The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-13
The Poultry Yard.
CARE WITH YOUNG TURKEYS.


May is the month for Matching out
the young turkeys, though large pro.
portion of them will not be out before
June. The loss of young turkeys
every year is more than two-thirds of
all that are Matched Oaking the aver
age for the whole country, and this
loss is supposed to be due to the feed
ing more than to any other cause.
When examined for lice, it may hap
pen that no lice can be found, for the
reason that the majority Of farmers
look on the bodies for the little red
mites, so we'll known. While expos
ure to dampness, and the use of un-
suitable food, may contribute to the
loss, yet the great enemy of young tur-
keys, and the one that causes the great
est destruction, is the large gray louise
that remains close to the skin of the
head and neck, and which cannot be
seen unless careful examination is
made. This large louise, single one
of which can annoy young turkey I'M
til it becomes exhausted, exists on the
hens, and passes from them to the
young turkeys as soon as they are
Matched. A drop or two of melted lard
will kill the lice, but too much lard is
also injurious to the young turkey.
Feed the turkeys four times day, Civ
ing stale bread dipped in fresh milk,
chopped onion tops, potatoes, cooked
lean meat, bread made with milk, mil
let seed, wheat and cracked corn, and
keep them off wet grass.
MONSTERS.
Those who give non sitters the pref
erence must not overlook the fact that
while such breeds are desirable and
give their full quota of eggs, yet much
depends on the location of the lot or
farm. All of the non-sitiing breeds
are partial to range and do not always
thrive well in confinement. There is
really no breed that may be strictly
termed "non-sitting," as all hens will
sit if they become TOO fat, for nature
steps in then to utilize the stored fat
on the body by prompting the hen to
incubate, during which period she then
eats but little, and by the time her
chicks are large enough 10 be aban-
doned, she becomes in good laying
condition again.
WEAK LEGS.
Frequently a hen, or perhaps sew
eral, will become unable to stand, and
the weakness may appear when the
fowls are apparently healthy. 1t is
due to several causes, such as jumping
from high roosts, the fat hens being
more liable to injury than the others
Again, when the hens are very fat,
and they have leg weakness, remove
the male, as the cause is spinal injury.
The best remedy to eradicate the diff
Guilty is to reduce the feed, or turn the
fowls on grass, giving no food at all
during summer.
EGGS AND BREEDS.
While some breeds may give excel.
lent records during certain seasons OF
the year, it is impossible to form an
opinion of the real merits of breed
unless record is kept for an entire
year. Then there is a difference be.
tween hens and pullets. The hens will
sometimes begin to moult earlier than
the pullets, and every year thereafter
they will begin to moult little sooner
than they did the previous year. Those
that lay but few eggs now may be the
better layers later. 1t may be men.
toned that so far as the "best breed
is concerned, there is not difference
of ten eggs in whole year between 6
dozen breeds that may be selected, pro
vided all have the same management
in shelter and feed.
LINSEED MEAL.
A mess of linseed meal, mixed will
bran and prOund Oats uiven twipa aacI