52 Choosing their oicn Nests. 



heather, which offers an excellent medium between the 

 natural damp hedge-nest of the hen and the dryness of a 

 box filled with straw, and also enables her to free herself 

 from those insects which are so troublesome to sitting hens. 

 A thick layer of ashes placed under the straw in cold 

 weather will keep in the heat of the hen. A little Scotch 

 snuff is a good thing to keep the nests free from vermin. 



Where only a few fowls are kept, and a separate place 

 cannot be found for the sitting hen, she can be placed on a 

 nest which should be covered over with a coop, closed in 

 with a little boarding or some other contrivance for a day 

 or two, to prevent her being disturbed by any other fowls 

 that have been accustomed to lay there. They will then 

 soon use another nest. She should be carefully lifted off 

 her nest, by taking hold of her under the wings, regu- 

 larly every morning, exercised and fed, and then shut in, 

 so that she cannot be annoyed. 



It is best to allow a hen to keep the nest she has 

 chosen when she shows an inclination to sit ; and if she con- 

 tinues to sit steadily, and has not a sufficient number of 

 eggs under her, or the eggs you desire her to hatch, 

 remove her gently at night, replace the eggs with the 

 proper batch, and place her quietly upon the nest again. 

 Hens are very fond of choosing their own nests in out of 

 the way places ; and where the spot is not unsafe, or too 

 much exposed to the weather, it is best to let her keep 

 possession, for it has been noticed that, when she selects 

 her oAvn nest and manages for herself, she generally brings 

 forth a good and numerous brood. Mr. Tegetmeier observes 

 that he has " reason to believe, indeed, that whatever care 

 may be taken in keeping eggs, their vitality is better pre- 

 served when they are allowed to remain in the nest. 

 Perhaps the periodical visits of the hen, while adding to 

 her store of eggs, has a stimulating influence. The warmth 

 communicated in the half-hour during which she occupies 

 the nest may have a tendency to preserve the embryo in a 

 vigorous state." 



It is a good plan, before giving an untried hen choice 

 eggs, to let her sit upon a few chalk or stale eggs for a few 



