Show r FARM I I TOPICS TURKEYS MUST BE BEFREE BEFREE BEFREE FREE OF DISEASE Growers Grovers Warned on Control Of Blackhead Trouble Supplied by the Laboratory of Animal Pathology Pathology Pathology Path Path- and Hygiene university of 01 Illinois Service Whether or not turkey growers make a profit when they sell their Thanksgiving turkeys this fall may depend on the measures that have been taken to control the disease known as blackhead This disease bearing the technical name of infectious or is a cause of great loss in the turkey raising industry Until recent researches demonstrated ed the complete course of the disease disease disease dis dis- dis- dis ease and successful means of combating combating combating com com- bating it the malady had forced the abandonment of turkey raising in many parts of the country A satisfactory treatment has not yet been found for blackhead but prevention has been successful where all possible sources of infection infection infection tion are kept away from the flock Successful turkey growers are those who keep their turkeys on clean uncontaminated ground on which chickens have never run Some growers recommend transferring transferring transferring transfer transfer- ring incubator-hatched incubator immediately immediately immediately imme imme- to a clean b brooder poder poder house for about six weeks The brooder house is connected with four separate yards in such a manner that grazing on the yards can be rotated The yards are about 8 feet by 20 feet and are left in one yard about 10 days before being moved to the next After about six sL weeks they are transferred to a rearing ground arranged arranged arranged ar ar- ar- ar ranged in a similar fashion but with the four lots covering about one or two acres Another good method of preventing prevent prevent- ing blackhead is to rear incubator- incubator hatched birds in brooder houses with hardware cloth floors until the are about half grown when they can be turned onto rearing grounds Some growers prefer to keep the turkeys in confinement on hardware cloth until they are ready for market marlet It pays to feed in such a way as asto asto asto to contamination as much as possible Feeding and watering watering watering wa wa- equipment for this purpose may be purchased or made at home An adequate ration and plenty of fresh clean water is needed at all times It is best to quarantine new birds for three weeks before they are added to the flock Such measures will not only hold blackhead infection to a minimum but in addition will largely eliminate eliminate eliminate nate trouble from other internal as aswell aswell aswell well as external parasites |