each morning for a week in a warm mush made from _Margaret
Mahaney’s_ Turkey Feed. This will keep the bowels in good
condition, and hasten the recovery of the turkey.
This canker is sometimes found in the rectum of the turkey.
Syringe the bird with warm water in which has been dissolved a
little piece of Castile soap. Add to one quart of water a half
teaspoonful of boric acid, and after the bird has been thoroughly
washed out, wash again with the above solution. Dry the vent
thoroughly and sponge on a little sweet oil. Do this for a few
days with sulphur in the feed, and you will find that the bird
will be all right. Use about ½ teaspoonful of sulphur to ½ pint
of feed.
SORE EYES AND HEAD
The eyes may become sore from dust, excessive heat, dampness and
other causes, and give out a watery discharge. The whole head may
become involved in the inflammation. Such mild afflictions are to
be distinguished from canker and roup, but it is always safe to
keep a sharp look-out for the latter when the eyes are sore.
Wash the parts with a weak solution of white vitriol (sulphate of
zinc) or with alum-water, or with a solution of alum and camphor.
If the discharge has become gummy or hardened, remove it with
warm water and Castile soap, followed with alum and water. Dry
the head well with a soft cloth, and then rub gently with
_Margaret Mahaney’s_ Turkey Salve, as it contains all the
ingredients that heal and cleanse.
To about four turkeys put one-half teaspoonful of sulphur in the
feed with a shake of red pepper three or four times a week, and a
little tincture of iron in the water (about four drops to a
gallon of water).
CONSTIPATION IN TURKEYS
Constipation is caused by indigestion, taking cold, too close
confinement, too much dry feed and too little green, a deficient
supply of good water and the like. It is indicated by frequent
attempts to evacuate the bowels, either wholly unsuccessful or
resulting only in hard, dark droppings. The turkey is uneasy and
perhaps staggers.
Give an abundance of green food and a soft mixture of bran and
oatmeal and ten drops of sulphate of magnesia to a pint of the
drinking water. Along with these directions for the feed, it will
be well to give two drops of aconite to a half glass of water,
giving the bird a teaspoonful of the solution every hour until
the fever disappears, following this with a solution made of two
drops of nux vomica to a half glass of water, giving a
teaspoonful of the solution every hour until well, or if a cold
is the cause, use two drops of bryonia in the water instead of
the nux vomica. I have often had this disease in my flock when
the turkeys are about three months old, just before I let them
out for a good day’s ramble, so that is why I always recommend
plenty of good lettuce. It keeps the bowels in good condition,
keeps the intestines cool, and makes up itself for all fever
remedies.
DIARRHEA
This disease is often mistaken for blackhead in grown turkeys. It
may result from an excessive use of tainted food, mouldy bread or
mouldy grain, impure water, extreme heat, exposure in damp
weather, filthy quarters and general indigestion, poison, or any
inflammatory affliction of the intestines or the stomach.
The symptoms are loose droppings of different colors which befoul
the feathers, lassitude, and a loss of condition. In dysentery
which results from a diseased condition of the intestines, the
droppings are more frothy and mingled with blood, and attended
with rapid prostration.
A form of diarrhea essentially different from the two described,
occurs in an old female turkey in which a white discharge comes
away more or less constantly, often dribbling out, and keeps the
feathers about the vent incrusted with a white, chalk-like
deposit. It is doubtless due to some derangement in the
shell-making function, and can best be treated by promoting the
general health and using the means noted below.
Treatment: Have your pharmacist make up pills made of a mixture
of five grains of powdered chalk, five of rhubarb, and five of
cayenne pepper, adding a half grain of opium in severe cases.
Give two pills daily. Another good remedy is camphorated spirits
of barley meal, three to six grains for each bird according to
age, or ten to twenty drops of the same may be put in a pint of
the drink. For mild cases and in the early stages of others,
powdered chalk on boiled rice may be sufficient. The remedy last
named is recommended for the white discharge of old females, for
which the pills described above should be used as well as a
little lime water, made by allowing about ½ teaspoonful
air-slacked lime to ½ pint water for a bird. Dissolve and then
pour off the liquid for them to drink instead of plain water.
Restrict the drink in all forms of these disorders and put into
it a little tincture of iron (four drops to a gallon of water).
Dysentery with blood discharges is a serious disorder. It is best
to give a teaspoonful of castor oil, followed with three to six
drops of laudanum every few hours, supplying an exclusive diet of
mild food. It is important that the afflicted bird be kept quiet
and apart from the flock, especially in dysentery.
Isolate the afflicted bird when you are at all doubtful regarding
the nature of the disorder. Give a couple of tablespoonfuls of
ground chalk to a pint of warm mash made from _Margaret
Mahaney’s_ Turkey Feed. This will also be found beneficial at any
time to the laying turkey hens of five or six years old. Allow
one pint of mash to four turkeys three times a day. A little
camphor, about the size of a good sized bean, to four turkeys
will hasten the recovery; dropped in the drinking water once a
week, will help to keep the birds in good laying condition.
