Time of Incubation. 57 



for those that are fertile, and the warmth is not wasted 

 upon barren eggs. They may be easily proved by holding 

 them near to the flame of a candle, the eye being kept 

 shaded by one hand, when the fertile eggs will appear dark 

 and the sterile transparent. Another plan is to place the 

 eggs on a drum, or between the hands, in the sunshine, 

 and observe the shadow. If this wavers, by the motion of 

 the chick, the eggs are good ; but if the shadow shows no 

 motion, they are unfertile. If two hens have been sitting 

 during the same time, and many unfertile eggs are found 

 in the two nests, all the fertile eggs should be placed under 

 one hen, and a fresh batch given to the other. The eggs 

 should not be moved after this time, except by the hen, 

 more especially when incubation has proceeded for some 

 time, lest the position of the chick be interfered with, 

 for if taken up a little time before its exit, and incautiously 

 replaced with the large end lowermost, the chicken, from 

 its position, will not be able to chip the shell, and must 

 therefore perish. The forepart of the chicken is towards 

 the biggest end of the egg, and it is so placed in the shell 

 that the beak is always uppermost. When the egg of a 

 choice breed has been cracked towards the end of the 

 period of incubation, the crack may be covered with a slip 

 of gummed paper, or the imprinted border that is round 

 a sheet of postage stamps, and the damaged eg^- will 

 probably yet produce a fine chick. 



It is a good plan to set two hens on the same day, for 

 the two broods may be united under one if desirable ; Mid 

 on the hatching day, to prevent the newly-born chickens 

 being crushed by the unmatched eggs, all that are hatched 

 can be given to one hen, and the other take charge of the 

 eggs, which are then more likely to be hatched, as, while 

 the chickens are under the hen, she will sit higher from 

 the eggs, and afford them less warmth when they require 

 it most. 



The hen of all kinds of gallinaceous fowls, from the 

 Bantam to the Cochin-China, sits for twenty-one days, at 

 which time, on an average, the chickens break the shell ; 

 but if the eggs are new laid it will often lessen the time 



