Breeding and Management. 65 



take her ont of the cage and examine her. If she be found 

 to be egg-bound, drop a few drops of salad, olive, or almond 

 oil on the vent; and, if she does not get better, or lay within 

 an hour after this treatment, roll her up in flannel and place 

 her beside a brisk fire, taking care to leave her head out; if 

 she gets worse, give her two drops of castor oil open her 

 bill as wide as possible and get some one to drop it over 

 her tongue with a warmed knitting-needle. After she has laid 

 replace her in her cage, and give her a little sponge cake 

 soaked in sherry wine, and add more sugar to the egg and 

 bread. If she has a difficulty in laying her eggs afterwards 

 keep her in a warm room until she lays her complement. 

 Be careful not to break the egg before it is laid, or the bird 

 will die. 



Another commendable plan is to take the hen about to lay 

 in your hand (having first well warmed it), about three- 

 parts fill a cup with hot water, cover it with a 

 thick piece of flannel, or two folds of a thinner material, and 

 rest the lower portion of the bird's body and vent on this 

 for a space of fifteen or twenty minutes, taking care not to 

 scald the patient during the operation. The best plan is to 

 retain the bird in your hand, spreading your fingers wide 

 apart to let the steam have as much play on the body aa 

 possible, as it is from this that the benefit is chiefly derived; 

 by adopting this method there is no danger of having 

 the water too hot. The vent of the bird should likewise be 

 oiled. A little scalded rape-seed and green food given for 

 a few days prior to the bird's laying will generally prevent 

 egg-binding. In bad cases I have found that half a tea- 

 spoonful of whisky or brandy mixed with the drinking- 

 water is of great service; it' acts as a gentle stimulant and 

 revives the patient wonderfully. 



REMOVAL OP EGGS WHILST LAYING. When the hens 

 commence to lay, remove their eggs, one by one, until each 

 hen has laid three, giving them instead a nest-egg, unless, 

 as sometimes happens, though but very rarely, that a hen 

 only lays two, in which case they must be given to her; 



