Middletown transcript., 1914-04-04
Bv G. NJ sHULTz.)

(By C. M. SHULTZ.)
| If a man is a successful fisherman,
he will make good at raising tur-
keys; but if he has not the patience
to sit on log and watch cork bob
bing on the surface of the creek all
day long and be content with dozen
bites and a couple of bullheads for
his pains, then he has no business try
ing to raise turkeys.
| Women are almost invariably sue
cessful as turkey-raisers, because they
possess the necessary patience and
fidelity to the job. If young turkeys
are neglected theY will die. If the
mother turkey is conspicuously fol-
lowed while seeking the nest, or dis
turbed after she has commenced lay
ing, she is likely to leave half her
clutch and refuse to lay another
The woman, however, who can COM
mand large range for her birds, and
who is determined to make money in
the business, will find turkey-raising
most profitable part of the poultry
business, with the possible exception
of selling pure-bred eggs for Matching
purposes. The latter requires a great
deal of skill, which can be obtained
only by long experience, not only in
the production of eggs, but in mar
keting them as well.
Raising turkeys also requires some
skill, but any woman who has fond
ness for the creatures will soon learn
their ways, and after a season or two
should have no difficulty in bringing
her flock through from the egg to the
market place with profit and pleas
ure.
In all parts of the country, except
the north, the turkey hens will begin
to show signs of uneasiness, and if al
lowed the range will start out looking
for their nests.
OF course it is impossible to raise
turkeys successfully If the hens are
permitted to roam at will, because
they are very timid creatures and will
hide their nests, often where they can
not be found, until the eggs have been
spoiled or Matched out only to be de-
stroyed by minks and rats.
Crosses between wild and tame tur-
keys are harder than the common tur-
key, and take good care of their
broods, but they partake too much of
the wild nature Of their unciviIized
parents, and are difficult to control.
In Rhode Island some interesting ex-
periments have been made by cross
ing turkey gobblers on White Holland
and Bronze Turkey hens From the
White Holland eggs the pouIts were
particularly beautiful, with white
breasts and white plumage across the
backs, and wings penciled with black.
Occasionally one of the pullets would
be pure white
poults resembling the Bronze, with the I
lighter yellow in their tail feathers.
The poults from these crosses grew
very quickly, and are extremely hardy.
Half wild gobblers are easily tanned.
A quarter wild cross is better for
practical breeding than a pure wild,
or half wild bird, as the more wild
blood there is in a bird, the more
difficult it is to restrain them and
raise them in confinement. If first
crosses are bred together, the stock
resembles the pure wild, even to the
red legs, and after several genera
tons can hardly be distinguished.
Owing to the wild nature of the tur-
key it cannot be raised as chickens
are. Many professional turkey rails
ers use chicken hens for Matching, |
placing seven or eight eggs under each |
hen. Hatching with incubators some |
times proves successful, but it is bet |
ter to let the turkey hens hatch their |
own eggs where this is possible.
A laying room should be secluded, |
and the nest darkened. AS soon as
the turkey hens show signs Of nest |
ing, the nest should be placed in prop
er order by removing all old material, |
scorching out the interior of boxes,
placing new nesting material in and |
spraying every inch of the interior Of
the poultry house with diluted car
bolic acid and afterward giving it a
thorough coat of whitewash.
AS turkeys begin laying very early,
the nests must be carefully watched,
particularly when the weather is cold,
or they will become chilled within a
few hours. They should be removed
as soon as the hen leaves the nest
and replaced by china eggs.
Turkeys begin laying at about ten
months. and If understood each hen
will lay from 20 to 35 eggs before be-
coming broody. Let me say here that
if you expect to be successful in tur-
key raising you should obtain your
stock in the fall, because if the birds
are brought into new surroundings too
soon before the mating season begins
they will not do well. Turkeys are
cautious, timid. and slow moving
birds, and cannot be hurried.
As soon as the eggs are laid they