HATCHING AND BROODING WITH MOTHER HEN 41 



think the one worst mistake made by the majority of 

 poultry handlers, even those who are not Beginners, is 

 to make the nests and coops too small. A foot added 

 to the length and width of a small coop may double its 

 capacity and more than double the possibilities of secur- 

 ing a well-raised brood. 



In speaking of depth, above, I meant depth from 

 front to rear. The actual depth of the nest, which car- 

 ries the eggs to be hatched, is really one of the impor- 

 tant points, taken in conjunction with its shape. Upon 

 these two points often rests the fate of the expected 

 brood. If you ask me what is the one thing most to be 

 feared in connection with the sitting hen, I shall be 

 compelled to answer, " Broken eggs." It is this that 

 leads to every other evil. It fouls both hen and nest, 

 and this leads to attacks of vermin. It closes the pores 

 of the eggs so that many chicks are almost sure to die 

 in the shell. With many chicks dead in the shell, and 

 the rest swarming with lice, what chance have you left for 

 success ? 



There are three things which you can do to ward off 

 these evils ; these three things are worth more than all 

 the after work of every kind that you can possibly give. 

 You can make the nest of such shape in the bottom that 

 the eggs wilt- neither lie upon their fellows, nor roll away 

 from them and out from under the sitter ; you can pow- 

 der the hen carefully with insect powder at the begin- 

 ning of each week of incubation, holding her head 

 downward, and making sure that the moderate amount 

 of powder used works down to the skin where the lice 

 hide ; you can select your eggs very carefully for firm, 

 substantial shells. If you do these three things, feed 



