Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-02-02
Rearing TURKEYS.

An Oakv1lle (ky.) girl writes to the
Country Gentleman: Although it is nov
very late in the season to talk about rear
ing turkeys, yet I should like to say more
on that subject, especially as have had
many inquiries about my method.
believe I have already told the Country
Gentleman ell l know about If, but as the
paper has many more readers now than
in the spring. my remarks shall be ad
dressed to them; for when We have learn
ed the sim plest and most successful way
of doing thing that has puzzled wiser
heads than ours, We feel proud of ou1
knowledge and like TO east it abroad.
Done III my way very little more time
or labor is expended in rearing q flock
of seventy-fi7e turkeys than with SO
many chickens. And the result is much
more satisfactory. turkeys being subject
to fewer diseases, and with the exception
of one or two being crushed by their
mother in the coop at night or being
accidently killed, usually succeed in
rearing every one that is Matched.
A chief reason of success is, that I have
kept the same hens, or sGme of their
descendants, year after year, and by q
systematic course of gentle treatment
and kind consideration for their wants,
the instincts of their wild nature and
their innate fear Of man have been to a
great extent overcome. So having come
to the conclusion that l am their best
friend, they want to stay pretty close to
the house.
There is en- old hen down in the yard
now, with little turkeys about two weeks
old, that comes up regularly every three
or four hours and tells me in unmistak-
able terms that she ind her children want
something to eat. They eat and drink
very little at g time, and when their APP
petite is satisfied go away very contented-
~.
I have en idea that every little young
thing will try harder to live, and will
grow faster, if IT is persuaded that its
living and thriving is matter of special
concern to some body; so in order to con-
vince the little turkeys of this fact, and
to make them believe that their food
grows in my hand, take them from the
nest when they are only few hours old
and keep them in box or basket for
two days, and teach them 10 know my
voice and to eat from my hand.
Their food for the first few weeks con-
sists of egg custard; the eggs should be
well beaten and cooked in fresh sweet
milk until it is about the consistency of
jelly and soft crumbs Of corn breap
should be stirred into this, when the
little turkeys are about a week old.
Soft batter bread soaked in sweet milk
may be given to them when they are
about a month old, and when 2 or
months old small grains of different kinds
as wheat, oats or maize, should be fed TO
them, first in small quantities.
They are afraid of any thing new and
will not taste the food until they have
seen it several times, and then must learn
by trying small quantities at first, that it
is not burtful.
Sweet milk or clabber may be given to
them freely after they are or 4 days
old, but it should be put into very shall
low pans or else they will drown them
selves in it, or get their downy plumes SO
wet and soiled that they will droop and
die. A little turkey does not care to live
unless he is dry and warm and has exact
ly what he wants to eat. When they are
2 days old I put them with their mother
in large coop on the dry grass and keep
them up one or two days after which if
the weather is fair they are let out every
morning as soon as the dew dries on the
grass, and allowed to run at large like
chickens. For my experience teaches
that the sooner they begin to feed upon
insects, their natural food, the healthier
they are. The green spears of fresh,
tender grass and the foliage Of white
clover affords them grazing of which
they are very fond.
! Where the stock can not have an ex-
tensive range a greater variety of food,
is OF course necessary to their welfare,
chopped onions, lettuce, radishes, cab
bage and almost any kind of fresh green
things that they will eat will help to make
them healthy. Unlike chickens, they do
not like rich food, but are veryadainty
and prefer one thing at a time, not OBJ
jecting however to a favoring of red OF
black pepper.
When they are large enough to keep
out of the way of hogs, drive them ont
of the yard into grass lot or meadow,
every day wherever the grasshoppers are
most abundant, and if they fail to cone
home about shutdown l look for them
until I find them and bring them home,
for they should be taught very early to
come home to sleep every night.
To find good supper awaiting them
is great ipducement. About this time
permit them to roost in the turkey tree,
which delights them very mnch. Being
such warm blooded things they require q
great deal of fresh air, and the coop
soon becomes too small and close fer
them.
But when the big "who-whoo" owls
begin calling each other at night, and
each call sounds nearer and nearer, ]
grow very uneasy abOut the little turkeys
out in tho tree, and try to persuade nv
father to get up and shoot off his gun,
even if the owls are not in sight. They
are such timid birds that the report of a
gun frightens them away from the place
for several nights.
Turkeys have good deal of curiosity.
One day took my seat out on the grass
to eat some fruit, which they were deter
mined to take away from me. / pulled
off my straw hat and threw it down before
them, and they all gathered around it,
stretching their long necks, and gazing
at the black hat band, and saying "pUt
putt as if it had been a snake. They do
not appear to be afraid of snakes and
frogs, but will stand in ring around on
and look at il for hours.
I think turkeys have a great deal OF
| sense, but most people do not agree with
me and say they should exchange names
with the goose. They certainly are very
affectionate and when mine are little they
will fly up in my lap and nestle down in
my hand and go to sleep.
If permitted the hens will raise several
broods in a season like chickens, and last
year those Matched in August grew so fast
that by the next spring they could scarcely
he DISTINGUISHED from the otherS The
| hens appear to reach maturity much
earlier than the gobblers.
Raising Chickens Naturally
Rural New Yorker.
Or Ill rr-i+h r,ror,Ir-r