134 Turkeys. 



removed daily, provided a nest-egg is left there. They 

 will wander to a distance in search of a secluded spot for 

 laying, and pay their visits to the nest so cleverly that 

 sometimes they keep it a secret and hatch a brood there, 

 which, however, does not generally prove a strong or large 

 one as in the case of ordinary fowls. When a hen has 

 chosen a safe, quiet, and sheltered place for her nest, it is 

 best to give her more eggs when she shows a desire to sit, 

 and let her stay there. The hen generally lays from fifteen 

 to twenty eggs, sometimes fewer and often many more. 

 As soon as seven are produced, they should be placed 

 under a good common hen, a Cochin is the best, and the 

 remainder can be put under her Avhen she wants to sit. 

 The best hatching period is from the end of March to May, 

 and none should be hatched later than June. The broody 

 hens may be placed on their eggs in any quiet place, as 

 they are patient, constant sitters, and will not leave their 

 eggs wherever they may be put. A hen may be allowed 

 from nine to fifteen eggs, according to her size. During 

 the time the hen is sitting she requires constant attention. 

 She must occasionally be taken off the nest to feed, and 

 regularly supplied with fresh water ; otherwise she will 

 continue to sit without leaving for food, till completely 

 exhausted. In general, do not let the cock go near the 

 sitting hen, or he will destroy the eggs or chicks ; but 

 some behave well, and may be left at large with safety. 

 She should not be disturbed or visited by any one but the 

 person she is accustomed to be fed by, and the eggs should 

 not be touched unnecessaril3^ 



The chickens break the shell from the twenty-sixth to 

 the twenty-ninth day, but sometimes as late as the thirty- 

 first. Let them remain in the nest for twenty-four hours, 

 but remove the shells, and next morning place the hen 

 under a roomy coop or crate, on boards, in a warm out- 

 house. Keep her and her brood cooped up for two months, 

 moving the coop every fine day into a dry grass field, but 

 keep them in an outhouse in cold or wet weather. The 

 chicks having a great tendency to diarrhoea, the very best 

 food for the first week is hard-boiled eggs, chopped small, 



