The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-02
Prize Article on Turkeys.


Recently the Indiana Farmer offered
premiums for the best articles on rails
ing turkeys. The article below won
the first prize:
Newly Matched turkeys are very DEL
icate; the less handling you give them
during the first twenty-four hours the
better your chance of raising them
Whenever practicable leave them in
the nest until the hen exhibits a de-
sire to leave for fresh fields" then
coop them. In moving handle the
poults carefully and as little as possi-
BILE. See that the coop is clean, and
of fair size. with a board floor, either
covered with sand, or scrubbed clean
every other day. Arrange the front to
close at night; a wide board will an
swer all purposes. Make a run of wire
netting or boards, so it can be easily
moved, which should be done about
once a week. Now we have them in
the coop, they are ready for their first
meal, which should not be a meal at
all. but wheat bread moistened with
milk, Dutch cheese and hard boiled
eggs, crumbled fine. Season the food
lightly with salt and black pepper; af-
ter few days a little lettuce or onion
tops, chopped fine may be mixed in.
After the first two days give sweet
milk to drink. About the third week
commence feeding cooked cornmeal
The best way to cook meal is to
make Johnny-cake: the inside of loaf
can be fed without wetting; the crust
moistened enough to crumble. Keep
them on cooked feed until ten weeks
old. Never feed sour or sloppy food.
Have all food fresh, sweet and moist
enough to just hold together Feed
each time only so much as will be
eaten up clean. After the first two
weeks give sour milk, all they will
drink. Keep them confined to the linn
it's of the pen the first week, then let
out after the dew is off. Turkeys must
be kept dry, clean and comfortable un-
til fully feathered and have thrown
out the red on their heads. For dis
ease we use the ounce of prevention"
clean coops, fresh food and pure
water is all-suficient Scrub out coops
and drinking troughs two or three
times week with copperas water, to
which add few drops of carbolic acid.
Once a week mix pulverized charcoal in
food, with plenty of gravel or coarse
sand. to aid digestion, and there isn't
much danger of disease.
For lice use plenty of Persian insect
powder when setting hens. also when
coping them, and whenever lice ap-
burnt in the coop after each scrubbing
kills all insects and mites. But "etern-
al vigilance is the only preventive we
knew Of After they are fully feath-
cred and have thrown out the red on
their heads, give them free range in
all sorts of weather, but always feed,
If ever so little so they will come
home to roost Turkeys must be kept
growing and you cannot feed too much.
About the middle of September or first
OF October we increase their feed. Keep
plenty of pure water handy. and give
an occasional soft feed with charcoal.
Some two weeks before Thanksgiving
time separate from the rest all you
intend for that market, and feed four
times n day all they will eat until
twenty-fou hours before slaughterins
time We never had any luck confin-
ing turkeys they fatten better If given
their liberty; two weeks of good feed
ing will put them in the best possible
condition.
Different markets have different no
tions about dressing: the only sure
way is to find your market and dress
and pack according to its wants. Don't
scald dry picked usually brings the
higher price. If picked at once the
feathers will come off easily enough.
Remove all pin-feathers carefully, take
care not to break or bruise the skin.
Wash feet clean, wipe off any spot on
body. and put away to cool but do
not freeze. When possible ii is best
to sell alive: it saves trouble of dress
ing, or worry If the weather is warm.