_Diarrhea in Little Turkeys_
Diarrhea in a little turkey is white, something the same as that
trouble in a common chicken, and if you look very carefully you
will see that the little legs are dotted with white, and the
little turkeys will be lifeless and not appearing to thrive. That
is the time to give them _Mahaney_ pills (four to a quart of
drinking water for 10 or 11 young turkeys). Boil a piece of meat,
grind fine, and put in the feed, and that will help them get back
their vitality. A drop of aconite in the drinking water on damp
days will help to prevent fever of any kind.
GAPES
There are many remedies for gapes, but the following is always
beneficial and dependable. It manifests itself first by the birds
gaping around just as a person would yawn.
Fill a common, long-necked oil can such as is used for oiling a
sewing machine, with kerosene oil; open the turkey’s mouth and
wait until it breathes in order that the windpipe may be open,
then inject a good spray of the kerosene, perhaps a teaspoonful
in all. Three doses will usually cure the turkeys of the gape
worm. Give treatment three times a day, in the morning, at noon
and night. Shut the turkeys up in their run for about a week,
then move them to new ground.
TAPE WORM
The tape worm is an entirely different thing and is rather more
serious, and will produce substantially the same symptoms as
indigestion. If they are in the bowels, costiveness or diarrhea
may be more marked, while the turkey will be uneasy and picking
at the vent if they are in the lower part of the intestine. In
all cases there will be more or less loss of flesh and often
diminished gloss in the feathers, while the bird has either an
impaired or a voracious appetite. The only unmistakable symptom
is the presence of worms in the droppings when they first pass
out.
An unhealthy condition of the digestive organs is the main cause.
The treatment for this is a teaspoonful of castor oil followed by
a light addition of sulphur to the feed, and this may expel the
worms and restore the general health. A little cayenne pepper in
the feed and tincture of iron in the water will aid the cure. The
use of four drops of oil of ferm to a tablespoonful of water is
beneficial in a case of this kind. Give in the morning before the
bird has eaten anything.
I had one bird this last year which had a tape worm. I noticed
the worm in the droppings first. I took the bird away and put her
on a board floor and gave her a good dose of castor oil. She had
only passed half of the worm at one time, and I watched her very
closely until she passed the head.
In a case of tape worm the droppings will be more or less white
and limy. A turkey requires a great deal of lime. I have even
seen turkeys pick at an old wall where it had been plastered.
Lime, mixed with sand, should be left in all the corners of the
farm for turkeys to eat, as it is a sure preventive of worms.
PERITONITIS
Peritonitis in turkeys is often mistaken for blackhead. It is a
very difficult disease to treat, and it is only with the milder
cases that success can reasonably be expected. The affected bird
must be kept quiet, protected from any current of air, and opium
in doses of one (1) grain every four hours is recommended to
quiet the pain and reduce the movement of the intestines, or mix
three or four drops of aconite in a half glass of water and give
a teaspoonful three or four times a day. Injections of tepid
water are recommended to counteract constipation. Take a hot
water bag. Do not have the water so hot that it would be
uncomfortable for the turkey; wring a flannel out of warm water
and lay it over the hot water bag, and then place the bag against
the wall of the abdomen. Renew them as often as necessary to keep
up a moist heat. This treatment should be continued from a half
hour to an hour. Repeat three or four times a day, drying the
surface of the wall afterwards so that the bird will not take
cold. If there is a great weakness, one or two drops of ether, or
four or five drops of tincture of camphor may be injected under
the skin as a stimulant.
In case the disease is due to rupture of the oviduct or
perforation of the intestine, treatment is useless; if it has
followed inflammation of the intestine, the treatment for
enteritis should be combined with that for peritonitis.
On opening the abdominal cavity of a turkey which has died from
peritonitis, the lining membrane is found to be a deep red in
color, and is sometimes covered by an exudate, which may consist
of a thin, transparent layer, or it may be thick yellowish or
reddish yellow. The abdomen may contain more or less liquid which
may be transparent or it may be turbid with a yellow or reddish
color. If the trouble is due to the perforation of the intestine,
the liquid will have a very offensive odor from the
multiplication of the putrefactive germs. If it has resulted from
the rupture of the oviduct, the egg, either intact or broken,
will generally be found in the abdominal cavity, and the ruptured
place in the wall of the oviduct is easily discovered.
The writer had two cases of peritonitis in her flock of turkey
hens just around the laying season. One died and the other I
succeeded in saving by the breaking of the bound egg and washing
out the rectum with a syringe. For a wash of this kind four or
five drops of iodine should be added. It is good to relieve pain
and acts as a stimulant for the bird. The bird must be kept very
warm and comfortable after a thing of that kind for three or four
days. It is well to feed the bird on stimulating food and keep
her away from the breeding pens until she recovers her strength.
