36 BIGGIE POULTRY BOOK. 



a little more, or tearing the tough surrounding mem- 

 brane. Caution and experience are needed in the 

 operation. 



Eggs late in hatching are benefited by putting 

 them for a few minutes in warm water tempered to 

 about 103 degrees. If containing live chicks they will 

 be seen to move in the water. If the chicks are dead 

 they will remain perfectly still. After this warm bath 

 the eggs should be put back at once under the hen 

 without suffering them to become chilled. 



Never in any case take all the chicks from the 

 nest of a hen that is afterwards to be used as the 

 mother of a brood ; and if the chicks are of several 

 colors, leave at least one of each color in the nest. 

 Attention to these points will avoid trouble when the 

 brood is returned to her. 



Chicks taken from the nest should be put in a 

 basket covered with woolen cloth, and placed near a 

 stove. Do not remove from the nest until their down 

 is dry. Such as show unusual weakness may be 

 revived by pouring down their throats a few drops of 

 warm, new milk. 



Strong chicks need no food for twenty-four hours 

 after hatching. If this time expires before it is con- 

 venient to return them to the hen, they may be fed in 

 a box by a sunny window, and be put in their basket 

 nest again until evening. The hen and her " sample 

 lot" may, in the meanwhile, be fed near the nest. 

 After dark the rest of the brood should be returned to 

 her, and by the next morning mother and chicks are 

 ready for the coop, which should be ready for the brood. 



In cold weather it is best to set coops in an open 



