128 AN EGG FARM. 



ing, before any of the others are ready to lay. Those 

 not sitting are shut into the yard ; the large doors of 

 coarse wirework, that prevent hens from roosting on 

 the alighting boards at night, are raised at one side of 

 the room only, and the pieces of wire cloth before the 

 separate entrances to the nests of the sitting hens are 

 removed and placed in front of the nests frequented by 

 the layers. Next, grain is thrown upon the ground in 

 view of all the sitters on that side of the room, when a 

 call to which they are accustomed will cause nearly all 

 to leave their nests. The laggards that refuse to leave 

 are lifted from the nests and placed on the ground. 

 The attendant must not take hold of the fowl. Push 

 the hand gently under her and then spread out the fin- 

 gers and lift her slowly off the eggs. There is a knack 

 about it which is quickly learned, and, to beat artificial 

 incubation all hollow, it must not be forgotten that our 

 sitters are of a selected strain and very quiet. When 

 they are off, the large doors are lowered and the hens 

 are left from one-quarter to three-quarters of an hour, 

 according to the weather, while the poulterer is repeat- 

 ing the operation at the other buildings. When the 

 hens are off, inspect every nest to detect broken eggs, or 

 anything else amiss. The sitters upon one side are all 

 admitted to their nests at once, by raising the large wire 

 doors, and then shut in safe from rats or the intrusions 

 of laying hens, by the separate pieces of wire cloth. 

 Repeat the operation at the nests on the opposite side 

 of the house. 



The houses for sitters should be located near the begin- 

 ning and the finish of the route the wagon takes in 

 attending to the main laying stock, thus making it con- 

 venient to work in the sitting department at intervals 

 through the day and give the sitters a long spell off in 

 warm weather. On very warm days, they should be off 

 the nests from one to three hours on a stretch. In very 



