158 THE TURKEY. 



taken care of, the hen turkey will lay a second time 

 towards the end of summer, sometimes sooner and 

 sometimes later. 



In the second laying, there are rarely more than a 

 dozen eggs; and in order to have the brood from 

 these successful, more than ordinary care will be 

 requisite. 



When a second laying is expected, the sooner one 

 hen is turned away from her brood, and the brood 

 mixed with that of another, hatched about the same 

 time, the better chance there is of rearing it; as the 

 hen, which is so turned away, will lay again in a fort- 

 night or three weeks, and thus hatch a second time be- 

 fore the month of July is out. Even under these cir- 

 cumstances, the chance of rearing the young ones is 

 very uncertain, as they are hardly strong enough to 

 meet the cold nights in the autumn, when they often- 

 become what is called " club-footed," and die. 



INCUBATION, 



The turkey hen is a steady sitter, and in this re- 

 spect resembles the wild bird — nothing will induce her 

 to leave the nest ; indeed, she often requires to be re- 

 moved to her food, so overpowering is her instinctive 

 affection ; she must be freely supplied with water 

 within her reach ; should she lay any eggs after she has 

 commenced incubation ; these should be removed — it 

 is proper, therefore, to mark those which were given to 

 her to sit upon. The hen should now on no account, 

 be rashly disturbed ; no one except the person to whom 

 she is accustomed, and from who m she receives her 

 food, should be allowed to go near her, and the eggs, 

 unless circumstances imperatively require it, should not 

 be meddled with. 



On about the thirty-first day, the chicks leave the 

 eggs. Now, in a state of nature, the wild hen always 

 manages far better than she would do if interfered • 

 with by man, were his interference possible, and so we 

 believe will the domestic turkey hen, if her n,est be placed 



