116 HATCHING AND REARING 



and leave the eggs in one nest to get cold. The nest should 

 be cleaned during the middle and at the end of the hatch, 

 and any broken eggs or soiled nesting material be removed. 

 When putting the hen on the nest dust her thoroughly with 

 a good lice powder, and repeat this about the eighteenth 

 day of incubation. This is to keep her free from body 

 parasites. If she is not infested, the chicks are more likely 

 to be free from them (Pig. 65) . 



The eggs should be tested or candled about the tenth day, 

 and a record made of any infertile eggs and dead germs. 

 The development should also be noted, as well as the size 



FIG. 65. The story of the stolen nest. A, The stolen nest in the tall grass 

 under the grape vine. Thirteen eggs to be kept warm for 21 days. B, On the 

 twenty-second day the proud mother brings forth twelve fluffy little youngsters. 



of the air cell. Infertile eggs are recognizable by the fact 

 that they are absolutely clear, while a normal egg which 

 contains a good germ will appear to have a dark spot about 

 the size of a pea. Extending from this will be detected dark 

 lines or blood vessels. At the end of the tenth day, a dead 

 chick is revealed by the presence of this dark spot, fixed or 

 attached to the shell so that it does not move about when the 

 egg is rotated. The live germ moves when the egg is turned 

 around. The dead embryo will be encircled by a fixed red 

 line about half an inch or one inch from it. The air cell 

 at this time should be about one-half to five-eighths of an 



