204 PROFITS IN POtJLTRY. 



slightly covered with old brush. These are often ex- 

 posed to the attack of weasles and skunks, and other 

 enemies, besides being unsightly. If there are no pre- 

 pared nests they will seek the nearest bit of woods, or 

 patch of brush, or fence-corner, where they can find 

 shelter. The whole turkey crop for the year is put in 

 jeopardy by this want of preparation for the laying and 

 breeding season. By having a yard devoted to fruit 

 trees and turkeys, and an open shed with sliding doors, 

 you have complete control of the birds, their eggs and 

 their young, during their tender age. The risk is re- 

 duced to a minimum, and the turkey crop is as sure as 

 any other raised on the farm. The nests under the 

 shed should be about three feet square, and arranged 

 with slats in the front so that the birds may be shut in 

 or out at pleasure. The common A- shaped hen-coop 

 on a larger scale, the peak of the gable being about 

 three feet high, is a very good arrangement. If the 

 turkeys are fed under the shed for a few weeks before 

 the laying season, they will take kindly to the nests pre- 

 pared for them. 



EARLY BROODS. 



Early broods are very desirable on several accounts, 

 but there is a good deal of risk in having the chicks 

 come out before the grass is well started, and there is 

 settled weather. In the latitude of 40, and northward, 

 it is quite early enough to have the chicks out by the 

 middle of May. Birds hatched from the middle of May 

 until July 1st will have five or six months in which to 

 grow before Thanksgiving, and that is as soon as they 

 will be wanted for slaughter or to sell as stock. The 

 cold storms of April and early May are likely to prove 

 fatal to the chicks. The laying of the hens is very 



