Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-05-25
Turkeys by the Thousand
Corning. Calf, Mar. IS, '22

turkeys by the 1houSand
Corning, Calf, Mar. Is, '22
Editor Democrat:-I promised
you to write an article on how
raise turkeys on large scale.
/ came to California in 1910, and
like lots of others, it took me quite
awhile to learn how to make money.
The Californians have the name
of being good spenders, and if / was
going to be a Californian / would
have to scheme in some way to make
money. Before coming to Califor-
MIA, l had been engaged in the mer-
camille business and thought of con-
tinuing along the same line when
came out here. But after looking
pretty much over the state, for To-
cation, / failed to find any to suit
me. / then spent several years in
first one thing and then another,
but I could not get ahead financially
very much. It was then | began to
give turkey raising my attention. In
the first place I want to speak of the
natural conditions suitable for rails
ing turkeys here in the Sacramento
Valley. We have plenty of sunshine
when needed. The valley is very
fertile, growing vast acreage of
grain. Some ranches have thou
sands Of acres Of grain in one field.
Then on each side of the valley we
have red land leading back in the
foot hills and mountains. This land
is not so valuable and is owned in
large tracts, some ranches of 10000
to 1900 acres. The sheep men
use it about six months out of the
year for grazing, then take their
sheep to the mountains. That is
the time of the year the grasshop-
pers come and / use the same land
for raising my turkeys. You can
lease this land for that purpose very
reasonably. from ten to twenty
cents per acre. These large ranches
don't have very many houses, so you
don't have many neighbors for your
raised turkeys I had so hens and 5
gobblers, and marketed over 700
turkeys. I kept increasing the num-
Der of stock each year. In 1919
marketed 1850 turkeys, sold at
471ac per pound dressed at the
ranch, bringing s14,72o.0O. The
next year, 1920, I didn't raise. But
last year. 1921, l raised and mar
keted $4,000 lbs, besides keeping
320 head of stock. My turkeys this
year sold for 47c per lb. dressed.
l have 5000 acres of grasshopper
range leased for this year. / may
have to lease 1000 acres more.
take my stock out on this range the
1st of January. / have house
Sx20 built on a wagon. I haul that
from place to place with my auto
mobile. When feed gets scarce in one
coops for each hen / set and keep
them in there for about week af-
ter they hatch, but move them on a
clean place after Matching. When
the little turks are week old
turn them out in bands of about
500, and have boy and dog herd
them. I feed specially prepared
mash feed twice day for about one
month, then with the grasshoppers
and small amount of grain in the
evening is all that is necessary. AT
ter six weeks I begin to double the
bands up and cut down on hired
| help. I have five trained dogs thai
know about as much about the care
of turkeys as person. / couldn't
begin to handle a large band with
out them.
i I have always heard it said, it was
1 good for your health to get up early
I in the morning, and get the fresl
air. You certainly get that in rails
! ing turkeys. 1t is sight worth see
1 ing, to see a band of 5000 turkey:
/ feeding. We get up at 3 a. M, ant
saddle our horse before breakfast
1 for as soon as break of day, the tur
keys give the signal to start and i
you are not ready you are strictl!
out of luck.
know where my best feed is OF
/ the range and feed everything il
! that direction. That is where thu
dogs do their part. for in feeding /;
band of 5000 turkeys together, yo,
have to let them spread out, some
remind you of a regiment of sol
diers marching against their enemy
| The dogs run the gauntlet seein.
that no turkeys turn back until tn,
morning feed is over. We ride ou
4 horses giving orders to the dogs an,
/ even when they are out of hearing
] stand up on my horse and give sig
mails with my hat, which is obeye,
as readily as talking to them. Som
! mornings we feed as far as thre
miles from camp, then send the dog
around the band and turn them 70
camp, making sure to get in tn
shade before the day gets too hot
! Any of you who have been in Cali
fornia in the summer time, know
gets hot here. Last year I move,
my entire band of turkeys to th
rice fields to fatten. That was Nov
1st. 1 hauled them 35 miles witt
automobile trucks. Then after fat
tened, on Dec. 10Th l began to dres
them for market. I had eight mel
picking, some of them picked a
many as 100 birds a day. We dr.,
pick them.
| could write many more thing
about raising turkeys, but possibl,
this is as much as some will believe
If you are from Missouri and wan
/ to be shown, come out and | will b,
| glad to show you.
Yours respectfully,
VIM. r. STOKES,
1104 4th Ave C0rninU Gal