438 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



egress to protect her and her eggs from the weather during the four weeks 

 of incubation. In addition to this, the slat or lath frame may be placed over 

 her a short time prior to the hatching of the eggs, so as to prevent the hen 

 from wadering away with the young poults as soon as hatched. Those who 

 favor the ' 'perfect liberty" plan may secure larger flocks by following the 

 above suggestions. Good care should also be given to the feeding of these 

 semiwild flocks while young and in unusually wet weather. 



Prepared Nests. — Those who care for turkey hens with a view to quieting 

 and domesticating them may readily induce them to select for nesting places 

 empty barrels that have been turned on their sides for this purpose. Make 

 the nests within of soft straw or hay, and the turkey hens will adopt these 

 for their laying places if induced to come near them to feed. When they 

 can not be made to select nests so provided, it may be necessary to confine 

 them in a fair-sized inclosure until they are content to lay where it is more 

 desirable. When the grower wishes to save all the eggs laid, provision 

 must be made against the hiding of nests by shutting the hens into such in- 

 closures. In this way they may be taught to lay in these nests, where they 

 will sit when broody. From these inclosures they may be given freedom to 

 roam about after three or four o'clock each day, or after they have laid. When 

 roosting time comes, either coax or drive them back if they do not go vol- 

 untarily. By so doing one may have eggs to sell or set at will. Turkey hens 

 will lay from fifteen to twenty eggs before becoming broody, and it is not 

 unusual to break them up from sitting the first time have them lay again, 

 and permit them to sit on their second clutch of eggs. When this is done the 

 hen turkey should be fed plenty of grain, grit, and shell-forming material. 



HATCHING . 



Hatching by hens. — Turkey hens produce such a limited number of eggs 

 that it is scarcely necessary to bring into use the incubator for their hatch- 

 ing, as the hens themselves can hatch all they lay, or nearly all. Moreover 

 the fact that the turkey hens are almost indispensable to the successful 

 rearing of the poults makes it an absolute necessity that they should hatch 

 some of their eggs, so as to induce them to brood the poults. Quite fre- 

 quently some turkey eggs for hatching are given to chicken hens of large 

 size, and the poults they bring from the eggs are ^iven to a turkey hen to 

 rear. Chicken hens brood the poults quite as well as the turkey hens up to 

 a certain age, at which time the poults begin to wander. If other broods 

 of poults are with turkey hens, those with the chicken hen will usually leave 

 their foster mother, wander away with a flock of turkeys, and stay with 

 them. 



Age ofhe7ts. — When their is an opportunity for choice, hens that are two 

 years old or over are the best to select for hatching the eggs. The con- 

 tinual strain of four weeks sitting demanded for hatching turkey eggs is 

 quite a trial of patience and endurance, and while many young hens do 

 their part to perfection, it is safer to trust the task to older hens if you have 

 them. Eggs from hens that are two years old and over produce stronger 

 and more vigorous poults than do eggs from yearling hens. 



Danger from insect parasites . — Whether the eggs are hatched by turkey 

 hens or chicken hens, equal caution should be used to prevent the possibility 



