CHAPTER XXIII 

 TURKEYS, DUCKS, AND GEESE 



Although few poultrymen and farmers care to raise 

 turkeys, ducks, and geese on a large scale, some or all of 

 these fowls are found on almost every farm. A brief outline 

 of the details necessary to success in the production of these 

 fowls is here included. 



TURKEYS 



According to the American standard of perfection, there 

 are several recognized varieties of turkeys, as follows : 

 Bronze, Narragansett, White, Black, Buff, Slate, and 

 Bourbon. Of these the Bronze is the most popular. 



The Bronze is the largest of all the standard varieties, 

 the weight for puUets being sixteen pounds ; hens, twenty 

 pounds; cockerels, twenty-five pounds; yearling cocks, 

 thirty-three pounds ; and adult cocks, thirty-six pounds. 

 The preferred weight for market at Thanksgiving time is 

 from fourteen to thirty pounds. 



The egg yield of a turkey hen is from eighteen to thirty 

 eggs, each of which can usually be counted on to produce a 

 living poult under natural conditions. A common source of 

 trouble in raising young turkeys is brought about by con- 

 tinued inbreeding. There are so few turkeys raised in some 

 localities that all of the turkeys in a neighborhood within a 

 radius of ten or fifteen miles have descended from a single 

 pair. Inbreeding of this sort is entirely too close. 



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