Imperial Valley press., 1924-03-10

" Most people think that turkey
raising is difficnlt and are afraid
10 try it, but really there is moth
ing on the farm that is any less Ia
Dor and expense for the returns you
get than turkeys. / don't know
any two people who handle turkeys
the same way and some are Just as
successful as others. / have gradu-
ally worked out my way from eX-
perienee. 1t is not tho only right
way, but it suits our conditions and
calls for least possible equipment.
!" You must first of all like the
work\and have cooperation of your
husband in raising feed for them.
:" My experience has all been in
Imperial Valley and with n small
! flock. Select the breed you like the
best. Always get the very best
stock you can buy. a yearling tom
and two year old hens make best
mating. Each year saV- few
! young hens of earliest hatch to re-
place the Oldest hens you Gull cut.
Change tom every year if possible.
| You can mate as many as fifteen
hens with one tom but over that
would keep two toms
~ keep from ten to fourteen
| hens and one tom penned the year
round in about q quarter of an
acre OF alfalfa and bermuda. Don t
move them to irrigate it for water
will not hurt them and they get
quite few bugs ahead of water.
Plenty Of Pepper
'During summer feed sour milk
in morning little wheat at night.
From September ! to June l feed
q good egg mash dry in addition
to other morning feed. Fresh wat
! er and grit all the time Gather
eggs every day and keep in clean
box. Turn each egg every day.
Set eggs as soon as possible under
chicken hens.
=" Keep your turkey hens FOR eggs
only. | can conrt on fifty eggs
as q rule. In setting eggs under
checker hens L find the Rhode Is
land Reds the most persistent set
ters. Set the men on the ground,
under a box. Put in nest eggs Mt
| first. Powder hen for lice and
move hen or nest at night. Get her
off to eat every afternoon and as
soon as she settles down good, put
turkey eggs under her and mark
date they hatch on top of box.
" Twentyfour hours after they
start to hatch take out the little
turkeys. Give each little turkey a
| whole berry of black pepper. You
get it at grocery stores. A hen can
care for ten baby turkeys in cool
! weather and more rs soon as dam
! ger from cold winds are over.
"Put hen and little turkeys on
fresh ground under q box at least
three feet square. Put water in
flat dish and grit for baby turkeys
and q little grain for hen the first
feed when you take them off.
Second feed give wheat for hen so
baby turkeys can pick up some if
they want it and feed little dry
curd well sprinkled with black pep
/ per. Second day grind up an on
ion and mix with curd and put Il
head of lettuce in box for them to
| pick on. Never feed but twice a
! day but see about them several
times a day for first few days rs
some get on their backs and die.
Leave them in this box for two to
five days according to weather and
by that time they will know the
mother hen.
Should Have Grain
| When you turn them out see.
that they find some Bermuda or al
falfa pasture to run in. Continue
to feed curd twice n day and every
few feeds sprinkle curd well with
| black pepper, and every few days
mix some ground onions in their
curd. Always keep water where
they can find it. seldom feed any
grain after l turn them out as we
usually have milo maize in the head
or wheat cut and stocked like hay
where they can get it when they
want it. If you haven t it that way
feed grain twice a day.
eff any get sick take them away
from the rest and keep from chill
ing as much as possible. The best
thing to dc. for sick turkey is
pull off its head and bury to pro
tect the balance. If very many look
droopy put a little epson salts i'll
water they oat first i'm thp mOrniup
After all have had drink put in
fresh water.
"In cool weather keep the tur-
keys up in the pen until the sun
comes out good, even up till they
are six weeks old. In warm wea-
ther after they are a week old |
open the pen after night and they
90 get q feed of bugs before |
get up. If they don't come back