POULTRY FOR PROFIT 53 



to let her off for the first two days, for the eggs 

 are likely to be chilled if she is slow in returning. 



Moisture in the Nest 



Many people sprinkle the eggs under a hen two 

 or three times the last week. The advisability of 

 this depends entirely upon the weather. When it 

 is very dry I try to keep the dirt under the nest 

 moist by pouring a little water in under the nest 

 litter now and then. If the eggs are sprinkled, 

 warm water should be used, but not until the hen 

 is ready to go back on her nest. The eggs are not 

 as easily chilled the last week as they are the first, 

 but it is best to be careful. 



Where this is possible it is always best to set hens 

 on the ground, for moisture from below is drawn 

 up into the nest and helps maintain the right degree 

 of humidity. 



Hatching is more difficult in Southern California 

 than in many places on account of the dryness of 

 the air, and it is usually necessary, except near the 

 coast or in very wet weather, to add a little extra 

 moisture. 



OPERATING THE INCUBATOR 



It is always wise for the beginner to follow im- 

 plicitly the directions that come with the incubator 

 he is using and not to be led astray by anything he 

 may have read or heard on the subject. It is some- 

 times hard to do this, but it must be done. The 

 manufacturer of the incubator has given much time 

 to learning how best to run it, and he knows more 

 about its peculiarities than any one who has not 

 become acquainted with it. When you have thor- 

 oughly learned your machine, its peculiarities and 

 its faults, and the principles on which ventilation 



