X4 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Jan., 1910. 



the incubator costs nothing to feed during nine months of the year. All 

 that is required, after the hatching season is over (July, August and Sep- 

 tember), is to thoroughly disinfect the egg drawer and expose the parts 

 to sunlight, after which the machine should be safely stored for future 

 ■operations. To those who doubt their ability to successfully handle in- 

 <:ubators, a judicious blending of the two methods will be found profitable. 

 By setting enough hens to care for the incubator hatch when it comes 

 off, the artificial foster mother, or brooder, can be dispensed with. 



Natural Incubation. 



Avoid setting the nervous hen ; one can soon discover an excitable 

 broody hen. Practise the handling of sitters, by placing the hands under 

 both wings and raising the hen gently off the nest ; by so doing there will be 

 no fear of breaking eggs. On the other hand, if one carelessly lifts 

 the hen from her nest, there is the risk of the eggs dropping and being 

 broken through being caught in the hen's wing in her excitement. It will 

 usually be found that Buff and Black Orpingtons, Phmouth Rocks, and 

 W)-andottes are trusted breeds in this connexion. 



A separate pen should, be set off in the poultry house for the exclusive 

 use of sitting hens, and care taken to prevent them being disturbed. A 

 simple nest box can be made out of half-inch boards. For the average 

 sized hen, a nest 12 in. x 14 in. is large enough. The sides, back 

 and top should be completely enclosed. The front may be left open 

 with the exception of a 5-inch strip along the bottom. Loose earth slightlv 

 hollowed in the centre and covered with fine straw or hay, makes good 

 material for the nest. The hollow should not he too concave, as too 

 much pressure on the eggs is likely to crack them. Thirteen fair-sized 

 eggs fit the nest better than twelve — that is for a hen of ordinary size — 

 whilst a large Orpington can comfortably cover fifteen eggs. Much 

 ■depends on the season, i.e., July sitters should have only eleven eggs, and 

 early in September, with more genial conditions prevailing, it would be 

 ■quite safe to increase the number. 



No attempt should be made to remove the hen for the first 72 ho'iirs 

 of sitting — she will then usuallv come oft of her own accord. She 

 should be fed on grain — wheat and crushed maize are the best foods 

 to give. Avoid sloppv or sticky food as it will cause indigestion and 

 will make the hen restless and irritable while on the nest, and often results 

 in the eggs being cracked and broken. Keeping the hen free from vermin 

 is another important consideration ; she should be well dusted with insecti- 

 bane before placing on the eggs, and have frequent access to dust bath. 

 A little powder on the nest will be helpful in keeping down the mites. 

 A successful hatch is next to impossible when the hen is worried by these 

 pests ; she becomes uneasy and restless, often breaking several eggs and 

 spoiling the others by closing up the pores with the substance from the 

 broken eggs, and thus shutting in the carbon di-oxide which smothers the 

 chick, the hen frequently deserting the ne.st altogether. At times she is 

 found dead on the nest through the inroads of lice. 



Should an egg get broken, thus fouling the nest, the remaining eggs 

 should be taken out and carefullv washed with warm water until clean, 

 for if the pores of the shell become clogged in any way and remain so, 

 this will cause death to the chick. It may be found necessary to replace 

 the nest with fresh straw or drv grass. 



