1908.] 



Breeding and Rearing of Turkeys. 



345 



grown stags for mating is of the first importance and the 

 evils of close-breeding are quickly apparent. Well-grown birds 

 for breeding are not necessarily of great size. An approximation 

 to 20 lb. in the males and 15 lb. in the females would be suitable 

 weights for ordinary breeding purposes, other considerations 

 including width of shoulders, contour of breast and a medium 

 length of leg. The stock birds should preferably be from two to 

 three years old, and from six to eight hens may be run with a 

 vigorous cock, although a more usual proportion is four or five 

 hens. It must be added in this connection that one service is 

 usually sufficient for the fertilization of a batch of eggs, but per- 

 manent mating is preferable. During March the hens require 

 watching or they will choose some out of the way spot in which to 

 lay. April is the best hatching month, and it is generally con- 

 sidered inadvisable to continue incubating operations beyond 

 June, but although late hatched birds have insufficient time for 

 full maturity they may be disposed of as poults if bred from birds- 

 in good breeding condition. Turkey hens are usually good 

 mothers, but their eggs may also be hatched under ordinary 

 hens or in incubators. A turkey hen will cover from fifteen 

 to sixteen eggs or a large barndoor hen may be given from 

 eight to ten, and the period of incubation is twenty-eight 

 days. The nests should be upon an earth bottom, and the 

 general management during incubation is similar to that of 

 ordinary hen's eggs. 



The correct feeding of the stock birds has an important 

 bearing upon the ultimate success. If the food is too fattening 

 the stag will fail to fertilize the eggs and the hens will be 

 liable to egg-binding by broken shell-less eggs in the oviduct. 

 The dietary must necessarily vary according to the weather 

 and conditions, but may include ground oats, barley meal 

 used in moderation, biscuit meal, middlings and greaves — 

 with grain at night. Some breeders prefer a whole grain 

 diet for both morning and evening feeding, using wheat, 

 barley and oats (a greater proportion of the latter), together 

 with cabbage and such roots as swedes, when the pasture is 

 poor, but considerable variation is possible and necessary,, 

 according to the character and condition of the range. It is 

 almost unnecessary to insist upon the importance of a generous- 

 supply of grit and calcareous material. 



