The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1918-10-04
FAUEN TURKEYS
FOR THE MARKET
Finish Fowls When Demand Is
Keen and Price Correspond
ingly Attractive.
EXCELLENT PLAN OUTLINED
New Corn Can Safely Be Fed II Fo~is
Are Gradually Accustomed to It.
Birds Always Make Best Gaino
on Free Range.

The true test of expert turkey rails
ing IL to be able to market a large
percentage Of the annual crop in the
pink Of market finish at time when
the demand is keen and the price cor
respondingly attractive.
In fattening turkeys for the mar
ket an excellent plan Is to begin early
in October to feed night and morning,
only feeding enough at a time SO that
the birds 60 away still feeling a little
hungry. and gradually increasing the
quantity until they are given all they
will clean up three times a day during
the week before marketing. By the
latter feeding is meant that they are
fed until they leave the feed and walk
away. Some turkey raisers feed oats
during the first part of the fattening
season, gradually changing to corn az
the weather becomes cooler. Previous
to the war. wheat was used In the same
manner as oats. The majority, how
ever. begin feeding heavily on corn
about November /. and since turkeys
are not accustomed to such heavy feed
Ing, scours often result, especially II
new corn Is used. New corn can be fed
safely II the turkeys are gradually
accustomed to it by feeding lightly at
first and more heavily afterward.
Confining turkeys during the fatten-
ing season to prevent their using SO
much energy In ranging has been tried
to some extent. but with very little
success. Those confined to a pen eat
heartily for two or three days, but
after this they lose their appetite and
begin to lose flesh rapidly. On allow
ing them free range again, they pick
up rapidly and are soon eating as
heartily us ever. The better method
IL to allow them free range, as 1t
keeps them In good, healthy condition.
and they are ALWAYS eager to be fed.
Nuts From the Range. eer
Nuts of various kinds are natural
fattening feed picked up by the
turkeys on the range. OF these beech.
nuts, chestnuts, pecans and acorns
are the most commonly found by them.
Many turkey growers In Texas depend
solely upon acorns for fattening their
turkeys, and when these nuts are
plentiful the birds are marketed in
fairly good condition.
The marketing season for turkeys is
very short, running from the middle
Of November to the latter part of De-
cember. Most turkey raisers sell their
birds alive to poultry dealers, who
either dress them or ship them alive
to city dealers. Farmers near the city
markets. and particularly those In the
middle Atlantic and New England
states, often dress the turkeys and
either sell them direct to the con-
sumer or to city dealers. In some sec
lions shortly before Thanksgiving
there is held what is known as turkey
day. On the day before the event
every turkey grower in the neighbor-
hood kills and dresses his turkeys and
the following morning brings them
into town, where they are bid on and
purchased by whatever buyers choose
to be there, the birds going to the
highest bidder.
In sections in which turkeys are
grown in large numbers, as in Texas,
dressing plants have been built by
poultry dealers, who buy the birds
alive and dress them for the various
city markets. In such cases practically
all the turkey raisers sell to these
dealers, who often send buyers out
into the country to gather up a drove
ef several hundred birds by stopping
q each farm - they poaR. Weighing