TURHfYS DOMESTICA JED- INTRODUCTORY. 



A Nattn- \m»H€«n ft 



Htfe ff< !>«,•«*«*, « Thanksgiving Feast. 



SAONU 



lusitf 



native American fowls the turkey Is 

 .1 to rank ttxw I'roud and brilliant aa 

 «Ay, it. -ves-jesses the addition.: attribute of 

 V»4js ... .--vatest among MiliU fowls. AI- 

 ->,«»'• -■■-■■ an « tetlt domesticated H i- f aisb 

 ., of » wiW bird, and this fact m*t be 

 ., :h v „. vho !'fe»lf« to make a guec.-"* of turkey 



r«-Ci>gBc v 

 ra is".«>- 



The farm is more anr* more becoming the home of the 



■ . - ■ its -wide acres form a natural hie ■ •' -^ spot ,'tid s»' ! > 



',■..« ih abun.lsTM.-e of food that, is purrkularly palatable to 



.„ ta*t» of ' His Wm- of the poultry kingdom. The na. "to of 



•• . - .>, 1,-av si wt.ll known that few persona cva a -enipt 



•■ jnwa in confinement, 



■■-. «iW state the male generally has or.ly or- p »fo. 



• ..,■ :a somo cast? f»o females reciprocal.- hit, -<>m .-„-.--. In 



..^mwtieatloB there is a wide difference in this ■.eLpeet, '"ms 



,.-.«« ;v« . ....ally mated to twenty bens, aart gefterady u> 



., , f , W elve. Some breeders km glad k. introduce wild 



,.1 -u their flo-k when «,pv«-»nlty oB«m. which ;■» hat 



'•p.-n My such introduction the vigor and si*., of the birds 



; , , ,,'^.W, and 'he plumage in some sections m rendered 



■,:<„■« hrilliarr. 



.. i( -.-..v breeders have not given the nam* attention to 



.- ■ ,,',,dli,s «.«■ Ii^e fancier, of the cV.mestk f.,-1. Wi-h 



.,.:,Ut an exception they advl B - f* n,t inbred, and pe - 



'■■ •* well, for the rm.jottt-y of turkey raisers ar« farm- 



-,« nPr 'farmer,-' *.< . "■dWfte sole aim is to ot -duets 



' .Tai,:/*.*! a^ **> i.*'-' «"'» twllu«.: »» to attend 



'1. 



s-mih 

 -i th- 



:>;>' 



t\Utg. The advice I in not in- 



•(■• upon tpc knowledge that vigor 



... c .,,-..- - ,.niu a itock iMiseriminaiely inbred- 



■ \, -wore ':. seme extenl do breed In line, but 



. . ,,. : mts (bat fheir flocks retain few charaeicr-- 



, t , . , , ,..,ft»ct strain. There is no absolute nece«~ 



■'. ' ... ,• ..-<^ in the case of this ancient fowl, for it 



'.„*.„ (rue to shape and color, and Will wntloue 



, . s ,audard makers will allow. A to*l kwv» tr, 



,.,,-,; to Its own kind for bundr*-i* of y*v ■"■»' 



. ... .,, be admittedly line bred, *nd w»f|li.«S >>i>, 



. /! rradicate the tendency to breed torn **tepe 



.'" M.iciuj? all these years the intro.i..:. l «# < 



.... k< ( it a'ive the wild nature in H> 



,*.". tb. beginning of this period 

 .•)W, aad '••.. ' many years it was •»?*. 

 . ,);nTinllv tame one. It- .' 



",«uit» 



>:?',■ 



*;! 



f...!<. frejuent, becoming 

 ,, ;<! i, now it seldom occ 

 iitrt-. •:<.,■ c oecomv m'.re at), 

 •.i:«^ 1 >> range ,j''< r a wi'.h ■ 

 w > i,i.ctjinia:4 fewer, «>->n: ■- 

 '< ffraduaWy the haii-' 

 and the gobbler at»! i--- ; •»'■ 

 ^.((leririf- to the b^^dan^ ... 

 .1- may be lnd«««rt to -i.-pvrtrtt h*r »gs- m any old 

 sx the domeWtc. hen dow now. 



