THE FANCIER.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1194, 18 January 1895, Page 26

THE FANCIER.

POULTRY.

Edited by Red Cap. FATTENING TURKEYS. There is no variety of the feathered tribe that pays better for being fed well, and having a little extra care bestowed upon them, than turkeys. Size in these birds is everything. A turkey weighing under 151 b is not worth so much by 8d per lb as one weighing 181 b or 201 b, and one weighing over 241 b is worth another 2d per lb. That is to say, if young turkeys can be got up to weigh 241 b each, the retail - man has to pay 5d per lb more than he would for those weighing 141 b. This, of course, is a great consideiation, and people ought to be careful how they fatten them, as well as how they rear them from the shell. It must be understood, however, that no matter how well they are fed and managed, they will never grow out fine birds unless they come from large stock. / Those who go in for rearing a number of these birds should see they get the best stock possible. Many people make a great mistake in rearing young turkeys. They pay special 'attention to them up to when they are a certain age, and then allow them to take care of themselves. Whilst travelling through several counties last month we noticed many young turkeys, which ought to have weighed from 10 to 161 b each, which only weighed from to 6£lb each, and this was simply because they had been neglected. When they had left the hen they had been allowed to crowd in the house amongst the old stock hens and chickens of all ages.

A Turkeys have a habit of getting as high as they can in the house, and when the perches are not all on one level, they get on the highest one, and so breathe the foul air. Many farmers allow their young turkeys to run about in the stables, and quite right, too, for they not only pick up the loose corn, but also a great deal of green stuff in the fields. It does them good to get plenty of exercise and fresh air.

Now November has dawned upon us, young turkeys should have a hot meal before they are allowed to go out in the stubble fields in the morning. Thej will do all the better if allowed to run about in the stubble for the first two weeks in November. We are, of course, referring now to those which are intended for killing at Christmas. Now as to the best way to fatten them. Young turkeys which have been done well—-that is, fed upon the best corn and meals—are in fine condition now', and really will not require much fo.ttening; but, of course, the last three weeks or a month they will require different treatment.

Those intended for killing should be shut up in a large shed. An open shed will do nicely, and bags or sacks should be cut open and sewed together, and fastened down so as to form one side. That not only allows plenty of ventilation, but makes the place nice and shady, and the birds cannot see what is going on outside, which causes them to rest better. Some people shut them up quite in the dark, but that is wrong; the turkeys do not do so well.

Perches should be provided in the shed about 2ft from the ground, and from 2in to 3in wide. They should be at least 2ft apart, then the turkeys can easily jump from the ground on to the perches. Those farmers who have a number of these birds should put chaff inside the house on to the floor, or any kind of light, short stuff will do ; but if the owmer has no chaff, peat moss is considerably the cheapest.

When first put up to fatten, they should

be fed on good sound barley, wheat and maize, ground up and mixed together with a few potatoes. This mixture should be 1 put in troughs just outside the shed where the turkeys are kept, and after that is all cleaned up, a handful or two of wheat should be thrown in their place, then they will run-inside after it, and the birds can be shut up until the afternoon. They should be allowed to run about an hour before being fed in the morning, then they eat a good hearty breakfast, and will rest better the remainder of the day until let out again an hour before the evening meal in the same way. After being shut up for ten days, a run for fifteen or thirty minutes, morning and evening, before being fed, will be sufficient. Meal in the morning, and corn at night, should be given them when first put up to fatten ; but after the first ten days they should have meal both morning and evening. A little rough fat should be mixed up with the food after being chopped up fine. Some people boil the meals in a copper, and feed the birds from troughs. It should not bo put in all at once, but mixed so that it clings together nicely, and put in the troughs a little at a time, then the turkeys will eat so much more.

After they have eaten as much meal as they can clear up fairly well a little corn should be thrown down to them.

Many breeders when they put turkeys up to fatten give them fattening powder about three times a week, and it not only sharpens their appetite but helps them to digest their food.

Turkeys at all times should have plenty of sharp grit. If flint grit cannot be obtained, broken pieces of croclceryware and white glass should be smashed up small and given them. Some people feed their turkeys three times a day when fattening them, but that is not a good plan, as the birds do not fill themselves out so well. —W. Cook in Farm and Field. TABLE POULTRY. In next week’s issue of the New Zealand Mail will appear a special and most interesting article on “ Table Poultry," for which we are indebted to the courtesy of a correspondent. There is no reason and very little profit in allowing chickens to be slow in coming to maturity. The small biped starts into life all ready to grow rapidly, and only lack of proper food will keep it from forging ahead. "Whether chicks are reared in brooders, or by hens, they must have plenty of warmth, pure water, and cleanliness, and when these are secured wo come to the important matter of food, which is one of the chief factors in rapid growth. This should contain just the elements that a growing chick requires, in such shape as to be readily digested. Raw eggs beaten in bread-crumbs are excellent for the first few days. For this purpose the sterile eggs that have been removed from the incubator, or from under the hens at about the tenth day, will serve very well. Very soon they may have boiled wheat, and one can almost see the chickens grow while they are eating it. A little cooked potato, or cooked vegetable, will not come amiss occasionally as they grow older. Whatever is given them should be thoroughly cooked until the chickens are eight or ten weeks old, if the most rapid growth is to be secured. When they can run at large upon the ground they will obtain an abundance of tender grass and other green stuff, but if confined there is nothing better than bruised clover leaves, scalded or cooked into a little bran or middlings. Some bulky food is necessary, or indigestion will ensue. Lean meat is good to feed occasionally, but it is best cooked until it will readily fall apart, while fresh ground bone is one of the best foods for growing chickens and laying hens that can.be found. There is one other essential to rapid growth, and that is exercise.— Exchange.