Food and Exercise. 55 



general stock. A good supply of water must be always 

 within her reach. A good-sized shallow box or pan, con- 

 taining fine coal-ashes, sand, or dry earth, to cleanse herself 

 in, should always be ready near to the nest. She should 

 be left undisturbed, and, as far as possible, allowed to 

 manage her own business. When a hen shows impa- 

 tience of her confinement, and frequently leaves the nest, 

 M. Parmentier advises that half only of her usual meal 

 should be given, after which she should be replaced on the 

 nest and fed from the hand with hemp or millet seed, which 

 will induce her to stay constantly on her eggs. Others 

 will sit so long and closely that they become faint for Avant 

 of food. Such hens should not be fed on the nest, but 

 gently induced with some tempting dainty to take a little 

 exercise, for they will not leave their eggs of their own 

 accord, and feeding on the nest has crippled many a good 

 sitter. It is not healthy for the hen to feed while sitting 

 on or close by the nest, for she requires a little exercise 

 and rolling in the dust-heap, as well as that the eggs 

 should be exposed for the air to carry off any of that 

 stagnant vapour which M. Reaumur proved to be so 

 destructive to the embryo chickens ; and it has also been 

 shown by physiologists that the cooling of the eggs caused 

 by this absence of the hen is essential to allow a supply 

 of air to penetrate through the pores of the shell, for the 

 respiration of the chick. When there are many hens sitting 

 at the same time, it is a good plan to take them off their 

 nests regularly at the same time every morning to feed, 

 and afterwards give them an opportunity to cleanse them- 

 selves in a convenient dusting-place, and, if possible, allow 

 them exercise in a good grass run. A hen should never be 

 caught, but driven back gently to her nest. 



A good hen will not stay away more than half an hour, 

 unless infested with vermin, from want of having a proper 

 dust-heap. But hens have often been absent for more than 

 an hour, and yet have hatched seven or eight chickens ; 

 and instances have been known of their being absent for 

 five and even for nine hours, and yet hatching a few. The 

 following remarkable instance is recorded by an excellent 



