TURKEYS— THEIR CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



59 



pepper and soda in turkey food. Because I had been taught 

 to do this I did like my neighbors when I commenced rais- 

 ing turkeys, but I soon began to use my common sense 

 and I wondered how on earth anything could live, es- 

 pecially a wee bit of a turkey with the crop filled with 

 pepper, soda, sulphur, copperas, 'also custard, milk, curd and 

 many other things I was told I would have to feed to be 

 successful. I said: "I shall try a way of my own," and 

 whenever I have had the sense to do my own way I 

 have succeeded in keeping my flock healthy. 



Red pepper is a good tonic for chickens in cold weather 

 if given in minute quantities. 



I find carbolic acid in drinking water, a teaspoonful to 

 a gallon of water, is one of the best things to keep their 

 bowels in good condition I have ever tried. Epsom salts and 

 salt, a teaspoonful of 'each to a gallon of water, is also good. 

 Too much salt will throw a turkey into fits, so will too 

 much tobacco, but they will recover from the tobacco dust 

 as soon as they get the fresh air, while from salt taken into 

 the system they do not recover. 



Whenever the droppings look yellowish 1 use my Chol- 

 era Cure — not that I believe they have cholera, but the drop- 

 pings indicate indigestion. 



RHEUMATISM. 



Several letters have come in, asking what to do for 

 lameness in little turkeys, describing the poults as being af- 

 fected with swollen joints. I think this trouble arises from 

 dampness. Either the poults roost in damp places or exceed- 

 ingly wet weather has been conducive to the disease. The 

 trouble is doubtless rheumatism and the best remedy 1 know 

 is elder bark prepared as follows: Get the bark and scrape 

 off the outside skin, cut in small pieces and put in apple 

 vinegar. It does not matter how much bark you put in, 

 but the stronger it is the better. Put in a half gal- 

 lon fruit jar and add a piece of alum as large as a 

 walnut and the same amount of copperas. Put all 

 the bark in the jar you can get in, pouring the vine- 

 gar over it. Put enough of this liquid in the drinking water 

 to make it taste of acid, but not enough to be unpleasant 

 to the taste. I am sure this will prevent the trouble if it 

 does not cure it, and I think it will cure it, provided the 

 poults are kept free from dampness. I should use Mustang 

 also or any good liniment that I would use for myself. A 

 little tincture of iodine in the drinking water is good as 

 a tonic. 



[ should feed either a little black or red pepper in the 

 food for several days. In that time if I found I could not cure 

 the fowl I would kill it, but if it were getting better I should 

 continue the treatment. 



Once I noticed one of my poults could not walk, one leg 

 seemed to be perfectly straight and the poult held it so 

 that it appeared to be behind it. I tried to bend it and it 

 seemed stiff in the joints. But I bent it several times a 

 day for four days when it was able to walk on both feet. 



ROUP-CANKER-SWELLED EYES AND HEAD. 



I have cured several cases of so-called roup in the fol- 

 lowing manner. I made a strong salt water just as hot as 

 I could bear my hand in comfortably .and dipped the tur- 

 key's head in it, completely immersing the head. I use an 

 old tin can for this purpose. I let the head stay in the 

 water as long as I thought it safe for the turkey. I then 

 take it out and give it fresh air, press the nostrils between 

 my thumb and forefinger. If there is any secretion, this 

 will start a running at the nose. I open the mouth and 

 insert a mop made by wrapping a soft cloth on a small 

 stick, into the opening in the roof of the mouth, dipping it 

 first into salt water; then I dip in coal oil. I make a salve 



of carbolic acid, a few drops of lard, spirits of camphor, 

 a teaspoonful, a teaspoonful of tincture of iodine and an- 

 oint the eyes, head and fill the nostrils and opening in roof 

 of mouth. With a clean cloth I wiped the head as dry as 

 possible, (I tried not wiping the head and found it made 

 the turkey too cold) then I rubbed it hard until it was dry. 

 Put a little salt and Epsom salts in the drinking water. This 

 will almost invariably cure the roup in its first stages. If a 

 turkey has arrived at an advanced stage of roup before it is 

 noticed I would kill it as the only sure cure. 



For raUIing in the throat I find nothing better than 

 coal oil with a little molasses in it. 



Sometimes canker is caused by fighting. I had a torn, 

 for which I paid $10, that got to fighting and had canker 

 on the side of his mouth, caused by the bite of the other 

 torn. All I did for him was to paint his mouth with iodine. 

 He was a vigorous, healthy bird and produced strong poults. 

 I also advise the use of Mexican Mustang Liniment, used ac- 

 cording to directions. 



Sometimes turkeys have a soft, swelled place under the 

 eyes. The first thing is to put them by themselves. With 

 the finger press the soft swelling, letting the pressure go 

 towards the bill. The phlegm will go out at the nose in most 

 cases. Take a sewing machine oil can and fill with warm 

 water, into which a few drops of tincture of iodine have 

 been dropped; if the water is almost hot it will be all the 

 better. After washing the head in strong salt water as hot 

 as can be borne, inject the water from the can into the nos- 

 trils and the opening in the roof of the mouth. Make- a 

 salve of lard, turpentine, crude carbolic acid, copperas melt- 

 ed in the lard and flowers of sulphur. Anoint with this. If 

 this is done once a. day for a week the turkey will be well 

 unless it is incurable. If there is pus, an incision made 

 with a sharp knife to let the pus out will be necessary. But 

 the bird will need something to cleanse the system, and 

 Cus'iiman's Roup Cure will be very fine. 



However, the trouble is likely to return if you turn the 

 turkey out in the cold. If it is worth the trouble it is better 

 to keep it in the house until cold weather is over. Feed 

 onions, soft food, corn and plenty of grit. I find Littell's 

 liquid sulphur will do for flowers of sulphur in almost every 

 case where flowers of sulphur is needed. I think simple reme- 

 dies will euro almost any trouble if taken in time. Do not 

 fail to give onions once a week during the fall and through- 

 out the winter. They are a safeguard against roup and any 

 diseases caused by cold. 



For canker sores try putting a little alum in the drink- 

 ing water one day and copperas the next. Apply Mexican 

 Mustang Liniment to the affected parts. Conkey's Roup 

 Cure in the drinking water will be beneficial to the general 

 health. 



WORMS 



"My turkeys are dying fast and I found worms in the 

 droppings. What must I do for them?" 



If the entire flock is sick, give turpentine in drinking 

 water and in the food — a tablespoonful of turpentine to a 

 gallon of water and a teaspoonful to a quart of food; also 

 add a tablespoonful of Epsom salts to a gallon of water. 

 Give both the turpentine and salts at the same time. If 

 only one turkey is thus affected I would catch it and give 

 it a teaspoonful of castor oil, into which put five or six drops 

 of turpentine; then feed as a tonic cholera cure. 

 MISCELLANEOUS. 



I quote from an old number of the R. P. J. from an 

 article on "Turkeys as Hatchers": 



"When I first read in an English poultry book of the 

 French method of using turkeys to hatch and care for chick- 



