Turkeys Can Be a Profitable Sideline

Image Gallery Twelve or thirteen turkeys should have a cage at least 10' by 12' with 12' of feed hoppers running along the outside. Roosts should be built in the sheltered end of the cage, using 2-by-4's with wide side as the roosting surface and allowing 14"" space per bird. Top of roosts should be 20"" from the wire floor and a space of 24"" should separate one roost from another. Allow the birds complete access to the floor under the roosts, otherwise you cut their exercise area to the bone. A slanting roof of very heavy roofing paper and three sides of the same material (removed in above photo) should protect the roosting section.

WHEN you start producing food for your family, money will begin to lose its importance. You won't be digging into your pockets every time you turn around. First, you yourself will be producing a good part of your food and secondly, you'll be trading your surplus with your neighbors.

For example, we trade geese for turkeys with one of our neighbors, Tyler Long. Ty and his father have always had a hankering to raise turkeys. For a long time they just talked about it, then a couple of years ago they started in doing it.

Unlike a lot of people, including a few farmers I've met, they were frank with themselves in admitting to begin with that they didn't really know much about turkey raising. They determined to find out all about the newest and best ways of going ahead, start on a small scale. So they talked to any number of commercial turkey men, our county agent, and read everything they could get their hands on about turkeys.

Just to give you an idea of how well they've done, in 1942 the national turkey mortality rate from all causes was reported to be 28%. In 1943, when feed conditions were at their worst in 20 years, Ty kept his mortality rate down to 15%.

While it's true that scientific turkey raising requires certain precautions not always necessary in chicken raising, if a few general principles are followed with care, turkeys can be a surprisingly easy, inexpensive and interesting way of increasing your food supply. Turkeys incidentally, produce more meat per pound of feed than almost any other kind of poultry.

We say this after observing Ty Long's experience raising turkeys. In fact; we have gotten him to give detailed, week by week, instructions, explaining exactly how a family can scientifically raise a dozen or so turkeys.

What Breed?

By no means try to hatch out turkeys from eggs - buy day-old chicks or poults as they are actually called. Place your order early, sometime between December and March. The importance of good breeding in the day-old poults cannot be stressed too much.

Ty recommends buying them from a well-recommended breeder rather than from a hatchery. You can get names from the magazine, Turkey World, (Mount Morris, III., 15c a copy) or consult your county agent. Don't decide on a breeder farther away than 300 miles, preferably closer. Specify shipment by Railway Express.