THE BRONZE TURKEY
THE ORGANS AND SIZE
This variety holds the place of honor. It probably originated
from a cross between the wild and the tame product. Its
beautiful, rich plumage and size have come from the wild
progenitor. To maintain this quality, crosses are continually
made. In this way the mammoth size has been gained. Their
standard weight ranges from twenty, thirty-six to forty and fifty
pounds, according to age and sex. Probably more of this variety
are grown each year than all the others. They have been pushed on
all sides, almost to the exclusion of the others. Until within a
few years, if possible, the bronze turkey has been developed too
much in the direction of size. While size within reasonable
limits is to be desired and encouraged, when it is confined to
length of thigh and shank, it is a gain of weight with but little
additional value.
COLORING
The coloring of this variety is a ground of black bronze, or
shaded with bronze. This shade is rich and glowing, and when the
sun rays are reflected from them, they shine like polished steel.
The female is not as rich in coloring as the male, but both have
the same color and shade. Much of its richness and color is lost
by inbreeding, and it is improved each year with the wild
specimens. Of all our domestic fowl, none suffer more from
inbreeding than the turkey. This should be guarded against at all
times if it is hoped to gain the best results.
[Illustration: TURKEY RAISING IS AN INTERESTING AND HEALTHFUL
OCCUPATION]
SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK
Naturally the bronze turkey should be the largest in size, the
most vigorous in constitution and the most profitable to grow.
This would be the status of the variety at present were it not
that too little attention has been given to the selection of the
females for breeding stock. It should be fully understood that
size and constitutional vigor come largely from the female, and
to have this influence to the fullest extent, well proportioned,
vigorous females in their second or third year should be selected
as breeders. Do not select very large specimens for this purpose;
those of a medium size are usually the best. Discard undersized
females at all times, as they are of little value as producers.
Length of shank and thigh, if out of proportion, should not be
mistaken for size. Full rounded body and breast indicates value
most clearly; size and strength of bone indicate constitutional
vigor which should be maintained through the selection of the
very best at all times for producing stock.
When especial care is given to the selection of breeding birds,
and the grower bears in mind those profitable market
characteristics—compactness of form, length of breast and body,
and constitutional vigor, the most satisfactory results may be
obtained from the growing of this variety, but no matter how much
care may be given those conditions, only partial success will
come if inbreeding is permitted. The use of over-sized males with
small females is of less advantage than the use of smaller males
with well matured, medium sized females.
MARKETING
Of course, we cannot all sell our turkeys for breeding. That
would entirely rob the table of its Thanksgiving luxury. After
the turkeys are grown and ready for market, quite as much care
and attention should be given to the killing and shipping as to
the proper growing. When these things cannot be done to good
advantage, it would be better to sell them alive. Buyers who are
prepared to kill, dress, pack and ship turkeys and to save the
feathers, should be in a position to pay what they are worth
alive, and should be able to handle them at a profit better than
can the grower, who may not be prepared to do this work to
advantage. So much depends upon marketing them in the best
condition that small growers should either dress and sell to
their home market or, providing it can be done at a fair price,
sell alive to someone who makes a business of handling such
stock. Kill nothing but well fattened stock. It seldom pays to
sell ill-favored stock to the market. Do not give any feed to the
turkeys for twelve hours before killing. This allows their crops
and entrails to become empty and avoids much of the danger of
spoiling. Full crops and entrails count against the value; they
often taint the meat, and prevent it from being kept for any
length of time.
DRESSING
Dry picking is always to be preferred when preparing fowl for
market. When in fine condition, nicely picked, and sent to market
without having been packed in ice, the turkey is at its best and
consequently commands the highest price. When the fowl is
plucked, hang its head down in a cool place until all the animal
heat is gone from the body, being careful not to hang it where it
will be exposed to the cold as it is likely to freeze. Do not
remove the head, feet or entrails, but have the whole carcass,
including the head and feet, perfectly clean.
SHIPPING
For shipping, pack as closely as possible into close boxes or
barrels, nicely lined with white or manila paper. Do not use
brown, soiled or printed paper. Have the package completely
filled so as to prevent the poultry from shifting. Have all the
heads laid one way, breasts up. Do not use hay or straw for
packing as it marks and stains the fowl, detracting from the
value. The above method can only be used when the poultry is sent
to market without being packed in ice, and when this can be done
in safety either in refrigerator cars or for a short distance in
cold weather, it is by far the best.
The greater part, however, must be packed in ice. When necessary
to do this, use nice clean barrels, cover the bottom with broken
ice, then put in a layer of turkey, then a layer of ice; continue
this until the barrel is packed full. Always use perfectly clean
ice for packing. Head the barrel tightly, and mark its contents
plainly on the head. Never ship mixed lots of poultry in the same
package if it can be avoided.
Footnotes
Footnote 1:
The call has been so heavy that is been impossible for me to
handle the business of the remedies from my Concord home, and
they are now for sale with the Park & Pollard Company of Boston.
Footnote 2:
For the operation above described I have been using of late,
and cannot recommend too highly, a knife which may be procured
at Park & Pollard’s, called a Killing Knife.
[Illustration]