TURKEY RAISING 



not to exceed $i a head for feed consumed. The neces- 

 sary investment for raising turkeys runs low both in the 

 matter of breeding stock and equipment required. It is 

 doubtful if any other kind of live stock requires as small 

 an investment for the return yielded as do turkeys. 



A brisk demand will be found by any one having breed- 

 ing stock of some pure variety for sale and this will 

 greatly augment the possible profit. As an example of 

 what may be accomplished it may be stated that a farm 

 woman, a breeder of Bronze turkeys of fine quality, re- 

 cently raised 200 turkeys in one season, and sold over 

 $1,500 worth of stock, being compelled to refuse more 

 than $500 worth of additional business. Most of her 

 stock was sold for breeding purposes except 17 late 

 hatched toms, which -were sold for slaughter on the local 

 market early in February at 35 cents a pound, and for 

 which she received a total of $109. 



A Missouri farmer and wife have sold for the past four 

 years an average of more than $500 a year of market tur- 

 keys. At no time did they have more than 15 breeding 

 hens and sometimes not more than 12. 



Turkeys as Insect Destroyers 



In spite of the fact that insects, such as grasshoppers, 

 which the turkeys pick up in ranging over the farm, 

 form a considerable part of the diet of turkeys during 

 the summer, the great value of these birds as insect 

 destroyers is often overlooked. Much is said about 



10 



