POULTRY RAISING TURKEYS 367 



of the mother hen is caused by too small a coop. She becomes irritated, 

 tramps about and kills her young just because the coop is undersized. Do 

 not try to use a chicken coop for this purpose. The slat coop will do for the 

 first day or so. 



Requirements for Coop. Any coop or house that will protect them from 

 rain and storms and is large enough will do for the hen and poults after they 

 are taken from the slat coop. Care should be taken to have it ventilated and 

 not too warm and damp. It should be light, clean, and entirely free from 

 parasites. These are the essential requisites of the building which is to house 

 them the first week or so. 



Dampness Injures Poults. The poults should be given free range part 

 of every day if possible, but they should be made to stay in nights and on wet 

 days ; even the morning dew will injure young poults as they cannot stand 

 the wet. 



Old Coops. Old coops should never be used unless they have been given 

 a thorough cleaning on all sides. A week before the coop is needed it should 

 be painted with crude petroleum in which some naphthalene balls have been 

 dissolved. Fill every crack and crevice with this and be sure that all odor 

 from the preparation has disappeared before it is used, because it is harmful 

 to the young poults. 



Runs. Early in the spring (which means until about the last of May in 

 the Northern states, for there are generally some cold windy days up to that 

 time) it is a good plan to provide a runway in front of the coop. This can 

 be made from boards a foot to a foot and one-half high and about sixteen feet 

 long. Three of these boards will make a triangular shaped pen which will 

 protect the little poults from the winds when they run from the coop. The 

 sun will shine into the run and make it warm and comfortable. The poults 

 will thrive better if they are not exposed too much to cold winds. The en- 

 closure should be located on high ground, that is well drained, so the poults 

 will have no water to venture into, to get wet or drowned. 



Sun's Rays. While the poults are young they must never be allowed 

 where they will get the direct rays of the sun, or it may wilt them completely. 

 Many times when they are exposed to the direct rays of the sun they will reel 

 as though suffering from sun-stroke and become very weak. They will then 

 move about slowly, dragging one foot after the other, and give forth a feeble 

 peep, which means they are near their end. 



It is a good plan to make a large run, as described above, in which to 

 place the hen and brood. The hen can step over the sides and leave the en- 

 closure when she so desires but the poults cannot. She will not go far away 

 from the poults. Many times, if given entire freedom with her brood, the 

 hen will take them into the brush or into the fields, and it will be impossible 

 to get them into -the coop again. 



When the poults are stout and sturdy, the hen can be set at liberty so 

 as to teach them how to pick their own living off the range. The poults will 

 be old enough at 6 or 8 weeks. 



