Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-19

good lice powder or lice killer before
putting the turkey on the nest. I do
not remove the hen to the new nest
until she has set two days on the old
one, and then carefully remove her
at night and place her upon the nest.
After the first day / never have any
trouble with them about going to their
nests. The coops are opened every day
and the hens can leave the nest and
return at will. Place water and feed
Where they can get 1t at any time.
Care OF the PouIts
1t takes twenty eight days for tur-
Key eggs TO incubate. / never disturb
the turkey during the period of incu-
baton. The poults are not removed
from the nest until they are twenty
four hours old, then if the weather is
dry, they are removed to coop in
the orchard which is enclosed with a
high wire fence. Their coop should
be dry and roomy with a roof to shed
the water so that they may be kept
there during the severe rainy days.
They are then given water and grit.
and when they are thirty-six hours old
are given their first food, consisting
OF stale bread soaked in sweet milk
and squeezed dry with the hand. |
mix fine grit and a little pulveriZed
charcoal with this and feed it for sew
eral days. after which / bake corn
bread or Johnnie cake, made of corn
meal mixed with water or sweet skim
milk and a very little salt added, and
thoroughly baked. This is moIstened
with milk and mixed with grit or sand
and charcoal and given several days.
They are given just what they will eat
up at once and none is left to sour.
They should not be given sloppy or
sour food, as bowel trouble will re-
suit. The turkey hens with the poults
have the range of the orchard during
the day and are driven into their coops
at night. If the weather is damp, or
the grass wet, the brood must be kept
in, for dampness is fatal to the poults.
Turkeys are very susceptible to filth.
Coops and feed dishes should be kept
clean and the coop disinfected at least
once a week.
The poults are confined in the or
chard until they are ten days or two
weeks old and then given the range of
the farm, but are driven up and con-
fined in the orchard every night un-
til they learn to come home of their
own accord. At this age they are fed
cracked wheat and oat groats, but
the baked cornmeal is continued, al
ternating the two. Grit is in every feed
WneJnef wet or ury, ana CnarcOal at
least once a day. When the young
poults begin to get their long flight
feathers, they require extra care and
attention. These seem to grow so rap
idly sometimes as to sap their vital
ity, and when they begin to walk
around with wings dropped 1 pull out
these flight feathers, which stops all
this trouble.
BY this time the poults are six
weeks old and weigh around two
pounds. They are then fed more lib
orally on grain and I also keep be-
fore them cottage cheese in which 1
put a little onion tops chopped fine.
After they "shoot the red" at which
time most OF our troubles are over, I
place clabbered milk where they can
get it whenever they want it. 1t is
an excellent food and they will eat
large quantities of it. From this time
on they are practically given their lib
erty to roam over field and woods, re-
ceiving a light feed of grain at night
just before they are shut up. This in
duces them to return without any
trouble.
Young Turkey Troubles
Filth is persistent enemy of young
oil nj H,,i,, l. tel