Nest-Boxes. 49 



anxiously restless, and seeks for a nest. Highly-fed hens 

 feel this desire sooner than those that are not so highly fed. 

 A hen may be induced to sit at any season, by confining 

 her in a dark room in a covered basket, only large enough 

 to contain her nest, keeping her warm, and feeding her on 

 stimulating food, such as bread steeped in ale, a little raw 

 liver or fresh meat chopped small, and potatoes mashed 

 warm Avith milk and oatmeal. 



Every large poultry establishment should have a separate 

 house for the sitting hens, and the run that should be pro- 

 vided for their relaxation must be divided from that of the 

 other fowls by wire or lattice work, to prevent any intru- 

 sion. Where there is a large number of sitting hens, each 

 nest should be numbered, and the date of setting, number 

 and description of eggs, entered in a diary or memorandum 

 book opposite to the number ; and the number of chickens 

 hatched, and any particulars likely to be useful on a future 

 occasion, should afterwards be entered. 



A separate house and run for each sitting hen is a great 

 advantage, as it prevents other hens from going to the nest 

 during her absence, or herself from returning to the wrong 

 nest, as will often happen in a common house. The run 

 should not be large, or the hen may be incHned to wander 

 and stay away too long from her nest. A separate divi- 

 sion for the sitting hen is often otherwise useful, for the 

 purpose of keeping the cock apart from the hens, or for 

 keeping a few additional birds for which accommodation 

 has not been prepared, or for the use of a pen of birds 

 about to be sent for exhibition. 



^' Boxes, of which every carpenter knows the form," says 

 Mowbray, '^ are to be arranged round the walls, and it is 

 proper to have a sufficient number, the hens being apt to 

 dispute possession, and sit upon one another. The board 

 or step at the entrance should be of sufficient height to 

 prevent the eggs from rolling out. Provision of a few 

 railed doors may be made for occasional use, to be hung 

 before the entrance, in order to prevent other hens from 

 intruding to lay their eggs upon those which sit, a habit to 

 which some are much addicted, and by which a brood is 



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