Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-11-10
A little Turkey Talk.

A Little Turkey Talk.
After successfully raising turkeys
fol q number of years, I am able to
| give a few practical and useful hints
on the subject which cannot fail to be
of great benefit to the beginner, or
perhaps to the mes who have been
trying to raise turkeys, with but poor
success.
Turkeys, as we all know, are con-
sidered more difficult to raise than
chickens, on account of their being
more sensitive to the damp and cold
Of spring, and for this reason many.
do not try to raise them at all.
1 find that if turkeys are not
Matched before the first of May, it Is
less trouble to care for them, and
they are more apt to live!
The common brown turkey is the
most profitable. 1 once tried the
white species, but found them poor
layers, and not so hardy.
1t pays best to start with a small
flock. Never keep over winter more
than three hens and a goboler. Right
here let me say, be sure to get your
gobbler and hens of different focks
in starting, and if you have your own,
trade with some one, so that they will
not be related to the hens.
I%nbTeeding is very frequently the
cause of blindness. I have seen in
quiries in many farm papers as to
the probable cause of blindness, and
experience has taught ne that this
is the sole cause.
1t is uawise to set the old turkey
the first time she gets broody, but
break her up to lay more eggs, and
set a hen or two IL her place.
When a hen is set, never use more
than eight or ten eggs, ard even then
select a large hen.
Give her q warm place to sit, and
saturate the nest we'll with sulphur
to keep away vermin. Use sulphur
on the hen, also.
A hen that is to sit for four weeks
must be well fed and cared for. Give
her plenty Of fresh water and exer-i
else, and a small ration OF corn meal
wet with milk once each day.
When a brood of little turkeys are
first Matched they are weakly, and
should not be taken from the nest
for at least twelve hours.
Warm, waterproof coops should be
provided for them. Larg dry-goods
boxes, such as can be bought for
about twenty-five cents, make excel.
lent coops.
Turn these on their sides, with
blocks under the to keep'them
off the ground. Nail strips of board
over every crack. The top of the box
forms the front of the coop. Nail
laths across the front so close to-
gether that the little one cannot
crawl through, and make a little door,
at one end, through which to feed
and water them.
I feed them on bread and milk for
a few days, and then give them corn
meal wet with sweet milk, a pinch
of salt and some clean sand.
Dutch cheese is also good for a
change. They are very fond of it.
and it aids digestion. Give them
plenty Of water, but do not leave it
where they can tumble into it, as a
wetting is almost certain to be the
dootb of n litT1o 4urEov
When they are a few days old I
take a lath from the front of the
coop and let them run out, after the
dew is off. If the nights are chilly,
or the weather should be damp, cover
the coop we'll with . warm blanket.
The last year I raised turkeys I
learned something very helpful. I
put the coop under a large tree where
there was shade in the afternoon, and
found that the little turks" never
left the shade, and did not run of
into the grass and weeds and get lost,
as they had formerly done. They
cannot endure the hot sun.
If you have hens with little chicks,
do not put the coopS near the ones
where there are little turkeys, as q
hen with chicks will kill little tur-
keys. A hen with turkeys will like
wise kill the chickens.
When the old turkey hens are set
later on, I take the same method with
them as with the hen mother and
brood, and take care to provide q
large coop.
When little turks are six to eight
weeks old they car be let out with
their mothers a short time each day
if the weather is good, and by the
time they are haif-growp they can get
their own living, by cleaning in the
fields, and will make nc more ;1ouble.
The last year I raised turkeys I
lost but three and raised forty.-Miss
NJ. N. Chandler.