TURKEY RAISING 



able number of soft-shelled eggs. The large hens when 

 used for sitting purposes are also likely to break more 

 eggs. While it is a general practice and good practice 

 not to retain many hens beyond their second year for 

 breeders, if the turkey grower possesses an especially 

 valuable hen from a breeding point of view or one which 

 makes an exceptionally good mother, she should be re- 

 tained as a breeder just so long as she is in good breeding 

 condition. 



Older turkeys, both males and females, tend to be less 

 fertile than younger birds, probably due to the fact that 

 they are fatter and heavier and less active. Hens are not 

 ordinarily profitable after they are four years old. Year- 

 ling toms are as a rule more clumsy than cockerels, owing 

 to their greater weight and this of course is still more 

 true of two-year-old or older toms. For this reason they 

 are not quite as satisfactory breeders as well matured 

 cockerels. It is usually possible to distinguish between 

 young turkeys and those which are yearlings or older by 

 means of the wing feathering. In all varieties the two 

 outer primary feathers are carried as chick feathers 

 until the birds moult as yearlings. These chick feathers 

 are pointed at the end and are easily distinguished from 

 the mature feathers which are rounded. 



The second way to tell the age is by the wing bar which 

 does not mature until the second year. In the mature 

 female the wing bar is about as wide as three fingers and 

 the feathers which form it grow out to an even length, 

 causing its lower edge to be regular in outline. In the 



