MANAGEMENT OF THE BREEDING STOCK 



places the hens will often select them as a nesting place 

 when stealing their nests. This proves to be a great con- 

 venience as it will save considerable time in hunting for 

 stolen nests. Not infrequently two or three hens may 

 lay in the same nest. In this case, of course, it will be 

 necessary to gather the eggs as they are laid, leaving only 

 a nest egg or two, as too many eggs will be laid in the 

 nest for one hen to cover properly when hatching. 



Care of Eggs for Hatching 



Not infrequently the poor results which are obtained 

 in hatching turkey eggs may be due to carelessness in 

 gathering or caring for the eggs. No matter how the 

 eggs are to be hatched, whether under a turkey hen, 

 chicken hen or an incubator, it is usually best to gather 

 the eggs as they are laid, leaving only a nest egg or two 

 except in those cases where the hen has stolen her nest 

 in a safe location and where it is desired to let her hatch 

 out her brood. Gathering the eggs in this way will pre- 

 vent loss from crows or predatory animals and will also 

 prevent the chilling of eggs during the cold weather early 

 in the season. 



If the weather is especially cold the eggs should be 

 gathered as promptly after laying as possible in order to 

 prevent chilling or freezing. As the eggs are gathered 

 they should be dated so that they will not be held too 

 long before they are set. Never hold turkey eggs over 

 two weeks before placing them either under a turkey hen, 



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