552 COMMERCIAL POULTRY RAISING 



attempt to make them conform to an unnatural diet and man- 

 agement. The turkey raiser should always bear in mind that 

 poults are seed-eating chicks, not slop eaters. In the wild state 

 their food consisted of the bugs, worms, seed sand other tid- 

 bits which they hunted for in the woods and fields. In this 

 habitat there was no overfeeding of unnatural, concentrated 

 foods, likely to impair health and produce bowel troubles. 



Like quail and other wild birds, turkeys subsisted by their 

 own efforts as foragers, and they were strong and vigorous, 

 whereas in a domestic or even semi-domestic state, they are too 

 often forced to eat unnatural foods with the idea of forcing them 

 to make an unnaturally rapid growth. Some breeders feed bread 

 and milk as soon as the poults will eat, while others feed dry 

 bread; some adhere strictly to a grain diet, while others feed 

 anything that happens to come to hand. The writer has seen 

 farmers' wives feed an exclusive diet of corn meal and skim milk 

 curds, believing that they were taking special pains with their 

 turkeys. Either the corn meal or the curds alone was enough 

 to kill the brood, and about the only thing that saved them was 

 the combination. The evil of the corn meal helped to offset the 

 evil effects of the curds. 



Foods. — As a general practice dry foods are safer than moist 

 ones, though milk is very beneficial when fed judiciously. Stale 

 bread soaked in milk, with the milk pressed from the bread 

 before feeding, is a good food for the first few days, and it should 

 be sprinkled with a fine grit. The addition of a little hard- 

 boiled egg is good. Fine oatmeal or finely cracked wheat and 

 corn and a little granulated beef scrap are excellent rations. 

 Bread baked from corn meal, middlings, bran and ground pats 

 may be used, and after a few days add a little meat scrap. A 

 small quantity of lean beef cooked and chopped into fine bits is 

 a strengthening ration, but care must be taken that the meat is 

 sweet. Nothing will start bowel troubles quicker than tainted 

 beef. Raw meat and green bone should be avoided for this 

 reason. 



Feed the poults frequently, giving them but a little at a time. 



