Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-28
TURKEY TROUBLES

l believe I have had a dozen let.
ters within the last two weeks ask
ing what to do for dropping turkeys
Only one lady has described the con-
dition OF the bowls, and one can't
tell much about the cause of any
poultry trouble by the simple state
hent that they stand around a few
DAYS and die. I believe it is always
(, safe to diagnose such cases as YER
min, after they become so exhausted
by the loss of blood, and the torment
there is not much hope for chicks
or poults However, 1 would scaid,
and use plenty of a good spraying
hauid. AS I've told you many times,
find a quart of any stock dip that
you can get from a drug store, or
the Watkins, or RaWleigh man, as
gallon of water and pint of coal
oil. Saturate their roosting place att
er you have cleaned it thoroughly
Then at roosting time grease them.
Many people use insect powders,
but l have never had any success
with any sort of powder for mites
They stay chiefly in creVices and IN
the underside of the roostlng place.
Once, in my early experience with
poultry, I white washed the box
sused for hover. Mites had appear
ed in that box, and a neighbor said
whitewasa was just the thing. 1t
certainly made the box look nice, and
| was quite proud when LuciuS fin
ished all the hoVers and laying house.
He had a days work and when l
heard him say "Laws-a-massy" 1
wondered what calamity had over
y taken him. Missy, look here. The
mites are swarming."
They certainly were. and all our
pretty white boxes had TO be gone
over with noxicide or something from
the city, for stock dip was not COM
mon then.
1t is some trouble to fix the dip
and spray or paint things, it is
temptation to get can and shake
it around, but I've yet to find any
thing worth while, that does not
call for care and labor. I may be
ont of the Matthias" for I've had TO
serve to have even the little success
that has been mine.
Not a great while ago I had sever
al articles on turkeys. Get them out
OF that envelope I advised you to
mark poultry, and see how You
have managed along those lines. An
ounce of prevention is worth pound
Of cure. Blackhead is a disease that
sweeps off many young turkeys.
why it is called Blackhead don't
know, for the head is not often black.
It is really congestion of the liver.
External symptoms are drowsiness,
loss of appetite, lack of vigor, and
soft yellowish droppings.
Not one of my correspondents said
O word about examining the liver.
It has spots on it, varying from yell
low to yellowish green. In tuber-
eulosis the liver has raised spots, but
when the disease is blackhead there
Is no elevation above the liYer's SURE
face.
There are all sorts of theories
among experienced poultry growers.
But all agree that germs are in al
most every flock. If the young can
be raised month they are usually
Fsafe until they gorge on new corn.
All of the state poultry experts rec
ommend keeping buttermilk for the
young turkeys. If that is not pos
sible, get some muriatic acid (Ken-
lucky Experiment station, Circular
No. y and put one teaspoonful TO
a quart of water. Remember it will
eat a hole in your flesh as quickly
; as it will in cloth. However. I use
soda, or epson~salts literally and
let the acid alone.
The Reliable Poultry Journal
March, April, May, June, has had
the best series on turkeys that I've
come across. The subscription is a
dollar a year, and it's worth it.
These four numbers might have
saved some of you many dollars. I
take four poultry magazines, and
read every one from cover to cover,
not excepting the ads.
And now a few words about the
Lookout Mountain potato. Any seed
store will get them for you. Have
the ground in good shape by fire.
quent cultivation. Start the pillow
Now, if not already begun. Plant