VOL. XXXII.
IND^NAPOLIS. IND.. MAY 22, 1897.
NO. 21
EXPEBIENCE DEPARTMENT
HATCHING AND CARE Or
'  TURKEYS.
1st Premium.—The hatohlng and rearing ot turkeys, is a matter ot no small importance on a farm. First, I would select
my eggs from matured stock, or at least
stock not under two years old. I think
they batch better, and tho young turkeys are stronger. Would plaoe first laying of eggs under chicken hens, and the
following give to turkey hens. Preter to
set them on the ground if possible. If
not, would put a piece of sod ln a box or a
barrel, and cover with cut straw. Keep a
close watch for lice. Dust the hen thoroughly three days before batching with
insect powder. Lice are almost sure
death to young turkeys. When the
young turkeys are ready to remove, put
them In a large roomy ooop for a few
days. Then make a pen around the
coop, with wide boards and kept ln position by stakes. .Set them out ln the pen
on nice days. Keep them dry, or as
nearly so as possible. When full feathered they may be given their liberty.
Do not feed for 30 hours after hatching.
For flrst feeds give wbeat bread, moist,
ened ln milk and eggs tfblled till they
crumble readily. Give plenty of milk
and fresh water. After two weeks their
feed may be gradually changed to corn
meal and shorts. Meal two parts and
shorts one. Keep confined at night till
full feathered, after which tbe dew and
rain does not seem to affect tbem ln the
least Feed night and morning now so
they will not stay away over night G Ive
cracked corn, wheat, sour mltk and tbe
refuse from the kitchen. Give about
what they will eat up clean. D_ not forget to give plenty of grit, charcoal, etc.
Rroken crockery hammered fine makes a
very good grit Would not confine them
when finishing for market They will
not take on flesh rapidly when confined
A turkey at this age will destroy a great
many Insects, which is an item to lessen
the feed bill. Do not sell till near the holidays. At that time we have a large bird
and at last year's market price a good
yonng torn should bring two dollars or
more, provided we have used large stook
to raise from. I prefer the Mammoth
lironze. They are tbe largest and do not
roam as some other breeds.       K H. O.
Owen Co.
2d Premium.—I have been a tnrkey
breeder for the past 18 years, and have
learned, I think, a few points as to what
shonld and what thould not be done.
First, have good healthy birds.or procure
a number of eggs from a reliable breeder,
and then stay with them until they are
grown.
I prefer the birds, and now never chase
nor scare but always bo gentle, and when
passing hold out a little feed In your
hand, and if they do not eat first time
don't be discouraged and keep at it until
they have become thoroughly tamed by
laying time.
Now scatter old barrels or boxes
aronnd the orchard, berry patch and
back yard, ana half tbe work ls done.
Without any more trouble the hens will
go to these barrels, lay and batch without one dissenting voice.
I never give my bens more than 15
eggs, and the remainder are set under
chicken hens.
As fast as tbey hatch 1 carry to the
house and deposit In an old basket and
rag. All hatched sprinkle well with insect powder, wrap well and leave for one
hour, and if they have any lice they can
be seen ln tbe rag; shake over the fire
and return to basket Now I take three
planks 10 ft long and 18 Inches wide, and
make a pen in as bright, dry, bare and
•unny a spot as I can find, so the very
Brit morning sun will shine right into
the nest lt possible. Then In the evening
I put the old turkey with two or three
chicks and the work ls done. In the
morning I take what are in the bouse
and go out to feed. Feed is made of one
pint good new milk, with two egga
baked in 'custard. I never leave them
the second time without knowing that
all have eaten. 1 feed every timo they
call until a few daya old. I aet a plepan
in the pen with sweet milk or clean
water. They are kept in this pen until
they have learned lo come by call and
are feathering nicely. Now it you have
a meadovtv^lose, turn them out and let
them go. They will come home; if not,
call them and always feed them whon
they do oomo and when they aro  called.
I gradually change that food after a few
days by putting bread scraps, then corn
meal after a week and finally boll milk
and scald moal and lastly they will eat
anything. Watch for lice, lnaAct powder
and some grease when small, aftor they
are larger use grease alone.
Wabash Co. Mus .1. W. K.
