OCR Text |
Show psy TURKEYS MUST BE PLUMP, FINISHED Birds Marketed According Accord-ing to Their Grade. Ity O. C. UfTonl. l-'-Ktensiun INjiilt ryman, C.lorailn Slalc (.'iillrne. W.N U Service. In order to secure the best possible pos-sible prices for turkeys when they are marketed, growers must have their birds well grown and finished, because over three-fourths of the annual turkey crop is marketed according ac-cording to grades. There Is no class of live stock that makes as rapid or profitable gains as turkeys when they are properly fed. Since the final few pounds put on during the finishing period are the most expensive, it is more profitable to properly grow the young birds on a well-balanced ration and thus cut down the length of time required for finishing. The following Is a good growing mixture: 25 pounds of fine yellow corn meal, 20 pounds of ground barley, 20 pounds of bran, 20 pounds of shorts or middlings, 15 pounds of meat scraps and 1 pound of salt. Ground wheat may be substituted sub-stituted for either the shorts or middlings or the bran. Plenty of green feed should be included in-cluded with this ration. Whenever milk is available it should be provided pro-vided for the birds to drink along with the mash mixture. Any available avail-able grains can be fed along with the above. An abundance of clean drinking water is important. When a grower is feeding a well-balanced well-balanced mixture during the growing grow-ing period, very little special fattening fat-tening will be necessary. The finishing finish-ing period should start 4 to 6 weeks before marketing time and no radical radi-cal changes in the feeding program should be made. To increase the fattening feed in the ration, add 100 pounds of ground yellow corn to 100 pounds of the growing mash and continue to keep this before the flock, allowing them to eat what they desire. The grain ration, especially corn, can be increased. Do not attempt to feed grains that the birds have not been used to. Whole or rolled barley is an excellent grain to add to the fattening ration. If the flock has been allowed unlimited range, do not closely confine it for fattening. fatten-ing. It will require about 3 and one-half to 4 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of gain during the growing period, and from 6 to 7 pounds of feed for 1 pound of gain at finishing timp |