The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-23
Lam 70 Raise Turkeys.

,,o.srs Buck g. Co., large breeders of
...,.,.o,,s in Lancaster, Mass, give some use
W. Limits in the difficult task of raising tur-
i w. az follows: breeding turkeys requires
and skill As a rule, broad backed,
All breasted and large-boned breeding birds
10 elected. Young hens lay more eggs,
-. NOT of such size as older ones. Six hens
~ a tom make good breeding pen, but
wa can Use as many as twelve hens with
,ooA vigorous tom. Owing to their stealing
80 thew cause much trouble, so we find it
n,,cb better way to have yards attached
- their buildings with two feet by four
ooons for laying boxes, or piles of brush
,oralessly placed about in the yards, which
Ever the same purpose. 1t is often the
.asa that turkeys lay in the early part of
,ba dav and can be released in the afternoon
-. ro,n at large, which will insure greater
t,rtilitv in their eggs. For setting turkeys
sbonld be allowed to occupy the same coop
&c when broody or by making a covering
ovor the brush. Great care should be exer-
oised in keeping the eggs clean, as they some
,ir,es sweat and get gummy. Lukewarm
wafer can be used in such cases to clean the
ogos This process should be done when
the turkey is off the nest and out of sight,
a. tbev are very sensitive creatures and in
some cases would leave their nests should
they notice it had been disturbed.
,,Tbe time of incubation with turkeys is
overweight days. Young turkeys are
very delicate, and the less handling and
fussing with that they receive for the first
,wenty-four hours of their existence the
halter chances for raising them. Leave the
care entirely to the mother hen until she
shows a desire to roam in fresh fields with
her Young. Then remove the whole family
n a coon. which should be in readiness, of a
size 4x6 feet, say So feet front, 215 feet
hack. giving a santing roof of one foot in
mitch Place boards around the body of
tbe coop with space three-quarters of an
inch between each, thus insuring plenty of
fresh air The coop should be thoroughly
vhitewashed and provided with board
floor covered with clean sand. The front
should be made to close at night and in
stormy weather. An orchard where but
little grass is growing is preferable to any
other place for starting them. Mother hens
can be confined to the orchard by light
board or Single secured on their backs by
soft. fat strings drawn through holes and
tied under their wings. This method will
not injure them in the least. After the first
twenty-folr hours they will begin to look
about for food. The young turkeys should
be fed with egg bread, curd or light-bread
cumbled in milk. Hard-boiled eggs with
little black pepper are excellent for q
morning feed during the first week. After
this period crushed corn, boiled the same as
hominy, with a clean dish of sour milk,
will answer very well until they are four
weeks old, when they should have an addi-
ton of cracked corn and wheat just before
retiring for the night.
after the turkeys are six weeks old they
can be allowed to roam at large and roost
in low shed or under a courthouse. They
may be taught to go home every night by
taking pains to feed them near their rOost-
ing place. Care should be taken to feed
them on the same ground but a short time
1 in succession, as the ground becomes stale
One can change about after they get accus-
toned to their roosting place without dan
ger of their wandering off in search Of new
quarters. At this age the turkeys may be
fed on whole grain at night A warm feed,
consisting of cornmeal, one third as much
mlidlings and the same of ground oats,
mixed with boiling water, make good
morning feed Boiled potatoes once a week
may be added to the morning feed. Cay
enne pepper added in small quantities to
their feed on damp mornings serves as a
gentle stimulant."