412 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



incubation, even in cold weather. The bottom of the nest 

 should be slightly lower in the center so that the eggs will 

 tend to keep closely together, but if the nest is too deep in 

 the center, the eggs are more apt to be crushed or broken. 

 Just enough gradual drop is necessary to keep the eggs under 

 the hen and in the center of the nest. Less chicks are crushed 

 during hatching in a nest that is flat or almost flat, therefore 

 the nest may be flattened by removing the material on the 

 outside when hatching time arrives, so that the eggs on the 

 outside will not exert too much pressure on the newly hatched 

 chicks, or on the chicks that are partly out of the shell and 

 are located in the center of the nest. 



Care During the Sitting Period. Vermin must not be 

 allowed to exist on a sitting hen, and she should have her 

 plumage treated with lice killing powder just before she is 

 set, and again every six days, the last time at least twenty- 

 four hours before the chicks are expected to break the shell. 

 Usually the hen will do well while sitting if fed on a variety 

 of hard grains, but many poultry-keepers depend entirely on 

 corn, and we have had good results by feeding that grain 

 alone during the incubating period, perhaps because corn 

 is a heating food, and the hen requires considerable of that 

 kind of nourishment to keep up the incubating temperature. 

 To assist digestion a supply of grit and charcoal should always 

 be ready when the hen comes off the nest, as well as plenty 

 of fresh, clean water. The hen should leave the nest once a 

 day, and usually the morning is the best time. The hen 

 knows when feeding times come and is nervous and restless 

 if it is allowed to pass without feed being given her. This 

 results in a complete or partial loss of the eggs. Hence, 

 punctuality and regularity in feeding and care are vitally im- 

 portant. 



Care at Hatching Period. When the chicks are hatching, 

 it is well to remove the empty shells so that they will not cap 

 the unhatched eggs and perhaps prevent the chicks from 

 getting out. When the hatch is complete the hen should be 

 encouraged to stay on the nest for twenty-four hours, after 

 she has been taken off, fed, and returned. In cold w r eather, 

 the chicks should be covered with a warm cloth while the 

 mother hen is being fed. 



Care of Baby Chicks. When they are from twenty-four to 

 thirty-six hours old, the hen and brood should be removed to 

 the brood coop and it is best to darken the coop at intervals 