3d Premium—I soleot 12 hens when I
sell my turkeys in November; mostly old
hens wltb a few cbolce young onos. I soleot bronzes, yellow, blaoks and the intermediate colors so I can toll them from
eaoh other and from my neighbors. Then
I buy two toms, one bronze, the other
black or yellow. As these breeds do best
for me. I have a corral made nearly two
rods square of common fonce rails covered with poles and hedge brutb, and sit
uated at the corner of a field that Is enclosed with a high hedge When 1 wish
to find their nests I drive them Into the
corral and close the gate. When a hen
gets very anxious to go to her nost 1 let
her out and follow her to the nest At
other times I keep the hens ln the corral
till afternoon so they lay in prepared
nests, which are placed in the corral
Keep the eggs gathered every day and
set them with chicken hent, 24 at one
time nnder two bens. This gives enough
for one turkey ben to raise. A week or
ten days before they batch I let the turkey hen sit on one chicken egg,and when
the young turkeys commence hatching I
keep taking out of the nest and
wrap them in a woolen cloth. After the
hatch is completed, I tako them late in
the evening and put them under the old
turkey hen. Next morning removo them
with the old turkey to a closely picked
blue-grass pasture, some distance from
the house, so they wlllnothave tbegapes.
Now I let them roam at will, except to
drive them home when they wander on a
neighbors farm, until Ssptember. Then
I drive the different bunches together,
and make them roost In some trees near
the house, and paas through the fattening
hog field in the morning as they leave the
roost I sell before thanksgiving if the
price suits, for before that they eat insects and but little corn. I usually raise
about 150. My husband says that they
are worth a great deal to keep the grasshoppers picked up, and a couple of neighbors say they like to see them In their
fields in July and August. I do not feed
any thing if I can help it, they do much
better to let them choose their own food.
I do not have them hatch before the first
of May, thon there are plenty of insects
for them any spring. But if I am delayed by a rain storm for a day or two,
putting them out, I feed boiled eggs and
cornbread. I have r<0 put out after tho
6th ot May and they aro doing finely and
have never been fed.
Mia, Fa ms IK Ron BR*.
Hendricks Co.
The hatching of yonng turkeys is no
worse than to hatch chickens, but after
they are hatched it is a particular point
as to whether you will get any of them
raised or not. They are the most sensitive little fowl towards wet and cold
weather tbat I know of.   Tbey should be
confined ln a large, dry, airy box for a
week or two, when they should have a
larger rango If the weather will permit;
If not put them in a clean box, or lt a
loose bottom just move Hover ou a clean
bottom, (ilve the young turkeysachango
of food, hard boiled egga minced up with
dandelion leaves la excellent for the flrat
few days, when a change to bread crumbs
and scalded oatmeal ls good; with some
pepper sprinkled on lt Heald clabber
milk and get the choose for them. They
are fond of tt, and It la oxr ellenlfor them.
The clabber milk poured ln a pan not too
deep, and tot out where they can get It, la
ali*o good. The bronr.o turkey 1 think Is
the best variety. We used to raise agood
many of them, but tiny aro a lot of
trouble while young. They aro splendid
layers. Wo have had them lay and set,
then take them off whon they hatohed,
and ln a fow days they would bo laying
ln tho coops with tho littlo turkeys again.
Harrison Co. Ki.r.
Turkey raising ls prolilablo when managed rightly and great rango la necessary.
I prefer the bronze, as they aro largo and
a vigorous growor. Tho firat thing you
ahould pen your turkeya In a email lot, so
aa to got the egga beforo Iboy are chilled
or deatroyed. Thon lay them away until
you get aa many as you want to tot at one
time. You can sot your eggs undor chicken hens, if you aro not ready lo set your
turkey bens. And the second laying let
your turkoy hens alt on them. Havo aa
many to alt at onco as you can. There
should be froah straw put in tho nests and
sulphur pnt In ao as to keep the vermin
out Put the sulphur In as ofton as it is
needed. Keep an account whon your hens
wero set so aa to know when thoy will
hatch. When thoy aro all hatched, build
a rail fence high enough so tho turkey
hens can walk straight In it. Let the
yonng turkeys run out in tho sunshine.
For food givo them bread, clabber-cheoae
or wheat. For drink give them water or
clabbor. Thoy should be fed three tlmos
a day until they are old enough to follow
the old hen well. They ahould be taught
to come to tbeir pen to roost every night
so as to keep vermin from catching them.
