CARE OF THE SITTING HEN 319 



hen varies according to the size of the hen, size of the eggs, and 

 the season of the year. Birds of medium size will cover from nine 

 to twelve eggs with very little difficulty, while larger birds will 

 cover twelve to eighteen. It is safest to put in the nest one or two 

 less than the hen can conveniently cover rather than too many. If 

 there are too many eggs, some are liable to^be broken or injured, 

 for their position in the nest will be changed continually, and all 

 will receive a lessened degree of heat. Under ordinary conditions 

 the average hen will cover fifteen eggs without inconvenience. 

 With larger eggs, such as duck eggs, not so many can be placed in 

 the same nest, eight to ten duck eggs under one hen being about 

 the right number, while five goose eggs and six turkey eggs can 

 be covered by a single hen. During warm weather more eggs can 

 be placed in a nest than during cold weather, so that in the winter 

 it is well to reduce the above numbers by one or two to insure the 

 most abundant hatch. 



Care of the Sitting Hen. In the care of the sitting hen system 

 is worth more than all other points combined; for, in the absence 

 of this, the birds may become mixed, the eggs disarranged, the 

 hatching time of the different nests forgotten or confounded, and 

 certain loss will be the result. In the management of sitting hens, 

 it is a safe rule to keep them all confined except when they are let 

 out for feed and water. This will obviate any danger of their 

 becoming mixed. They should be provided with feed and water 

 at a regular time each day, for this teaches them to expect it at 

 such time, and they will immediately come off the nest to eat and 

 soon return; therefore less time is consumed in feeding them satis- 

 factorily. The nests should be numbered in rotation. It is a good 

 plan to set hens on the same day each week, as this will bring all 

 the testing and hatching on certain days, thereby precluding the 

 embarrassment of not knowing when this work ought to be done. 

 Since natural incubation is essentially a matter of detail, most 

 careful and thoughtful attention should be given to it. 



Feed for the Sitting Hen. The main feed of the hen should 

 be whole or cracked grain, which may be fed either on the floor 

 in the vicinity of the nest or, better, in self-feeding hoppers. A 

 constant supply should be kept before them, corn being an im- 

 portant constituent of the ration. No wet feed, such as wet mashes, 

 should be given, for it tends to produce looseness of the bowels, 

 which is detrimental. 



Fresh water should be provided in a clean vessel. During 



