FATTENING TURKEYS 10 R MARKET. 



549 



is very slowly added to the carbolic acid. 

 During the mixing a large amount of heat is 

 developed. The disinfecting power of the 

 mixture is heightened, if the amount of heat is 

 kept down, by placing the tub or glass vessel 

 containing the carbolic acid in cold water while 

 the sulphuric acid is being added. The result- 

 ing mixture is added to water in the ratio of 

 I to 20. One gallon of mixed acids will thus 

 furnish twenty-one gallons of a strong disin- 

 fecting solution, having a slightly milky ap- 

 pearance. It is quite corrosive, and care should 

 be taken to protect the eyes from accidental 

 splashing. 



The houses, roosts, yards, and other places 

 over which the turkeys have had access should 

 receive one or two liberal douchings with the 

 above, and rearing be not again attempted till 

 six months after the last douching, and care 

 should be exercised that new stock should come 

 from unaffected yards. 



As they approach full growth, turkeys are 

 prepared for market in various ways. Those 

 which have been well fed for growth and frame 

 can be brought to the highest pos- 

 Fattening sible condition by merely confining 

 ur eys or (-]i-,gjj^ (-q somewhat smaller range, 

 and feeding them freely twice a day 

 on ground oats mixed with milk, with a full 

 feed of whole oats at night. This is not a very 

 general plan, but we can vouch for the excel- 

 lence of the results. Some feeders add to the 

 meal diet, carrots boiled in lard and sliced up ; 

 some give one meal of thick oatmeal porridge. 

 In Norfolk the usual plan is to confine the 

 fattening birds in a shed, or hovel walled with 

 furze to keep the draught out while giving air, 

 with peat moss or other clean litter pretty deep 

 on the ground. A usual mi.xture for feeding 

 is oatmeal, barley-meal, and Indian-meal in 

 equal proportions, with house-scraps and boiled 

 carrots and other vegetables, mixed with skim 

 milk where this can be had, as it whitens the 

 flesh. During the last fortnight some fat or 

 suet rendered from butchers' scraps is often 

 added to the meal. In some sheds two meals 

 per day only are given, as with Sussex fowls, 

 and the sheds kept in semi-darkness between 

 meals, the birds being only let out for a few 

 minutes before each feed to stretch their legs ; 

 in others they are allowed daylight, and fed 

 oftener, say three times a day. Grit is always 

 supplied freely, and the birds generally roost 

 on perches, all on the same level at about 

 thirty inches from the ground. Many excellent 

 turkeys come to market which have never been 

 confined at all, but simply fed well three times 

 a day for some weeks before killing. 



In Normandy a few birds are shut up, but 

 not many. The usual plan there is to cram 

 them every morning and evening, driving them 

 out on to the pastures during the day. They 

 are crammed with boluses composed of barley 

 flour (i.e. most of the husk taken out) and 

 potatoes, with some minced grass and a little 

 bran — these are dipped in milk before being 

 placed down the throats of the birds. One 

 point in which Continental raisers surpass 

 many in England, though the large British 

 raisers also give attention to it, is in the 

 grading or sizing of their produce. They con- 

 tract to deliver so many birds of a definite 

 average weight, and thus the dealer knows 

 what he will be receiving when the time comes. 

 Two or three fine birds among a dozen or two 

 small ones never fetch their value ; what im- 

 presses a London market salesman is the char- 

 acter of the lot as such, and far too little 

 importance has been attached to this matter. 



Turkeys are usually killed in England by 

 dislocating the neck, and plucked while warm 

 like Sussex fowls ; the large wing feathers must 

 be plucked quickly, or there is great difficulty 

 in drawing them. Some people think the flesh 

 is whiter and more delicate if the birds are 

 bled, which is very usual in America and on 

 the Continent ; but this plan loses weight. 



Turkeys meant for exhibition should not be 

 unduly fattened. The birds will of course have 

 been selected carefully, both as regards the 

 perfection of their plumage and 

 Exhibiting large frames, since it is the apparent 

 Turkeys. size of a turkey rather than mere 



weight which tells most in a pen. 

 They should be fed carefully and systematic- 

 ally for this, but kept among their hardy sur- 

 roundings till late in the season — after that 

 they should be gradually accustomed to some- 

 what closer quarters, and be occasionally 

 penned. They usually take to this discipline 

 very well, being quite conscious of the admira- 

 tion which they excite. As soon as confined, a 

 portion of dandelion or lettuce should form 

 part of their diet, and good sharp grit not be 

 forgotten. The plumage of dark breeds will 

 always be in good condition if the birds are 

 healthy, and washing removes the wonderful 

 gloss ; only the heads and legs should therefore 

 be cleansed. White birds must of course be 

 dealt with according to circumstances ; but, 

 unlike fowls, even these are often clean enough 

 to pass muster. 



Crested turkeys have been mentioned by 

 various naturalists ; but all attempts to breed 

 them true to this point having failed, the 

 crests must be considered to be merely acci- 



