MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



they will lay their eggs and hatch the poults. If a 

 good enclosed breeding yard is available where there is 

 little or no danger of loss of the eggs as the result of 

 predatory animals of any kind, it is not a bad practice 

 to allow the hens to steal their nests. This is particu- 

 larly true of wild turkey hens which are inclined to be 

 badly disturbed by having their nests moved or by be- 

 ing bothered too much while they are sitting. Usually 

 there is considerable danger of loss of the eggs either 

 due to their becoming chilled early in the season or else to 

 their being destroyed by some marauding animal such as 

 skunks, opossums, rats, crows, dogs, minks, coyotes, 

 wolves, foxes, cats and snakes. Some of these marauders 

 may also destroy the sitting hen herself. 



It becomes desirable in most cases, therefore, to locate 

 stolen nests for the purpose of removing the eggs as 

 they are laid, although it is always necessary to leave a 

 nest egg or two so that the hen will come back to the nest 

 to do her laying. Stolen nests can be located by follow- 

 ing the hen when she separates from the flock for the 

 purpose of going to her nest to lay, but this is rather a 

 tedious process as she often proceeds to the nest in a very 

 leisurely and round about manner, feeding as she goes. 

 It is also necessary to make sure that the turkey hen is 

 not aware of the fact that she is being watched, as in that 

 case it is very difficult to get her to betray the location of 

 her nest. Sometimes a bell is hung about the necks of 

 turkey hens and this serves as a help in locating stolen 



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