Milford chronicle., 1915-12-17
TURKEYS CAN Be
RAISED WITH PROFIT
By J. H. MeFAUL, Jr.
(AH Rights Rese,VeA

Turkey raising, notwithstanding tht
fact that it is generally hOoted at among
the average poultry breeders as prof
maker, is one from which much money
is realized. Turkey, raising, however
is somewhat similar to poultry raising
in that it must be conducted along sys.
tematic lines in order to be made sue.
cessful and net an income.
This branch of the poultry business, in.
sofar as the East is concerned, generally
proves a failure, and this is invariably
due to the fact that the business is run
along haphazard lines, or in other words,
it is allowed to run itself. The average
farmer pays absolutely no attention to
the rearing of turkeys, and but very
little to the poultry industry in general.
There is a greater percentage of fer
tility in turkey eggs than in those of
chickens and they are about on a par
with duck eggs. The average person
who decides to rear turkeys, just places
a setting of eggs under a turkey hen or
chicken. In que course of time the eggs
hatch, and as a rule, every egg Will
( yield ''pout," as the young turkeys
are called. These are then gwen to The
/ hen, and from that time no attention is
( paid to them. The young will be carried
about over the range by their mother,
through wet grass and weeds, with the
results that within very short time
many, if not all Of them, will be dead.
But then, this is what might be eX
pected from the average farmer who
rarely ever stops to consider what the
raising Of poultry in all its branches
might mean to his income. He fails to
reanze that poultry is the most prof.
table of the farm life and will not listen
to any arguments that are advanced in
his interests, prefering to go along as
he has for many years past, leading
life of drudgery with small income.
while he could be enjoying life of
comparative ease, with large returns
for the money invested.
The average farmer is as set in his
ways of raising poultry as he is with
regards to his particular politics. AS
his politics are, as a rule, governed en-
tirely by what his father was before
him, so is his method of raising poultry
patterned after the way that the old
folks did it, with no attention paid to
the welfare of his pOults, in order that
his profits might be increased.
Dead pOults are valueless, while live
ones viii net return for the trouble
necessary 10 raise them to maturity.
Why not then use the same precautions
with YOUR turkeys, chickens, etc, as
you 40 with the stock on your farm.
Should your stock continue to ole off
from day to day, the first thing o
occur to you would be that there must
be some reason for 1t, and Immediately
begin TO look about Tor the causes,
ana f you could locate them you would
naturally remove the evil. If it could
not be located, you would institute re-
form measures wherever possible, IN the
hope Of correcting the evil. Ihls should
be your attitude with regard to Your
pou Try, and II this is done, you would
soon realize that your labors were bring
ing forth fruit, and the income realized
would induce you to try other and more
improved methods which would further
increase your profits.
Young turkeys are probably more
susceptible to disease than the young Of
any other class Of poultry, and for tnat
reason must be given special care and
attention until they have reached an age
where they can reasonably take care Of
themselves. If this care is gwen them,
a large percentage of the hatchings can
be raised to maturity and the price OBJ
tanned for them viii amply pay for the
trouble one might be put to-
While turkeys can be, and in number
of cases are hatched and raised with |
turkey hens, yet the best way is to use
hens Of some good breed of chickens for |
the Matching of the eggs and mOtherlng
OF the poults. As soon as the pOults are
Matched out, place them in a good, dry, /
sunny coop, raised well off the ground 10
avoid any possible 0ampness, and The
floor OF which is covered with about two /
of sharp dry sand or very small |
gravel Don't have the coop air tight, |
admit plenty of sunshine and fresh air, I
but at the same time, avoid drafts and
keep the mother hen with them. /
Use the same care in feeding that is
exercised in the rearing Of young chicks,
feeding four or five times a day and
only enough at each feeding as may be
cleaned up in five minutes. The first
feeding for the young poults should con-
sist of pinhead oatmeal This form Of
ration should be continued for one week,
when the oatmeal may be supplanted by
some one of the many reliable brands of
chick starter. When this grain food is
given, the quantity at each meal may be
Slightly increased, but under no condi-
lions give a greater quantity than the
poults will clean up readily.
Animal food is a very important and
necessary diet for the young poults and
should be given them. but in small guam
titles. At the end of the second week,
1r after they have been feeding on the
inely cracked grain food for a week,
rive them a very little minced, cooked
neat. Don't be afraid of not giving
hem enough and thus make very ser
Gus mistake of giving too much. A
little is all that is required, and for that
,eason it is better to give in small guam
.ities, for fear that you will overdue it
md cause trouble.
Keep plenty of good fresh water be
ore the poults at all times, into which
las been placed eight drops Of white
.arbolic acid to the quart, or sufficient
of potash to change its
.oior to deep pink. The former, how
.ver, will be found to be the best pre- /
tentative of disease. The poults should
,e given some form of green food each
Law, and for this purpose you may use I