63 



during the day and by getting up two or three times a night to 

 trim the lamp or to pull out plugs so that the surplus heat 

 might escape, he was able to keep the temperature somewhere 

 near where it ought to be. But one warm Sunday, while he 

 was at church, the temperature took a leap upward, and when 

 he returned at noon the thermometer registered 120 degrees. 

 As a consequence 180 chickens were prematurely roasted, and 

 nearly three weeks of valuable time lost. The young man 

 has lost confidence in incubators, and now hatches his chick- 

 ens with hens. An incubator should be bought at least a 

 month before it is to be started on eggs, in order that the op- 

 erator may become thoroughly familiar with the machine and 

 "know how to run it right. 



A NATURAL HEN INCUBATOR. 



The work of caring for sitting hens may be greatly reduced 

 by the construction of what I may call a natural hen incuba- 

 tor, the design for which is shown here. 



This natural hen incubator may be of any length ; but 

 .should be two feet deep, two feet high, and divided into com- 



The Natural Hen Incubator. 



partments 18 inches wide. Some prefer a door to each com- 

 partment, but I find it more convenient to have the doors 

 somewhat longer, so that one may enclose a number of divi- 

 sions. The top should be hinged at the back, so that it can be 

 lifted up if desired, as shown in the cut; but ordinarily it is 

 shut down. The door front is covered with chicken wire. 

 Each compartment should be in two divisions, so if a hen 

 wishes to leave her nest temporarily she can do so. 



If possible, enough hens should be set at one time to utilize 

 all the compartments behind a door. The door should be kept 

 latched except in the morning when it is opened, the hens 

 taken off, fed and watered and left to dust. In from 10 to 20 



