The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-02-03
Turkeys Are Money Makers
Written for The and Breeder AZ a.
&S ~ by Mrs. Charles Compton, Ill. co ~

The Farmer and Breeder: A very
and. the reason is they have always
been told that turkeys We're so hard to
raise that the most successful breed
ers never calculated to raise more than
one-half that We're Matched, and years
ago they counted their turkeys at 81
per mead. 1t is no wonder SO few raise
turkeys now. l can depend on raising
a larger per cent. of turkeys Matched
than l can of chickens Matched, and
with the improvement of the breeds in
size and weight one can at market
value count on 81 to SO apiece. When
you look at the amount of money in
vested in the breeding stock and the
almost nothing that it costs to raise
them, you can see they are the most
profitable animals raised on the farm
at market value. Some think breed
ers of fancy or thoroughbred stock are
exorbitant in their charges for breeding
stock.
1t is the same breeding fine turkeys
as fine cattle and horses 1t takes long
years of very careful breeding. One
must have size, shape, bone, a large
frame and the most beautiful plumage.
1t is science to combine all these on
one bird. 1t takes careful study. One
mistake puts you back on your IDEAL
perhaps, for two or three years If
you get your stock to the top you must
pay big prices for new blood. You must
spend good deal of money to show
your birds and advertise. When you
buy pair or two or perhaps a breed
Ing pen. you buy the breeders years
of toll and labor and you can start just
where he stands today with all his
years of study and experience. One
does not have to buy thoroughbred
stock to raise turkeys, but l have had
some amusing experience with helping
my neighbors out by letting them take
thoroughbred tom to keep for me-
They know the benefit of good stock,
but would not pay reasonable price
for good tom. In every case they
raise large flock of fine, large, heavy
turkeys, and they We're so proud of
their success the next year they would
trade around and get a scrub and
would go back to raising very few and
small birds. l had case this year to
prove that the tom is more than half
of the flock
A neighbor had her tom killed on
the railroad and l let her take one 1
could spare and she raised some very
hne birds, young toms that weighed
~ pounds early and her hens We're very
small and late hatched. I have ex-
perimented with raising turkeys until l
find l can depend on raising nearly 80
II.
point is strong healthy breeding stock.
The next thing in importance is not to
get them too fat as a fat turk ey lays
less eggs and they are almost sure to
be unfertile. The temptation is very
strong to feed heavy and get your tur-
keys as fat as possible, as the first
question that buyers ask is how much
do your turkeys weigh. When they
want breeding stock they don't ask if
they have good large frames, but base
their opinion on weight. AS turkeys
gain in weight and flesh as it gets near
the breeding season one must use
caution and not feed heavy enough to
produce unusually heavy weights.
let all my turkeys run together through
the winter and try not to get them fat
as I do not want my feeding stock fat.
[ miss a great many sales by not hav-
Ing fat and consequently startling
weights, but can sell all and a great