48 LESSONS IN POULTRY KEEPING SECOND SERIES. 



poults up while the grass is wet; but some of the most successful growers I have known let 

 their turkeys range freely after they are strong enough, and say they observe no ill effects from 

 such wettings as the chicks get. Indeed, their opinion is that this way of life is much better 

 than the coddling methods. 



While the young turkeys are confined to coops the ground under them and the coop itself 

 should be kept 2lean. With the ground shifting the coop is all that is necessary if there is 

 opportunity to do that. The coop must be kept dry, as well as clean. In wet weather when 

 the floor becomes damp it should be cleaned daily, and a liberal sprinkling of dry earth, or fine 

 dry litter be applied. 



By the time the young turkeys are two weeks old, if not before, the pen will no longer 

 restrain them. Their roving instincts become plainly manifest, and in a very short time 

 after they begin to go over the low sides of the pen they will go over fences four or five 

 feet high with equal ease, and begin to make quite a circuit in foraging. Whether with 

 hen or turkey mothers they require a good deal of watching at this age. In fact while on 

 a good range the turkeys pick a considerable part of their living, and need be little expense 

 for food until fattening time arrives. They require more or less watching throughout the 

 season, and an essential factor in successful turkey culture is to have someone keep an eye on 

 the flock almost constantly to see that they do not wander too far, are not overtaken by 

 violent storms, or picked off one by one by their natural enemies. 



Feeding Young Turkeys. 



In the poultry literature of a decade ago, instructions to turkey growers make much of 

 the matter of the correct feeding of young turkeys, and each writer was, as a rule, positive 

 that his way was the right way, and the only right way to start young turkeys. This is a 

 point that has come up before in these lessons in our discussions of the feeding of other 

 kinds of fowls, and I presume the reader is therefore anticipating the statement that there 

 are numerous good ways of feeding. A few of these are presented herewith, some dealing 

 briefly with the early feeding only ; others giving directions for feeding throughout the season : 

 Ration I. For Young Turkeys. " After about thirty-six hours old, or after the hen leaves 

 her nest, we feed for three or four meals, equal parts of hard boiled eggs and stale 

 bread. After that mostly stale bread moistened with milk. For two or three 

 weeks we give curdled milk to drink. After two weeks we mix a little red pep- 

 per with the bread twice a week." CRANGLE. 



Ration II. For Young Turkeys." Our first feed is bread and milk, with the milk so pressed 

 out that the bread will crumble. This is fed for the first two weeks, after which 

 the feed is gradually changed to milk curd and meal, one-half part each, and a 

 little cracked corn is given at night." CURTISS. 



Ration III. For Young Turkeys on Good Range. n The first feed I give is milk 

 curd, with onion tops and tongue or pepper grass, cut very fine, seasoned with 

 black pepper. I give this morning, noon, and night. It is a mistake to feed very 

 often, or too much while they are young. If poults are fed three times a day 

 from the time they. are hatched until they are grown, they are fed often enough. 

 Yet they must have something to pick all the time, hence I would advise that they 

 be kept in a grass yard where the grass is kept low. 



" As they grow older I add other things to the food. Table scraps are splendid 

 for them. If I* have infertile incubator eggs I boil them and mix with the other 

 food, but never use fresh eggs, simply because I do not consider it necessary. I 

 give milk instead of drinking water when it is plentiful. I keep grit constantly 

 before them. Wheat is one of the finest feeds for young turkeys. Cracked corn is 

 splendid when they are older. My rule has been to mix grains of wheat in the 

 food from the first, so that when they are old enough to change from curd to grain 

 it will not be so hard to change foods." Mrs. MACKEY. 



Ration IV. For Turkeys from Shell to Market. " I feed poults every two hours until 

 about ten days old, giving stale light bread softened in sweet milk, (or water), 



