PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



During the breeding season the gander can be detected by his 

 actions. Another method is to use slight pressure upon the 

 sphincter muscle in the region of the anus, when the sexual 

 organs will be everted. 



Geese very seldom succumb to disease, but occasionally are 

 afflicted with cholera, coccidiosis, gout, rheumatism, or liver 

 disease. 



The feathers of geese are very valuable, commanding about 

 50 cents per pound. It is not a common practice, nor is it 

 usually safe, to pluck geese alive. In dressing for market they 

 should be plucked dry, and the fine feathers are always saved. 

 There is little demand for the coarse feathers. 



The leading varieties are the Toulouse and the Embden. 



In fattening for market, ground corn, bran and 10 per cent 

 of meat scrap make a good fattening ration. Geese should be 

 mated in the fall. The loss of a mate is followed by a season 

 of grief. A new mate is not always kindly received. 



Turkey Culture 



Turkey culture is both interesting and profitable. Eggs 

 for hatching, feathers, and market birds are always in demand. 

 Eggs for hatching sell for 30 cents to $1 each. Market birds for 

 Thanksgiving and the holidays command from 30 to 50 cents 

 per pound. 



In mating turkeys it is customary to introduce new blood 

 every other year. This is a good policy if care is exercised in 

 selecting stock that is free from any taint of disease. Two 

 toms should be provided, even for a small flock, one yearling- 

 torn and one young tom. The unexpected frequently happens, 

 and the loss of a tom during the breeding season is not easily 

 replaced. Yearling hens make the best breeders, but it is 

 always advisable to keep as many well matured pullets as 

 hens. In-breeding is considered harmful to vigor and vitality. 

 By using old toms with pullets and young toms with hens I 

 maintained a flock of turkeys for nearly ten years without the 

 introduction of new blood and could not observe any decline 

 in vigor or size. 



The mating season in the northern states usually begins 

 in March, and the hens begin laying early in April. One copu- 

 lation fertilizes all the eggs of a clutch. A turkey hen lays 

 about 40 eggs in a; season, if not allowed to sit, in three 

 clutches — 18 eggs in the first clutch, 12 in the second, and 10 



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