FARM ANIMALS 347 



laying period. Wherever this has been tested to 

 determine the effect, it has been found that the 

 health of the hen turkeys is affected and that the 

 fertility of the eggs is greatly diminished. Their 

 roosting place should be as open as possible, 

 simply protecting them against the heavy rains. In 

 fact, on the average farm, turkeys select their own 

 roosts in trees which they prefer and return to the 

 same place every night. They seem not to take 

 any harm from heavy rains which they are fre- 

 quently subjected to during the summer nights. 

 At any rate, turkeys endure confinement less readily 

 than any other of our domestic fowls, and this is 

 a fortunate circumstance in many respects since 

 a very hardy fowl can be produced in this way with 

 exceedingly small expense for feeding and for labor. 

 The diseases to which turkeys are susceptible are 

 for the most part the same as those which occur 

 among chickens and may be treated in the same 

 manner. Young turkeys are exceedingly suscep- 

 tible to diarrhea and in order to prevent this trouble 

 much attention must be given to the sanitary 

 condition of the food. If the trouble breaks out 

 in a mild form the young turkeys may be fed 

 hard-boiled eggs and stale bread thoroughly cov- 

 ered with pepper. In some cases a little sulphuric 

 acid added to the drinking water gives satisfactory 

 results. Blackhead is a contagious disease of 

 turkeys which has been most extensively studied 

 in Rhode Island where it sometimes occurs in 

 serious outbreaks. In this disease the liver is 

 affected, showing peculiar spots under post mortem 

 examination, and in many cases the head becomes 

 discolored, giving rise to the popular name for the 

 disease. This disease is located in the intestines, 

 and like all other intestinal diseases is spread 



