100 ESSEX SOCIETY. 



When she has laid her litter, the turkey manifests her desire 

 to sit, by remaining on her nest, even if no nest egg be under 

 her. She should be permitted to do this for some days before 

 the eggs are placed under her, observing however to drive her 

 off at night if the nest be out of doors. When this is the case, 

 it will not be safe to let her sit there, as the eggs and herself 

 will be exposed to rats, weasels, skunks and other midnight 

 marauders. A nest should therefore be prepared for her under 

 cover. The barn is a good place for this purpose, and the scaf- 

 fold or a mow of hay more suitable than the ground floor. Bet- 

 ter still is a shed or an out-house, which can be kept fastened, 

 as the liability to accidents is thus diminished to almost none 

 at all. For a series of years I have kept my hen turkeys in a 

 workshop, during the process of incubation. On one side of 

 this is a carpenter's bench, the space under which is parted off 

 with boards, making a number of apartments about three feet 

 square for the nests, the hay of which they are composed being 

 kept in its place by a narrow strip of hoard laid on the floor in 

 front. The nest should be rather shallow, and spread out over 

 sufficient space for all the eggs to rest on the surface. 



The number of eggs that can be covered to advantage by a 

 turkey, depends upon her size ; twenty is a large number, and 

 better success may be expected with fifteen or seventeen. 

 Having placed them in the nest, allow the hen turkey to re- 

 main on her original nest, if out of doors, till dusk, and then 

 carefully take her in your arms and remove her to her new 

 abode. Sometimes she will be frightened and disposed to es- 

 cape. To prevent her leaving, I secure a piece of lattice, made 

 of laths, in front of the nest under the bench, immediately on 

 placing her there. Similar screens I have attached to all the nests, 

 thus keeping the inmates as securely shut up, as if they were in 

 so many cages. This arrangement demands more care of the 

 turkeys than when they have their liberty, as they must be let 

 off every day or two to eat and drink, and for health and clean- 

 liness. The way once learned into the building, there is no 

 trouble in their returning to it afterwards. The turkey is a 

 close sitter, so close that I have almost uniformly been obliged, 

 on removing the lattice, to use some effort to drive her off 



