Until a few years ago breeding flocks were ordinarily allowed free
range throughout the breeding and laying season (fig. 8). This practice
often gives unsatisfactory results because the nests cannot be found
readily and therefore the eggs cannot be gathered daily. Many breeding
flocks are now kept in good-sized breeding pens or enclosures with
nests conveniently located inside or outside the roosting shed (fig.
9). For a pen of 12 to 18 birds a yard of 10 to 15 square rods is large
enough. Frequently an orchard is very satisfactory. A hog-proof fence
about 6 feet high will confine the turkeys; they are not likely to fly
over the fence, because they cannot rest on the top wire. Fences should
be tightly stretched and should be dog-proof, because dogs and coyotes
are very destructive in turkey flocks. Solid-top fences, gates, and
buildings less than 9 feet high should be topped with strips of poultry
fence 3 feet wide to prevent turkeys from perching on them. If turkey
hens persist in flying over the fence the flight feathers of one wing
may be cut, but the wing of a breeding male should never be clipped, as
the clipping may interfere with mating.
Sanitation in the breeding yards must not be neglected. Either the fences
and shelters should be made portable and moved each year to clean ground,
or double yards should be constructed for use only in the breeding
season, during which time one yard is occupied for 2 successive weeks and
then the other, which in the meantime has been kept free of all poultry.
[Illustration: Figure 7.--Slate turkey, male.]
If two or more breeding pens are maintained, they must be isolated from
each other. This can be done with double fences, 12 feet or more apart,
or with single fences built solid for about 3 feet above the ground, so
that the turkeys cannot see those in other pens.