214 TURKEYS, ORNAMENTAL POULTRY, AND WATER-FOWL. 



It is obvious that turkey breeding is only suitable for a 

 dryish soil. It is also well worth while, and absolutely necessary 

 to pecuniary success, to provide very ample shed-shelter for the 

 young broods during the critical period, ordinary poultry 

 accommodation being insufficient. Damp ground is so fatal 

 that every care must be taken to provide a dry and clean 

 bottom, dug out and raised with dry material if necessary; 

 otherwise the building may be a mere shed of four bare walls, 

 well roofed, and well lighted. With shelter of this kind there 

 need hardly be a chick lost, except from accident. 



It has been said that the number of hens to one turkey-cock 

 may be unlimited ; and one visit to the cock is certainly sufficient 

 to render fertile all the eggs laid by a turkey-hen. The best 

 breeders, however, find that as the number of hens allowed to 

 one bird approaches a dozen, the chicks show falling off in con- 

 stitution ; and the number ought therefore to be limited to less 

 than this quite enough brood stock for even a large establish- 

 ment. The turkey-cock may be used for breeding at two years 

 old, and the hen at twelve months, but are not in their prime 

 till a year older. They will be first-class breeding stock, as a 

 rule, for at least two years later, and many cocks in particular 

 will breed splendid chickens for considerably longer ; and it is 

 here that a very common mistake is made, even by the Norfolk 

 breeders, who are apt to sell their larger and older birds, and 

 breed from young stock, in order to save the keep of heavy 

 birds through the winter and get a better price. Now 

 repeated experiments have been made on this point, of which 

 we will only quote one, recorded in America, where turkeys 

 are reared far more systematically than in England. 



In 1871 a raiser bred from an unusually large and strong gob- 

 bler, bred the preceding season, but weighing 25 Ibs., and very 

 fine yearling hens. All were from a very large strain, and gave 

 a fine flock, several pairs weighing 35 Ibs. at seven months old. 

 The birds were kept over, and next year the cock weighed over 



