The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-09-10
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! WHITE HOLLAND TURKEYS. .
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OF the 20 varieties OF thoroughbred
fowls that have had experience with
have found the White Holland tur-
key most valuable, none more hardy
more easily handled, nor more remun-
erative. I have frequently been asked:
Are they hardy breed? It will suffice
to say that out of ITO poults Matched
last season $50 were brought to ma
turity. We keep from 20 to "a choice
hens for breeders, to which we mate
three OF the best males we can get, all
run at large on the farm and have
every advantage nature can give. We
have never failed to get a good hatch
in this way. When they begin laying
they are driven into the driveway of
the barn at a, m. and turned out at
s p, m. Nests are provided in the
barn, and they lay their eggs and they
are no further trouble, Soon they be-
come accustomed to their nests and
are no more trouble, One advantage
in this method is that there is no
searching for nests: another is that
orders for eggs can be filled easily and
the nest. No crows or dogs feast on
our White Holland eggs. When the
hens become hroody we set what we
want of the flock, and they are trans
ferred to the barn loft, where they are
cared for until they hatch. They are
given fifteen eggs each, and we seldom
fail on a good hatch. The rest of the
flock are broken up and retained for
layers as before. When poults hatch
they are taken with their mother into
a large pasture field, where they are
put down and are fed three times a
day for three weeks; afterward two
times is sufficient. They are never
yarded or cooped; but are given nat
ural freedom of the field. White Hol-
land hens are great mothers. and win
care for their young. In our years Of
breeding by this method we have
never had littleeturk drowned In the
rain or dew. and seldom one bothered
with lice. We never use chicken hens
or incubators and breeders in raising
turkeys, as they are both uncertain
factors in successful turkey raising.
AS soon as poults are a month old
they are taught to come home at night
and roost in large catalpa trees, which
stand In our barnyard. These are tur-
key trees, as twelve months in the
year they are the roosting place for
our flock; the young are then practi-
cally no more trouble. BY Thanksgiv-
ing young toms weigh from sixteen to
| twenty pounds, hens ten to fourteen
| pounds. At this time we select our
best young stock to supply customers
for breeders and the remainder is
| butchered for the THANKSGIVING mar
and are eagerly sought by people who
want a grand Thanksgivin dinner
We have never failed to, obtain the TOP
of the market in eitherk New York or
Chicago. and have received one-half to
one cent above market for some con-
signments. Another good feature OF
| White Holland as market turkeys iE
that we always save the feathers
which readily bring so to so cents per
pound for body, and IS cents for tail
and pointers. The feathers from the
average White Holland will bring
about IS cents. Multiply this by 1OC
and you will have $35 advantage over
other breeds, which is no small item
Although The Standard makes them
the smallest breed of turkeys, we say
that few breeders of any breed will
raise 100 and place them on the
Thanks giving market with better
weights than those quoted above.
/ Another good feature Is their laying