Breeding Stock 271 



far from satisfactory. Most turkey raisers depend 

 upon natural methods of incubation and brood- 

 ing. Turkey eggs hatch in twenty- eight days. 



Selection of breeding stock. Many farmers un- 

 doubtedly make mistakes in selecting young and 

 immature birds for breeding stock. Experienced 

 turkey raisers insist on breeding from mature and 

 well-tried birds. If a hen proves to be a good 

 breeder and a careful mother she should be kept as 

 long as she proves profitable. The young of mature 

 parents are thought to be considerably stronger than 

 those of immature fowls. Two- or three -year old 

 toms are sometimes preferred to older ones on ac- 

 count of the great weight which older birds attain. 



"Mr. Grinnell, who lives on a farm near the 

 Experiment Station, raises from 50 to 60 turkeys 

 every season. Others in his neighborhood have 

 poor success. He does not believe in changing 

 gobblers when a good one has been secured. 

 When he gets one that sires good stock he keeps 

 him as long as he is good for anything. The 

 one he now has is four years old. The hens are 

 also kept as long as they live. . . . One hen that 

 he has had for five years was said to have been 

 eight. years old when he bought her. She still 

 lays from two to three litters of eggs each season, 

 and her turkeys are larger than the others. "* 



Care and food for the young. Newly hatched 



* Bulletin No. 25, Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station. 



