TURKEY RAISING has long been an important enterprise in the United States
because great quantities of turkey meat are required annually and its use
throughout the year is becoming more popular. Producers should endeavor
to make turkey raising more profitable by overcoming heavy losses from
diseases that heretofore have been a serious handicap.
The enterprise is very adaptable, extending to practically all parts of
the United States. The more important areas of production are the Middle
Western, Northwestern, and Southwestern States, where large numbers of
small flocks are raised annually on farms and ranches and where there are
also many large commercial flocks. The number of turkeys in this country
began to decrease about 1890, but by 1910 interest in turkey raising
revived, and in recent years the industry has been growing, largely
because of increased knowledge of blackhead disease and its control.
According to the census there were 3,688,000 turkeys on farms in the
United States in 1910 and about the same number in 1920. The 1930 census
showed 16,794,000 turkeys, but this was the number raised to market age
instead of the number of breeding turkeys kept. This new census figure
provides a much better measure of the industry's actual size. The 1930
figure indicates a moderate increase between 1920 and 1930 in the number
of breeding turkeys kept. The nine States leading in turkey production,
as shown by the 1930 census, are Texas, North Dakota, Minnesota,
California, Oklahoma, Oregon, Colorado, Virginia, and Idaho.
Where conditions are suitable and proper methods of management are
followed turkeys can be raised successfully with very simple equipment;
therefore the capital outlay in the enterprise may be quite small. Except
during the growing season managing the flock is fairly simple. Of course,
constitutional vigor must be maintained in the breeding stock; the flock
must be kept relatively free from disease; and the soil, especially where
the poults are fed, must be kept sanitary. Moreover, turkeys, even when
veil fed, will make good use of at least a limited range and in doing so
will destroy many injurious insects, eat great quantities of succulent
green feed, and pick up much waste grain, weed seeds, and other sources
of nutriment. This fact reduces the cost of production and increases the
profits.
[Illustration: Figure 1.--Bronze turkey, male.]