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Show DIFFICULT TO RAISE TURKE1 Overfeeding and Vermin Among Prlr clpal Causes of Mortality Chicken Chick-en Hens Poor Brooders. (By A. GLAIGIIER, Ohio.) Turkey hens, as a rule, lay theii eggs on the ground. As. they begit laying very early In the season, H Is best to remove the eggs frorr the nest soon after they are laid and replace them with hen eggs. Be careful not to let a turkey her 6ee you near the nest, because tur keys are very cunning and resenl Intrusion. Wrap the eggs in papei and place in boxes one layer deep. They should be turned carefully, every day until placed for hatching. Turkey eggs will keep in good condition condi-tion for 21 days when cared for in this manner. But It is never advisable to keep eggs longer than is necessary. neces-sary. Some people hatch their turkey-eggs turkey-eggs with chicken hens, but we do not think it a good practice on account ac-count of the fact that the poults are apt to get lousy. We had an experience ex-perience of this kind a few years ago. In spite of the fact that the poults were thoroughly dusted with powder every few days they began to droop and die. As a last resort we used olive oil and found it excellent. Do not use too much oil. Lard, or any kind of animal greasg will kill young poults I Turkey Hen on Nest."' almost as fast as the lice will. Vegetable Vege-table oil is different from animal oils. Never use kerosene. Spread the w'ing and raise the short feathers on the shoulder, directly over the large quills. If a young turkey has lice, they will be found there. Also around the tail or wherever wher-ever there are large feathers. One application of the oil is usually sufficient suf-ficient unless the lice are very numerous. num-erous. Remember, lice are fatal to turkey poults, so they must be kept free from them. Never use oil or grease upon a setting hen. If she has lice, use a powder. Oil, upon the shell of an egg renders it worthless for hatching. One of the first things young turkeys tur-keys need is sunshine. It is a waste, of time to offer them food before they are 48 hours old. Turkeys need fresh air both day and night, but they must not be allowed to get damp. The first feed is usually hard-boiled eggs, crushed, mixed with dry bread crumbled fine and sprinkled with clean coarse sand. Rice, properly cooked, is good for young turkeys, and pin-head oats, or coarse oat meal is also .good. Corn is too fattening for growing turkeys and commercial chick-feed is too hard to digest. Whole wheat is good after they are six weeks old, but only feed a very little of it. Overfeeding is one of the things which must be guarded against. We A Narragansett Gobbler. have always been inclined to feed toe much and too often. When turkeys have free range, which they ought always to have when the weather is suitable, they require very little grain. Grass and insects are their natural food. |