Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-04-05

lSUnlE PulNlEkS UlV
TURK Y RAISING
Helpful Information for Those Who.
Plan on Going into Turkey
Business 5.=5
The profits made BY raising turkeys
during the past few seasons has Gre
ated considerable interest in this in
| dustry in this section Of the valley
and many, who have never given this
branch Of farming much attention.,
have expressed their intentions Of
bringing up good sized focks Of tur-
keys this year. On account of the
! interest in the turkey business the
Sheaf publishes the following article
| which we trust will present informa-
ton that will be helpful to the be-
ginner:
! When America was discovered, tur-
! keys were found in a domesticated
as well as in a wild state, and the
French name Dinde, CD'Inde), seems
to indicate that they came from the
West Indies, the East Indies possess
ing no such bird.
Turkeys do not attain full growth
and maturity until they moult after
they are two years old. The stock
birds should not be less than three
] years old, for poults bred from young
birds are sure to be tender. To at
tain fine turkey poults let the hen
sit Oh the first eggs she lays in the
| season, as soon as she will, that the
brood may have all Of the best Of the
year in which to make their growth.
Some turkey cocks are very spiteful
to their hens, and to the young ones,
so that it is necessary to put the. nest
in place Of safety: The presence
of a gobbler is not necessary after the
early part of the season, as the entire
clutch Of eggs is said, on good author
ity, to be fertiliZed at once. L..
The turkey cock should be vigorous
and healthy, broad in the chest, clean
in the legs, and we'll developed wings
and tail. His eyes should be bright
and the corunculated skin of the
neck full, and rapid in it's changes Of
color. He is in his prime from three
y
he is appointed master at home or
the year after, fine cock poult should
be selected and reared to take his
place when necessary. From the pc.
culiar property in turkeys of the
whole batch of eggs being fertilized
at once one turkey cock would serve
the whole neighborhood but that he
should be first-class mature bird is
all-important. -" II
!, The hen should Of course, mattel
her lord; she should be plump, lively
and animated. and her plumage should
be correct. If she be black, white
> feathers are a fault Her eggs vii
produce the heartiest poults after she
is three years old. s-.
A number of companions should BIZ
, allowed one cock in the course of {
. year. but never let him have more
than two mates at the same time
The hen foretells laying by pc
, culiar note. and strut, and by hunt
ing about for a sly corner to lay in
In the .domesticated as well as ik~the
wild state. the cock. is apt to destroy
the eggs, and the hen is commensul'
ately anxious to hide them from dang
err. She should be watched and hum
ored to the nest prepared for her.
If the turkey hen is well settled t.
, the nest before the eggs are given t.
her. the poults may be looked for OF
the. Goth day; but four weeks is tn.
, time of incubation usually reckonet
on turkey eggs. and some persons sa,
81 days. Whether the sitter is inter
fered with or not, when she hatche!
must depend on her disposition.
t. The hen turkey will sometimes Ia!
j. and hatch second time in season
) but later broods require great care
; Even in wild state the turke,
, poults are delicate, and are unabl,
to endure wet; the young of the do
mesticated race are even more so, ant
must be kept from wet and cold. Thu
little poults will peck for themselve:
as soon as nature prompts the neces
sity; until then leave them with whal
r appears to be their only Requirement
their mothers warmth.
: At first the little ones may be fet
on hard boiled eggs, chopped fine ant
mixed with bread crumbs. The herbs
to use with their food are chives
young onion tops, fennel, lettuce, net
ties and parsely... The water SHOULD
be given in shallow pans, that the!
may not get the down wet. AS the!
get older they will feed on food mad,
of barley meal and oatmeal, and o,
] grain. Meal boiled in milk until quit,
( thick is good food.
! The little turkey poults want a tol
erably free range and they must b
SO constantly well fed from the frs
as never to lose condition for If the.
once get poor they can never be re
stored.
The most important thing of all i
never to let the little turkeys get wet
t or even damp. Keep them In in til
: morning until the dew is of th
grass, put them up before the dam
Of evening, and never let them be gu
In the rain. Those who think it Wortl
Il xrIil 20