The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-12-03
OAK RIDGE WOMAN
wins TURKEY PRIZE
Cape County Expert Tells How
To Produce Best Holt
day Birds.
BY Miss Emma l.. Davis.

halSlnS turkeys Is one OF the most
difficult undertakings Of all the poul-
try industry. 1t is one of the most in
teresting and profitable undertakings
if conducted properly. believe wom-
en- arc more generally successful in
raising turkeys than arc men for they
! pay closer attention to the details
! One should be interested in the work
! thereby gaining pleasure as well as
profit.
raise the pure bred Mammoth
Bronze turkeys.
To do so the best turkeys must have
free range and my definition of "free
range" is about 100 acres of land for
100 turkeys. Turkeys do not thrive
on a small tract. Some may estimate,
if one person can raise scventy-five
trkeys with five hens | can raise $50
with ten hens, but if they try it, nine
times out Of ten, less than seventy
five WI be raised To insure success
in raising turkeys one should select
breeding stock carefully. I prefer good
hens that are healthy, we!l-shaped and
Wcll-marked and Of medium size.
Thes chCns are mated to as large q
pure bred young tom not related as
| ca nobtain. Sometimes a yearling
tom is kept if old hens are used for
breeders. | never iEbrecd turkeys and
have the best success with from five
to seven hens and one tom.
l select my breeding stock about Dc
ccmber /, and sell all surplus stock
by the New Year, for it is risk and
expense TO winter many turkeys.
mover house my grown turkeys and
never have a case Of rOup. They are
fed but little during the winter, as
they pick up nearly enough grain
around the feed lots and it is a great
mistake to have breeding turkeys TOO
fast as it is to have them too thin.
merely keep them in healthy condi-
don.
Anyone thinking there is Just fun
and money in raising turkeys should
not attempt it, for there is work, hard
work and plenty of it almost the en-
tire year.
There IS more knowledge gained by
in raising turkeys than all
the advice anyone can give, although
there is some practical information
that may be acquired through reading
on the subject. There are several rca-
sons why one cannot raise as many
turkeys one year as they do another.
Sometimes the hens do not lay as
many good, fertile eggs as they should
and sometimes the weather has an in
fIucncc II othc turkey crop. \ rainy,
cold season is nfavOrablc to turkey
raising. And again disease may strike
the flock and woe be unto the turkey
raiser, for there seems to be no Ger
tain cure for the dread turkey disease
known as the 'blackhead." However,
is better than cure, and if
the breeders are as healthy as it is
possible for them to be, they have free
range and access to pure drinking Wa
ter and natural grit and arc given only
clean, fresh food, provided with clean,
dry roosting quartres and are kept
free from vcrmin, the fowls arc less
likely to contract disease of any kind.
| strive to get a good hatch and do
not care to set but few more than 100
eggs and seldom have over ten infer
tile eggs out of 100. | usually sell
a few eggs at d fancy price. | prefer
to raise and sci breeders at a reason
able price and while | do not go in to
raise show birds, l have won prizes
on my fowls wherever exhibited.
One should not become discouraged
if he loses a few turkeys, for IS per
cent raised to maturity is an excellent
seasons work
| care for my turkeys personally
from the time the first cggis laid until
the flock is disposed of at the end Of
the year. While l have never been
able to raise large flocks of turkeys
| have not had an entire failure and
raise quality as we'll as quantity.
l take pride in my turkeys, and why
should not, for they know me and
ty rangers" and it is an interesting
come at my call. call them my "pret-
sight to see a large flock of beautiful,
bright, glossy turkeys, all uniform in
size and color. At my home, l study
their habits and needs. They appre-
ciatc good care and treatment and re-
spond to it as we'll as any beast Or
fowl raised on the farm.
H. h. Livingston Of Chaffee was a