MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



hen, and the length of time she remained on the nest after 

 she had laid. 



A hen that begins laying in the middle of March gen- 

 erally finishes her first litter early in April, and when 

 broken up will finish her second litter late in April and 

 her third late in May, although, of course, this depends to 

 a large extent on the number of eggs she lays in each 

 litter and upon the promptness with which she is broken 

 up after she becomes broody. Oftentimes when hens are 

 allowed to sit and hatch out and raise their brood of 

 poults after they have laid their first litter of eggs they will 

 begin to lay again in the fall and will hatch poults at that 

 time if allowed to do so. This is not desirable, however, 

 for poults hatched at this time are not very valuable and 

 require entirely too much time and care to raise them 

 during the cold weather. 



Fall hatched pullets will often begin laying the follow- 

 ing spring but on account of the smaller size and un- 

 evenness of their eggs, they do not make desirable breed- 

 ers. It is not a difficult matter to break a turkey hen of 

 broodiness. If she is confined to a slat bottom coop, she 

 can usually be cured of her broodiness in two to four 

 days. After being broken up and let out she will mate 

 again in a short time and often begin laying in about a 

 week. 



Locating Stolen Nests 



Where the breeders are given free range the turkey 

 hens generally steal off and select the nesting place where 



61 