When three months old the young turkoys begin to make size and weight And
the aupplyof Insectabeglna A grow abort
they should bo fed regularly but not
heavily. Give them wheat and oats for
growth without btcomlng exceedingly
fat until about the middle of October. It
ls not necessary to feed them all they
will eat at this time of tho year. Hut they
should be given light feed ln tbo morning and a full one In tbe evening to got
them into the habit of coming home at
that time. Liter they may be fed a full
feed of corn In tbe evening and wheat or
oata In the morning. If you want to market them about Thanksgiving as tbat ls
about tbe bett early market, I would advise putting them on acorn ration principally about the first of November. If late
marketing is desired, say about the flrst
of January, thon I would not advlae a
corn ration till about the 10th of December, as I believe from two to threo weeks
ls as long as la required to fatten a turkey. Turkeya are profitable only when
they are cared for and fed. If allowed to
hunt their feed tbey are apt to go lo near
by oorn fields and help themselvs. And
if theae corn fields happsn to belong to a
neighbor, tbat does not interfere with
their action in the leatt, though the neighbor may think it not Jatt the thing. We
would prefer, If given the choico, to give
a neighbor enough corn to feed a fiock ot
turkeys to having tbem holp themselves.
For It would be cheaper in the end, aa wo
would save what the turkey would waste-
Randolph Co.. Mrs. It K P.
eggt. Then make her a nett of green
grasa and give her the egga. The green
graat will make them hatch out two or
three daya earlier. The young turkeys
ahould be protected from wet and cold,
and for the first week they thould have
a food prepared by mixing bard boiled
egga and dandelion leaves, chopped fine
with oorn meal. As they get older, a little
oatmeal ami onions, cut fine and mixed
with corn meal. Cheese made from sour
milk is alao good to ml\ with   their feed.
HuUermllk should not be fed, as it la
liable to make thalr bowels too loess. Aa
young turkeya are subject to dlarrb<>>a|
one grain of black pepper will be found
to be beneficial. While young turkeya
have care and confinement, let It be
known that they must have the benefit
ot a laefto range aa they becomo older.
Tbey are great foragers, and must have
a chance to exercise tbat peculiarity, and
In ao doing they will plok up the greater
part of their food. They are very fond of
tobacco-worms, therefore they are a profitable fowl for tho tobacco growor to
raise. If they aro fed a little grain each
day they can bo taught to como home
regularly. W. II.
Corydon.
The hatching of turkeys Is easier done
by theory than by practice. You want
something that can be followed, as turkeys by naturo aro weak when young.
Tho hen will nearly always leave the
poultry yard to mako her neat by a log or
In a brier patch. You will have to watch
closo to lake caro of tho egga before the
crowa or some other deetroyer gets thom.
Make hor a slat box about four feet square
ln a place where she will not be disturbed
In lt mako a nest of fine straw (not cut
line) or leaves and grata ln the ahapo ot
her body, so It will be comfortable for
her. When aho beglna to get broody removo her to the box In tbe evening by
twilight; place some artificial eggs In tbe
nest for her to sit on nntil she beoomes
satisfied; then tako the first eggs out and
place the eggs under her that you wish
hor lo hatch. Have a slat box made larger than the one sho is sitting in and
place lt In front of tbe sitting box to feed
and water her In every tecond day for
two weeks. Then removo tbe box any
let her leave tbe nett when the wishes to
toed, but tee that she returns to her nest
at tbo proper timo. When time for her
to hatch don'tdltturb hor until tbo little
ones aro 21 hours old, then remove her to
a box, In a clover patch, made about five
feet wide and 10 feot long with a partition placed ln ono end to feed tho littlo
turkeys. The firat feed should be hard
boiled eggs mashed fine, and mix ground
pepper ln It, for about ono week, then
mix coarte meal cooked with eggt and
pepper, tosked broad ln milk Is good
feed; give tbem all the milk they will
drink. When they are a week old begin
to turn the mother lien out with them.
See tbat they aro well bouted at night so
the vermin will not disturb ber. When
they are largo enough move them near
where you want thom to roott Thoy
thould never get wet or chilled while
young for they never do any good afterwards. J. Milton Johnho***,
Jackson Co.
If the place picked by the turkey for
sitting thould not suit you, she can be
moved to wherever you with. Let her
sit a day or two on  egg-gourds or glass
I keep three turkoy hem which are
enough for the average farmer's wife to
handle.
Tbe first laying I set under chicken
hent. Kxamlne your eggs a day or two
before coming off and remove all bad
eggt. Thli can be readily done by holding the egg closely In your hand. The
good eggs are warm and heavy, whilo
spoiled onos are colder and light I feed
bread and milk all I can afford; next to
this comet sour milk cheeto, sprinkled
with plack pepper. If your turkeys begin to sneeze feed plenty of pepper.
Never fted  on   the  ground,  but   teach
Centl .ued on lath pegs