■ Jf U«< 



', "«*:f atefi 



, (is were 



procure a 



wild Wood 



as y«>.'f>; 



»>v year t''i- 



4-st'.cattd tfid 



Kmtcy. WiUS 



more num#r- 



, will be (?Vti 



■itci.t to lltut 



,, while "the 



So Iouk h« the tendency of the turkey is to be mA, U » 

 bwi to adapt its surroundins and care to Its to-tros • i< 



The custom is to allow turkeys t,- roosi oatshle. A Iltt 

 «tt«tlon during their youthful days will induce tbem h, 



come home to r,">st. .„„«„« 



In the case of young stock the general rule is to confine 

 them, and to be careful that they are not exposed to utorrn, 

 «„• -rasa etc. Thia is »*-li, but it may ba overdone. One 

 of our ccrUpordcnts wh«w farm we have visited allow, h , 

 voung Btock to run with the mother orer extonslw «roun« 

 where the K >'«» ** kept short. They are healthy and Wg. 

 Timbered lands are id-ai spots for young pm>lt* if the vege- 

 ,-rion is not den«c and they usually thrive in B,.ch a oca- 

 lion Tflat oreaded -mwd trouble" which causes the death 

 of a large proportion of yceng «ock 1 S less liable - to ,U«k 

 birds raised on the range, because they are not a* like y to 

 be overfed, and bouauie lice do not multil-iy bo rapioly a, 

 when the birds ar<> •'-'.-•.j.'-i. 



There ie a genera! Impression anw>ng farmers that tur- 

 kevs are dittloull to raiBe; so they are if ihe K ame method 

 jm adopted with them that holds good in raising chicl^-nB on 

 the farm, bat if the habife of the wild turhey are v udl«J and 

 ch*-nock allowed to imitate them during the breeding seasou 

 there will be but few obstacles to succesa. The domesrtc fow. 

 when it hatehes its brood of ehieks is usually cor.p»d for 

 -. week or two, and when it | 8 released it uina wahdera far 

 from th- coop, so that In case of ctorroe or change of tem- 

 ,.,,'ratare shelter i a easily reached. Not so the turkey, bhe 

 Iu,y be cooped for a time, but it makes little difference in 

 her habits, and when she is released it seems that the fur- 

 ther 8he can Ret fron. her late- prison the better she is 

 pieced The poults have hitherto remained near the coop 

 witnin call of the moib.-r, they have been fed by the bre«* = 

 and the. change of life which the wandering spirit of tht-.r 

 pa, eat renders necessary is entirely different from that ,.,'-,■ 

 have been nw.mrtomed to and call* for more robust < on,, ,_ 

 tion- than they possess. The mother has passed that ^'^n 

 which cautions her to limit the exercise of her young, as fth«* 

 naturally would do if at liberty when the poult* a-e fi.*t 

 latched «nd instead of gradually increasing the length of 

 i.r- rambh* in search of food, she now forces her youap 

 b-yond their (.trength and runs chance*, of exp^lng th» n- to 

 w«sthe- lo which they have not b*>en acojBtomed. It would 

 have v.P« betu.r to a.iow the aether her freedom from the 

 first The r..t ■: t e»knt*a of *hs poults when hatched would 

 l-.c" i. them w.tbu. reach of shelter for a time, and the 

 ■.v.-t'.er harden'"-', nr^-e-jg would be gradual. 



W !,.<?" hc.nd old breeders -ay that the morning d"", 

 ,-„■! ,;,, i »j;. i1 . ... harbored by fields of hay and grain fh> not to- 



j,,^ f >, ,.,';-, fh*t'have hud their freedom from the start 

 Nm>. iw.„ ■ .- ,f 'hwe is a choice bt t w-ci, such a location an(J 

 „,.,;,,-;-'•■ • -.r \\iiodiaMiti take either of the two last 

 .... ... • . v ,••-.-.- with yoc.ns wlii frs-qticnt the woods if 



<<»•>< „ .>,j''(» the neigh 'v, in**!, and nmuiis the trees they 



,; ni ,, i. , ( ,-,»«.tation to harbor »n*»'< ,i. awd the found, 

 .", ,, , -co dry and free from !o#« grasi. 



