Margaret Mahaney Talks About TurkeysMahaney, Margaret
Science
Margaret Mahaney Talks About Turkeys
Mahaney, Margaret
Turkeys
For my birds I have large runs, 6 ft. each way, which makes a
good square run. I move the runs every day to clean ground; the
straw is taken out and aired. If it is damp weather, put clean
straw in at least every other day. My coops are high and well
ventilated at the top which takes off all the hot and impure air,
and helps keep the little turkeys strong and healthy. I allow
about ten runs out at a time consisting of ten birds each and let
them go for a good long ramble. They do not stay away from their
houses very long, however, but soon get tired and come back,
usually staying out about two hours. Then I put them in their
coops and let out about ten more runs. When I put them back into
the coops I feed them lettuce and clean drinking water. (I
continue this process until I have let out the entire flock.) I
let out so many runs at a time so there will be no confusion in
putting them in. I do this daily, every fair day, until the
turkey is four or five months old. Then I let them all out
together. I put them in larger houses every night, keep them good
and warm, with good roosts and clean straw, and I have very
little trouble from disease.
Every turkey should be allowed out for a while each day if the
weather is fine and there are no signs of rain. If it is lowery
or dark, do not let them out until the weather is pleasant again.
This method of letting them out keeps them growing rapidly and
makes them very tame so that they can be handled much more easily.
Why not give a turkey the same care that we give a hen. People
tell me many ways in which their turkeys are neglected. They seem
to think that they do not need to look after turkeys and after
they are hatched they turn them out and let them wander and
forage for themselves. The time of that kind of treatment for
turkeys is past. Remember we are raising turkeys now by the
approved methods and full feeding applied to modern poultry
raising. People will come to me and tell me that their turkey
hens are roosting out in the trees nights when it is below zero.
As I have stated before, if it is in January these turkey hens
are beginning to grow eggs. What vitality is there back of eggs
grown under conditions of that kind? None whatever.
On hot days you must cover the runs with burlap or shade of some
description. I use the burlap sacks in which I receive dried
bread waste that I buy.
With reference to feeding bread, be sure never to feed bread that
is mouldy for if you do you will start diarrhea in the young
turkeys in no time.
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