Hatching under Turkeys. 209 



In many parts of France, turkeys are very largely used for 

 the hatching and rearing of chickens, the advantage of these 

 birds being their docility, their capability for covering a large 

 number of eggs, and caring for a large number of chickens. 

 It is no uncommon sight to see turkeys, with fifty or sixty 

 chicks, being driven in the morning to a wood adjacent to the 

 residence of their owner, where they are left all day in 

 charge of decrepit old women or young children. In some 

 instances, the chicks have been hatched in incubators, but 

 this is generally in those districts where there are hatching 

 factories, if we may use the term, at which places egg hatch- 

 ing is conducted on a large scale, the peasants taking their 

 eggs to be incubated, and paying a percentage of the chickens 

 for the trouble. But in England, also, many persons have used 

 turkeys with very good results. There are, however, several 

 things necessary to make this plan a success. In the first place, 

 it is necessary to have ground enough, as putting a turkey with 

 half a hundred chicks upon a small piece of land would be 

 a failure, for there would not be moving room, and the ground 

 would soon get contaminated. But, on the other hand, if an 

 unlimited run be given, the turkey must be watched, or she 

 will lead the chicks astray and overtax their strength. It 

 is true she may be cooped, but after the first ten days this is 

 not advisable, and the best plan is to keep her in a fenced 

 run. Where this can be done, turkeys will be found to answer 

 admirably, but, of course, the houses or coops used for 

 them need to be well ventilated and roomy ; especially so, 

 in fact, because of the larger number of birds to be kept 

 therein. They are very easily managed, and the way to get 

 one to take charge of a brood, is to allow it to sit on potatoes 

 for a few days, and then the chicks may be put under her 

 at night. We have seldom known one refuse accepting a 

 charge of this kind ; but, in order to be on the safe side, it is 

 as well to put only a few in at first If she attempts to 



