CHAPTER ELEVEN 



TURKEYS, DUCKS AND GEESE 



CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF TURKEYS 



TURKEYS FROM SHELL TO MARKET— USE OF TURKEY HENS TO HATCH AND RAISE 

 THE POULTS — TREES THE BEST ROOSTING PLACE — NESTS — CARE OF SIT- 

 TING HENS — FEEDING POULTS — LIBERTY TO ROAM — STANDARD WEIGHT 



MRS. HATTIE A. WELD, Greely, Kans. 



WHENEVER I talk, write or even think turkey, 

 it is a White Holland Turkey. Why? First,, 

 because to me they are the most beautiful. 

 Any one who can look upon a flock of fifty or 

 one hundred turkeys all white as snow — except 

 the black beard and the beaks, legs and feet 

 which are varying tints of pink, any one, I say, 



who can look upon such a flock without admiration, has no eye 



for the beautiful. 



Second: Their quiet, gentle disposition always wins friends 



for them. 



Third' They dress well for the market. We now have 



them bred to a size that can compete favorably with any va^ 



riety of turkeys. But I wiU not stop now to give all their good 



qualities. 



WHEN STARTING, BUY BIRDS, NOT EGGS 



Better begin with turkeys instead of just buying the eggs. 

 A chicken hen will hatch the eggs just as well as a turkey hen 

 and she will do her best at raising the poults; but she does not 

 wander far enough to give them the food they require and 

 therefore they always lack the size of the turkey-raised birds. 

 And besides, the lice that they get from the chicken hen are 

 so much harder to fight and seem to do the little ones so much 

 more harm than the regular turkey Uce. To be sure neither' 

 kind is a benefit, but of two evils choose the lesser. 



Buy your breeders in the fall, if possible.^ November is 

 the very best month as the turkeys are in range condition, not 

 fattened in the least, and all you have to do is to keep them 

 growing and in good breeding condition. 



One feed a day is plenty. I prefer to give that at night 

 as this makes them range after cattle or other stock and gives 

 them necessary exercise. But at five o'clock (as the days 

 shorten, feed at four), I put a little wheat or oats in a trough 

 and call them, that all may go to roost satisfied. Have oyster 

 shell, grit and charcoal where they can get it any time. Also 

 plenty of water as the turkey does not like to depend upon snow 

 any more than other fowls do. 



We yard our chickens in October and leave the range for 

 the turkeys as the two do not feed well together. 



THE BEST ROOSTS AND NESTS 



With us the best roosting places are the tree tops and the 

 colder the weather the higher the turkeys fly. They should 

 have a shed open to the south where they may go during stormy 

 days, if they wish. And they will greatly appreciate some poles 

 for perching under this shed. , 



The first of February is none too early to prepare nest- 

 ing places. We get s^lt or sugar barrels and scatter them 

 around in the orchard, laying them down with open end to 

 the south, driving a couple of stakes at each side to keep the 

 barrel solid. Cover with brush and old hay, having the opening 

 partly hidden. Now place a cozy nest in the barrel and a couple 

 of china nest eggs and we are ready for Mrs. White Holland. 

 Drive the hens accidentally (?) past these hidden (?) nests and 

 see if you do not enjoy the performance of the hen that is about 

 ready to begin laying. Her neck stretches out, she looks on 

 this side and on that, goes partly in, comes out, goes in again, 

 turns round and round and right then and there apparently 

 concludes to deposit twenty or twenty-five eggs in that fine 

 place at laying time. 



Or, if there is an unused stall in the bam, the turkey hen 

 likes to lay there too. One year I had three White Hollands 

 sit in the same manger upon 46 eggs and they brought out 45 

 poults. The only trouble was when one hen raised up to turn 

 her eggs, her neighbor upon left or right would stretch out her 

 long neck and with her beak roll under herself as many eggs 

 as she had time to steal. So I had to fasten boards between 

 the three hens. 



PROTECT THE PULLETS 



At mating time if your male bird is a large, clumsy, old 

 bird and his mates are pullets, you may save yourself some 

 unpleasant work by putting gloves upon him. Just get the 

 heavy duck gloves that cost 25 cents for three pairs. Put them 

 upon Mr. Tom's feet sewing fast above the spur with heavy 

 thread. Leave plenty of room for his toes to clinch round the 

 perch, being especially careful to leave room for the small back 

 toe. The thumb and extra finger of the glove I bring up over 

 the top of the foot and sew securely. Last year my old 35 

 pound torn wore out three pairs — but I did not have a hurt 

 pullet while he was wearing them. 



If one of the females does happen to be torn, anyone by 

 using a little grit, a fine needle and some waxed, white silk 

 thread can perform the necessary surgical work. First, cilt 

 off the feathers near the edges of the wound; next syringe the 

 w^ound with warm water containing a weak solution of carbolic 

 acid. Take short lengths of white silk and wax it, bring the 

 torn skin up in place and hold it there. Now take a stich in 

 the two edges, draw close together and tie. Cut yolir thread 

 and take another stich. It does not take long to sew up a bad 

 hurt and the turkey never moves. It wUl heal readily and 

 hardly leave a scar if well done. A good healing ointment 

 may be used to hasten the work. 



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