EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 23i 



old sacks or anything of the kind convenient. The top hoop may be 

 removed and a sack fastened down the same as in shipping potatoes to 

 market in barrels. Small holes can be bored in the side to admit plenty 

 of air. Good nests may be made from boxes about 15"xl5"xl5''. Re- 

 move one side with the exception of a 6" piece at one edge which serves 

 as the bottom of the nest on the front side and holds the nest material 

 in place. Hinge the part removed to one edge, thus making a door that 

 can be quickly opened or closed. Nests of this style may be made in 

 sections of five or six and placed one above the other, when one has to 

 be economical of space. A small room may be lined around next to the 

 wall with such nests and the blank space in the center left for feed and 

 water dishes. 



FOOD AND MANAGEMENT OF SITTING HENS. 



If the hen is well disposed and can be left to come off the nest at will, 

 little or no trouble is involved. If for any reason the hen has to be coii- 

 fiued to the nest she should be taken off regularly once a day and allowed 

 to eat and drink. Good sound corn is about the best food for sitting 

 hens, although they may be fed such grains as wheat, oats, barley, or 

 buckwheat. Eye is not recommended, as the hens do not like it and it 

 does not prove to be a very healthful food for them. Grit, in the form 

 of coarse sand or broken stone, should be kept convenient. Water must 

 also be supplied. If the weather is hot, keep water inside the nest so 

 that the hen can drink whenever she desires. Otherwise she becomes 

 very thirsty and drinks too much at once, often resulting in bowel trou- 

 ble and diarrhoea. Some take the hens off the nest in the morning and 

 allow them a little run in the wet grass. In that way the hen's feathois 

 become moistened slightly, thus adding a little moisture to the eggs 

 each day. If the nest is in an extremely dry place moisture should be 

 added in some way. There are several ways of keeping the eggs sutti- 

 ciently moist. The practice of allowing the hens to run in the wet 

 grass each morning is one of the best. Another is to place damp earth 

 and sods under the eggs. A ttiird method, and one probably most 

 largely used, is to sprinkle or dip the eggs in water heated to 103° V. 

 This is done at least twice, once about the 14th and again the 18th day 

 of the hatch. If the eggs are on the ground or in a damp place no 

 moisture should be added. When removing the hens from the nest, 

 handle them carefully. Many good hens are spoiled by careless or 

 rough handling. If the hen has to be caught in order to put her back on 

 the nest do not place her directly on the eggs but on the edge of the 

 nest, thus allowing her to cover them in her own cautious way. 



PRECAUTIONS AGAINST LICE AND MITES. 



Sitting hens must be kept free from lice and mites. In order to rid 

 them of these pests take each one gently by the legs and with the head 

 hanging downward, dust the feathers well with some good insect pow- 

 der (see page 120) and replace on the nest. This should be repeated 

 about the 10th and 18th days of the hatch. Attention to lice at this 

 period may save many chicks later in the season. A hen cannot be a 

 satisfactory sitter if she is infested with lice. Very often those that 

 are well fitted by nature for good mothers are driven from the nest by 



