POULTRY 



671 



key gobbler. Tradition and excellence 

 unite in placing tbe turkey above all 

 otber birds desired by tbe American peo- 

 ple for dinner on Thanksgiving day. 

 On tbis account, the last week in No- 

 vember usually marks the highest price 

 for this fowl. 



It requires plenty of range to success- 

 fully grow turkeys. They still have 

 many of the instincts and habits of their 

 old free life and cannot tolerate con- 

 finement. On this account they are 

 found only in comparatively small flocks 

 and do not succeed when reared in large 

 numbers in the same manner as is ob- 

 served with ducks and chickens. A 

 ranch much less than 20 acres is too 

 small for anything but a few turkeys, 

 and flocks of 50 to 200, which are about 

 the maximum, should have 40 to 80 

 acres. Any close confinement is sure to 

 result in disease, ill health and 



BREEDS 



Six breeds of turkeys are grown more 

 or less extensively in the United States. 

 These are the Bronze, Narragansett, 

 Buff, Slate, White or Holland and 

 Black. The varieties differ from one 

 another chiefly in color. 



Bronze i s the largest and most popu- 

 lai. A modern type of this breed is shown 

 in Tig. 28, page 41. It originated by 

 crossing the wild turkey with the do- 

 mestic turkey. Mature gobblers reach a 

 weight of 35 to 40 pounds and the hens 

 16 to 20 pounds. 



The Narragansetts stand next in size 

 to the Bronze. In color they have a 

 black background, with each feather 

 ending in a band of steel gray, edged 

 with black. The standard weights for 

 males are 20 to 30 pounds, and for 

 the hens 12 to 18 pounds. They are a 

 more compact bird than the Bronze and 

 have a more contented nature. 



White or Holland — This breed is 

 also known as Austrian White and is 

 characterized, as the name suggests, by 

 white plumage. They are smaller than 

 either the Bronze -or Narragansett, rang- 

 ing in weight from 10 pounds in young 

 hens to 26 pounds for old gobblers. 

 They are especially valued for their 

 light pink and white skin, which makes 

 them very attractive when dressed and 

 offered on the market. 



Black—Both the Black and White 

 breeds are rather more contented about 

 the home than other varieties of tur- 



keys. The skin of the Black is yellow, 

 and it makes a very attractive table 

 bird. At Christmas time they are ex- 

 pected to weigh 10 to 14 pounds each. 



The Buff and Slate varieties of tur- 

 keys are but very little grown. Closely 

 related to the Buff in color is the Bour- 

 bon Red or Kentucky Red, turkey. 

 These breeds are all rather smaller than 

 the Bronze. 



SELECTION OF BREEDING FLOCK 



First-class males will cost $10 to $15 

 each, and should be at least two years 

 old when purchased. The hens will cost 

 from $3 to $5 each. Select medium sized 

 birds in fair condition, but not overly 



Fig. 427 — BROOD OP WHITE HOLLAND 

 TURKEYS 



fat and which give every indication of 

 being vigorous and hardy. The males 

 should be entirely unrelated to the fe- 

 males. Inbreeding has caused serious 

 losses in many flocks, as a result of 

 weakness in constitution and inherited 

 tendency to disease. Once a good male 

 is secured he should be retained for a 

 number of years but must never be 

 mated with his offspring. Turkeys 

 are much more susceptible to diseases, 

 especially under confinement, than 

 chickens, and any inbreeding tends to 

 exaggerate this defect. About one male 

 should be kept for each half dozen hens. 

 Good results are reported where one 

 male to as many as 20 hens are used, 

 but this is unusual. A dozen hens to 

 one cock should be the limit. 



Management of the breeding flock — 

 The breeding flock can be raised sue- 



