Poultry on an ordinary Farm. 525 



in your stock occasionally from the best birds you can procure, 

 and it is a wise precaution to keep on a young cock and a couple of 

 hens as late into the season as may be convenient, for fear of loss or 

 accident to your stock birds. Turkeys should be provided with 

 an apartment to themselves, with perches, and fitted up on the 

 ground-floor, with separate nests, so that each bird when sitting 

 may be secured on her nest, otherwise on hearing the young at the 

 time of hatching, they are apt to leave their own nests and interrupt 

 each other, perhaps leaving some of the eggs to perish. As 

 the laying season approaches place clean straw in their nests, 

 Avith an e^^ by way of encouraging them to lay at home, as they 

 are often inclined to lay astray, to the great danger of losing their 

 eggs ; if the hen be seen seeking a nest, confine her in the place 

 in Avhich you wish her to lay ; where the first egg is dropt 

 there Avill she lay the remainder. 



If fed alike they will generally all be broody at or near the 

 same time, should this not be the case the first broody hen must 

 be detained, until the others are ready (that is, supposing you 

 wish to have a second flock, as hereafter described), then 

 place a green sod at the bottom of each nest, with plenty of clean, 

 short straw thereon, and allow the hens a day or two to form 

 and take to their nests. The time of incubation is four weeks, 

 and the hen will sit seventeen of her own eggs, if it is not in- 

 tended to add a few common hen eggs, at the expiration of the 

 first week's sitting, which is often done, with a view to the 

 chickens encoui'aging the young turkeys to feed at the first 

 onset. The sitting hens will require food and water daily, for 

 which purpose they should be allowed to come out of doors, as 

 they Avill not remain off their nests for a long time, but it 

 should be observed that they return to their proper nests ; about 

 a week before hatching sprinkle the eggs with warm water, as 

 directed in page 523, and on the actual arrival of that eventful 

 period, ascertain by feeling under the hen whether the eggs are 

 chipping or any birds out ; if so, after taking out the shells, if 

 any, leave her undisturbed for the day. It sometimes happens 

 that an egg being slightly damaged, it is requisite that a portion 

 of the shell should be very carefully removed, to allow the escape 

 of the little prisoner, which otherwise might perish. With these 

 exceptions, the turkey, like all other birds, is best left alone. 

 The birds being now all hatched, allow them to remain about a 

 day and a night with the mother in the nest, and on the follow- 

 ing morning, Aveather permitting, place the hen under a roomy 

 coop, Avith boarded bottom, and selecting a dry and sheltered 

 spot, turn out the young birds in front thereof, feeding them whilst 

 small every tAvo hours Avith a little hard-boiled egg, alternately 

 Avith rice, &c., as mentioned in pages 523, 524, not forgetting 



