POULTRY FOR PROFIT 199 



tected at first, but before they are three months old 

 mine find a roosting place on top of a six-foot fence, 

 and I do not interfere with them. Turkeys that 

 roost out will rarely, if ever, be troubled by colds or 

 roup. 



HOW TO BEGIN 



A prominent breeder has said : "The best way to 

 begin with turkeys is to buy a trio of the very best 

 birds you can get. If you cannot afford a trio, buy a 

 pair; if you cannot afford a pair, buy a setting of 

 eggs." This is all right if you already know how to 

 raise turkeys and to care for them. If you do not, 

 buy a setting of eggs from ordinary market stock, 

 hatch them under your own hens and see if you can 

 raise them. You will learn in time, and if you 

 manage to raise only half of what you hatch you will 

 be paid for your trouble. 



THE BREEDING STOCK 



The first thing to be looked for in purchasing 

 breeding birds is vigor. If this is important with 

 chickens it is doubly so with turkeys, for if your 

 breeding stock is weak you will be certain to lose a 

 very large per cent of your young stock. Disregard 

 of the rules for selecting and mating to secure vigor 

 is said to be the cause of the dread disease, black- 

 head, which has destroyed the turkey industry in 

 parts of the east. 



Breeding stock should be well matured, strong, 

 healthy and not overfat. Above all the hens and the 

 torn should not be related. Skillful breeders can 

 sometimes line-breed by mating sire to daughter or 

 son to mother for the sake of securing fancy points, 

 but no one but an expert should ever attempt in- 

 breeding. Vigor invariably suffers if this is done. 



