NATURAL INCUBATION 6l 



reliable insect powder. Hold the hen by the legs 

 with your left hand and lay her breast upon a piece 

 of paper. Sprinkle the powder with a dusting gun 

 or from a perforated tin box into the feathers, 

 rubbing it in well as you go along. Cover every 

 part of her plumage, under the wings, on her back, 

 around the vent, and in the hackle. Hold the hen 

 down for a minute or two so that the powder can 

 take effect and to prevent the hen from shaking the 

 powder off. By laying the hen on a piece of paper all 

 the powder which has fallen off can be again used, 

 thus saving considerable from each application. 



Never set the hen upon the good eggs until she 

 has been thoroughly tested out. Put her on some 

 china or other dummy eggs for a few days at least 

 and watch her actions closely during this tryout. 

 Take her off the nest a few times and if she goes 

 back and sits closely you may put in the good 

 eggs and start operations. This plan is a protection 

 to the poultry raiser, as some hens will at times show 

 signs of being clucky and then quit again within 

 a few days. My idea is to try them out for five 

 or six days before counting them as safe. 



Hens proving reliable setters should be marked, so 

 that they may easily be recognized when they again 

 become "clucky." The best way to mark them is to 

 band them and keep a record of the band number. 



It often pays to keep the good setters from one 

 season to another for several years at least. 



