542 



THE BOOK OF POULTRY. 



part of the roof to the front, though it may of 

 course be wired in if necessary. More shelter 

 than is afforded by the sides and back wall, is 

 never needed even in the most severe weather, 

 and merely does harm. 



In regard to the selection of breeding stock, 

 it might be supposed from what was said above 

 as to the marketable value of the different 



varieties, that the exhibitor and the 

 Selection market breeder have quite different 



Breeding Stock, ends to serve in selecting their stock 



and rearing its produce. To some 

 extent this is no doubt true ; but it is only so 

 to some extent, and size in the stock really is 

 of great importance to the breeder for market 

 also. Supposing the exhibition weight of a 

 fully-grown gobbler of one of the English 

 breeds to be 30 lbs., a full average weight for 

 cockerels would only be about 18 lbs., and of 

 course many only reared for market would be 

 less than this. Thus, the lessons in breeding 

 which the exhibitor has learnt by experience, 

 are of the greatest importance to the breeder 

 for market also ; though in his case they bear 

 chiefly upon the question of weight at a cost, 

 and not, as in the exhibitor's case, of getting 

 the utmost weight at any price. The same law 

 holds good for both, that the finest youn^j stock 

 is bred from fully-matured old birds of full 

 size, two and three years old ; and especially is 

 this true in the case of the male parent. The 

 turkey cock is really not matured for breeding 

 till two years old, though hens are very good 

 at twelve months ; but they will be better the 

 next year, and quite as good if not better the 

 year after that. Amongst many experiments 

 which have been made on this point, the 

 following may suffice. An unusually fine 

 gobbler bred the preceding season, and weighing 

 25 lbs., was mated with year-old hens, and 

 produced a really fine flock, some of the pairs 

 weighing 35 lbs. by Christmas. Next year the 

 cock weighed when mated 30 lbs., and the hens 

 18 lbs. : and the young stock that year averaged 

 fully 5 lbs. per pair more, and were hardier, and 

 reared with less trouble and loss. It need 

 hardly be pointed out that it is the young birds 

 which, with only the saine feeding and care, 

 make extra weight, that are reared at the least 

 cost per pound. 



To this general rule respecting the value of 

 matured stock there are no exceptions whatever, 

 and there is little doubt that some Norfolk 

 breeders have been in some degree handicapped 

 against those of Normandy and other parts of 

 France, by trusting too much to their young 

 stock, whilst the French breeders, though 

 sending only moderate-sized birds to the 



London market, have produced these at less 

 cost, by breeding from older birds. It may be 

 urged that large old gobblers are often too 

 heavy for the hens ; but this can always be 

 avoided, as it is the custom in America to do 

 with the heavy Bronze birds, by shutting the 

 gobblers up a while before breeding, and feeding 

 rather sparingly, but on nitrogenous food, so as 

 to reduce their weight, making thern lean and 

 active. This precaution is important, and should 

 not be forgotten. 



We place this rule of selecting fine and 

 mature stock first and by itself, because it is of 

 such wide and far-reaching importance in turkey 

 breeding, and because the fact that immense 

 birds are not desired for market, rather tends to 

 obscure it. Yet the very largest birds are by 

 no means to be preferred. Even the largest 

 exhibition turkeys are not often bred from the 

 largest specimens, but from vigorous medium- 

 sized representatives of stock whose average size 

 is great. A change of blood every three years or 

 so, is advisable. Particular care must be taken 

 not to over-feed the breeding birds, or make 

 them fat : such plump stock may look very fine, 

 but eggs will be small, and often infertile. This 

 especially applies to the gobblers, and most of 

 all if they are very large in frame ; but it is 

 applicable to the hens also. Perhaps the most 

 important point of all in individual selection, is 

 to get birds with a long breast-bone. If the dead 

 turkeys are examined at any Christmas display, 

 whether at shops or exhibitions, this point will 

 be found to differ to an extraordinary extent, 

 some birds having breast-bones very nearly 

 twice (in proportion) as long as others. This 

 feature alone makes a great difference in the 

 price, and is entirely hereditary and within 

 control : the numerous short-breasted turkeys 

 seen at Leadenhall every winter, show that it 

 has not received from many breeders nearly 

 the attention it requires. 



It has been proved beyond doubt that one 

 visit to a turkey gobbler is sufficient to fecundate 

 all the eggs laid in one batch by the hen. Some 

 farmers who only keep a few hens and do not 

 rear many, send their birds to stud to a neigh- 

 bour in this way, and others have argued that 

 the number of hens to one gobbler may be almost 

 unlimited. It does not prove so in practice, 

 again showing what has already been mentioned, 

 that mere fecundation is not the only factor in 

 breeding. When too many hens are mated to 

 one torn, the produce is never the same in size 

 and vigour, and general experience has settled 

 upon about ten hens in a pen, as a limit that 

 can rarely be exceeded, or at least much ex- 

 ceeded, with good results. 



