96 



HOW TO FEED POULTRY FOR ANY PURPOSE WITH PROFIT 



much farther than chickens and, as the young birds can 

 fly out of any uncovered enclosure at an age when chick- 

 ens are restrained by low fences, the keeper has little 

 control over them unless they are in close quarters. 



Although the feeding is so like the feeding of fowls 

 that any poultry keeper who can grow good chickens 

 should be able to adapt the rations used to the other 

 kinds of domestic land birds with good results, and easily 

 learn by observation what changes 

 might be made in them to advantage, 

 a. few examples of the rations for 

 each kind will be helpful to most 

 readers and will show the differences 

 in the methods of giving similar ra- 

 tions: 



RATIONS FOR TURKEYS 

 No. 44 J. F". Crnngle's Rations 



I FOR BREEDING STOCK 



Feed mostly on oats scalded, give 

 corn about twice a week. Furni.;h 

 charcoal and oyster shell in boxes 

 from which the birds can help 

 themselves. 



II FOR YOUNG TURKEYS 



Four times a day give stale bread 

 (from three to ten days old) moist- 

 ened with milk. In wet, cool 

 weather put a little red pepper in 

 this feed. Give clabbered milk to 

 drink. After about three or four 

 weeks, begin to feed wheat and 



cracked corn. Scalding the grain makes it easier to 

 digest. The scalded grain should not be fed until cool. 



Ill FATTENING IN THE FALL 



About October 1st beg-in to feed twice a day what 

 whole corn they will eat up in a few minutes. The 

 birds will fatten better if allowed to range than if 

 confined in pens. 



No. 45 Rhode Island All-Corn Ration 



Use only northern white flint corn. Give this to the 

 little ones coarsely ground and mixed with sweet or sour 

 milk, or made into bread and moistened with milk. GtVe 

 this at first four or five times a day. After a short time 

 feed with it a little dry cracked corn, and also substitute 

 gradually for the ground corn, cracked corn soaked in milk. 

 By the time the birds are eight weeks old they should be 

 getting all cracked corn either dry, or partly moistened 

 with milk. After June 1st birds on range should need feed- 



with boiling water and steam before feeding. Or 

 if it is desired to use a dry mash give: bran 8 

 parts, meat scrap 1 part. 



II FOR YOUNG TURKEYS 



1 One hard-boiled egg for every eight poults added 

 to stale (not sour or moldy) wheat bread dipped 

 in milk and squeezed dry. Feed for about two 

 weeks. The egg may be alternated with cottage 

 cheese. Then substitute best meat scrap for the 

 egg, and keep clabbered milk before them. 



2 One raw egg for every eight poults, added to a 

 a pint of bran and enough clabbered milk to mix 



NEARING THE FINISH 

 Turkeys being driven to market in the fall. 



rather dry. After two weeks gradually substitute 

 chick feed. 



Ill FOR FATTENING 



1 Feed grain principally corn night and morning; 



feed sparingly for the first ten days, then increase 



gradually to all they will eat. 

 2 To make plump, white-meated turkeys. Give equal 



parts of ground oats, ground barley, and coarse corn 



meal, mixed with table scraps, boiled carrots, and 



potatoes, and milk. 



3 Ground oats moistened with milk, and a little mut- 

 ton fat added every other day. 



4 Equal parts of corn meal and ground barley, mixed 

 with boiled potatoes or rutabagas. 



The profit in growing turkeys for market is almost 



will eat three times a day. 



No. 46 Turkey Rations Recommended By the United 

 States Department of Agriculture 



I FOR BREEDING STOCK 



If the birds are on range, a good feed of grain pre- 

 ferably oats or wheat is all that is necessary. In 

 winter feed twice a day on equal parts of oats, wheat, 

 and corn, with any succulent green feed. Supply ani- 

 mal feed by giving meat scraps, beef livers, and lungs, 

 or skimmed milk sweet or sour. Give free access to 

 grit, shell, and charcoal. 



-FOR YOUNG TURKEYS- 

 1 Hard-boiled egg chopped 



II- 



mg only twice a day. Where the range is good and the entirely in the feed thev secure hv forao-ino- Fven it 

 flock of only moderate numbers, they often need no feed- 

 ing from August 1st until October. While the range sup- the high prices which turkeys have commanded in recent 

 plies some feed in the fall, the birds are fed light feed -, i . . c 1 i *i 

 of whole corn twice a day. In November, to fatten fully years it is douotiui whether money could be made any- 



win eSt n thrfL Vi me S t ^ e d fl t re where growing turkeys for the table on purchased feed, 



or on grain from the corncribs and granaries on farms. 

 Some harvested feeds must be used in starting the young 

 turkeys, but the quantity of these is insignificant. Some 

 feed must also be given to finish for market, but this 

 need not be a large part of what produced the meat. The 



duu ^um, WILII any sue cine ii i. Kreen ieea. SUDDIV am- i- r ii i i r r 



mal ^feed by giving meat scraps, beef livers, and lungs, Policy of those who grow turkeys for profit must be to 



have them get the most of their living by foraging, and 

 this result is secured by keeping the size of the flock 

 down to what the range will carry. Overstocking has 



the " firSt " Week> th6n whole' wheaf'ind the effect of either making the turkeys remain much 



nearer the farm buildings where they and other poultry 

 are fed, or causing them to wander far in search of feed. 

 They may hang around home for a time, and then take a 

 notion to look up new and better pastures, and they are 

 apt to do this just when the attendant has concluded that 

 they have settled down to a quiet life, and is proceeding 

 with other work on the theory that, for the time, the tur- 

 keys need no watching. 



Several broods of turkey poults generally combine in 

 one flock and, as turkeys are usually kept, all the birds 

 are likely to go in one flock. But where there is room 

 and they are allowed to do so, a stock will frequently re- 

 main divided into small groups all season, each of these 

 following a different route in foraging. It is the natural 

 habit of a flock of turkeys, when foraging, to make a 

 circuit that will bring them home toward evening. They 



fine and corn bread 

 _ the first week 

 hulled oats. 



2 Stale bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry for 

 the first few days, then common chick feed. 



3 Clabbered milk seasoned with salt and pepper, and 

 corn bread crumbs. 



4 Equal parts of pinhead oats, whole wheat, and 



cracked corn. 

 5 Cracked wheat. 

 6 Corn meal 3 parts and wheat bran 1 part, mixed and 



baked into bread. 

 1 Bran or middlings 2 parts, cracked Egyptian corn 



1 part, wheat or hulled oats, or a mixture of the 



two, 1 part. 



Ill FOR FATTENING 



Feed wheat and oats twice a day at the beginning of 

 the fattening period, gradually changing to corn. 



No. 47 Washington Experiment Station Rations 



I BREEDING STOCK 



1 Give corn, wheat, oats, and clover or alfalfa, using 

 less corn than of other grains. The following may 

 be given as a wet mash: Corn meal 1 part (by 

 measure), bran 2 parts, chopped onion, or raw 

 apples, or cooked mashed carrots or potatoes, 1 

 part, meat scrap or clabbered milk 1 part; mix 



