have hundred so young turkeys on
your hands. but then it paws. And
mind that those eggs are hard-boiied
eggs. If YOU boil them five minutes
you will simply make them tough and
indigestible; but if you boil them hall
an hour they will crumble like a baked
potato, and be easily digested. The
third week is the time to com
mence feeding cooked corn-meal. and
see that you do cook it-merely scald-
ing with hot water is not cooking. Mix
the meal into quite stiff dough with
skim-milk or water, pinch of salt and
a bit of soda, and bake until it is thor
Oughly done. This bread will keen
sweet for three days in the hottest
weather. Don't soak this bread-unless
the crust needs it-but crumble it lust
fine enough for the turks to swallow.
More work! Yes, but after You have
tried to raise turkeys on raw food, YOU
will conclude that it is cheaper to bake
bread than to have your turkeys die OF
indigestion. After YOU begin on the
bread YOU need not feed it all the time.
but vary with boiled potatoes, curds,
and occasionally a meal of cooked rice,
stale bread, etc. After the boiled eggs
are dropped from the bill of fare, very
little cooked meat (beeD may be given
two or three times week until the
poults begin.to forage for insects. Ney-
er give any uncooked food until after
the poults have thrown out the red on
their heads. Raw corn-meal and sour.
sloppy, uncooked food kills more Young
turkeys than anything else, except chills
and cramp. Season all the food with
salt, exactly as you would if YOU ex.
pected to eat it yourself, and use pep
per once q day. Unless they can ge,
plenty of young, tender grass. give
onion-tops or lettuce chopped and
mixed with their food once day. Give
some milk to drink. 2 Once a week give
bone-meal, a tablespoonful to pint OF
food.
For the first few weeks young turkeys
do not eat much at time. but they
must be fed often-five or six times a
day until they are three months old. II
you expect to have fine, large turkeys
for Thanksgiving market, you must
keep them growing right along. Tur-
keys that are well fed during the first
three months will weigh from three tc
SIN pounds apiece more in November,
than those that were half starved to be-
GIN with. No amount of examining fol
two or three weeks just before killing
time will make an extra fowl of a tur.
key that lived chiefly on faith during
the first three months of its life. After
they are three months old turkeys will,
II insect forage is abundant, thrive on
two meals a day-a breakfast of cooked
potatoes and meal, and supper OF
cracked corn, oats or wheat.
1oung turkeys must be kept dry and
warm. The mother hen and her brood
must be confined to the coop and peu
nights, rainy days, and mornings, until
the sun has dried the dew off the grass.
The coop must be of fair size, slant
roof tight enough to shed rain, and have
a floor covered with dry sand or gray.
ell, which should be removed often.
When the ground is dry and gravelly,
and the coop can be so placed that the
rain can not wash under it, the floor
VIII not be necessary, but the coop must
be moved every day. In front of the
coop make a pen by placing wide boards
on edge and fastening in position.
For the first three days confine the
hen to the coop and do not allow the
poults outside of the coop and pen; then
when the weather is pleasant open the
coop after the dew is off and let them
wander until night. A hen mother will
come home at night, but the turkey
mother will be very apt to squat down
Just where night overtakes her, and you
must drive her to the coop and fasten
her in. Sometimes an extra intelligent
turkey will come home regularly with
her brood, but generally speaking, yor
can not, trust them. If your turkeys
get caught ont in shower before they
are fully feathered, you must turn out
and get them to shelter as soon as pos.
sible. If they are chilled take them to
the house, warm them thoroughly, and
give them warm meal with a liberal
dose of ginger in it. When they are so
chilled that they seem almost dead. give
them a teaspoonful of whisky as soon
as they get warm enough to swallow.
After they are fully feathered and
have thrown out the red, turkeys are
quite hardy and may be allowed free
range in all kinds of weather; but it i.
a good plan to see that they come home
to roost. If always fed at night they
Will come home almost as regularly 4:
chickens.
There! 1haze given You very minute
directions about turkey-raising, anc
now If you don't succeed it certainly
will not be the fault of-Fas,ay Ficbi
iss PfGtrie FdrbteTss sss st
A Death. BLOW.
- can not agree with my neighbor, =