The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-10-21
A Little Turkey Talk.

A Little Turkey Talk.
After successfully raising turkeys
for a number of years, am able to
give few practical and useful hints
on the subject which cannot fail to be
of great benefit to the beginner, or
perhaps to the ones 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.
| find that if turkeys are not
hatched 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. | once tried the
white species, but found them poor
layers, and not so hardy.
1t pays best to start with a small
hocl. Never keep over winter more
than three hens and a gobbler. 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.
Inbreeding is very frequently the
cause of blindness. l have seen in
quiries in many farm papers as to
the probable cause of blindness, and
experience has taught me that this
is the sole cause.
1t is unwise to set the old turkey
the first time she gets broody, but
break her up to lay more eggs, and
set hen or two in her place.
When hen is SET, never use more
than eight or ten eggs, and even then
select a large hen.
Give her 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 we'll fed and cared for. Give
her plenty OF fresh water and exer-
Csc, and small ration OF corn meal
v ct with milk once each day.
When brood of little turkeys are
first hatched they are weakly, and
sAould not be taken from the nest
for at l2as. twelve hours.
Warm, waterproof coops should be
provided for tnem. Lalg dry-goois
boxes, such as can be bought for
ABOUT TWEEN, ,y-iye GEMS, Lake excel
lent coops.
Turn these on their sides, with
b.ccAs under the corners to keep them
of the ground. Nail s.rips OF board
c7er every crack. The TOP OF the box
forms the front o. the coop. Nail
laths across tle front so close to-
Gether that the little ones cannot
crawl through, and make a little Goor,
a. one end, through which to feed
ard water them.
l feed them on bread and milk for
a few days, and then give them corn
meal wet with sweet milk, a pinch
o. sat and some clean sand.
Dutca cheese Is also good for q
Change. They are very fond OF it.
and II aids digestion. Give them
plenty OF water, but do not leave It
where they can tumble into 1t, as a
wetting is almost certain to be the
death of a little turkey
When they are a few days OH q
take lath from the front OF the
coop and let them run out, after til @
dew is off. II the nights are chilly,
or the weather should be damp, cover
NHFffh ~
The last year | raised tu-heys |
learned something very helpful. /
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 off
into the grass and weeds and get lost,
as they had formerly done. They
cannot endure the hot sun.
II you have hens with little chicks.
do not put the coops near the ones
wnere there are little turkeys, as a
hen with chicks will kill little tur-
keys. hen with turkeys will like
wise kill the chickens.
When the old turkey hens are s;s
later on, take the same method witt
them as with the hen mother ar 1
brood. and take care to provide d
large coop.
When little turks are six to eIgh.
weeks old they can be let out with
their mothers a short time each aay
II the weather Is good, and by the
time they are half-growr they can ge;
their own living, by cleaning in the
fields, and will make no more trouble
The last year raised turkeys !
lost but three and raised forty.--Miss
NJ. NJ. Chandler.