624 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



pounds, and of quiet disposition should be selected. They should be 

 kept where they will be comfortable, easily controlled and free from 

 annoyance by other fowls. A small brood coop is advisable for each hen 

 during warm weather. These coops may be placed in a cool, shady location 

 and the nest made upon the ground, a bottomless box about five inches high 

 being used to confine the nesting material. During cool weather, a com- 

 fortable room should be provided. The nests used should be approximately 

 14 inches square. They should be constructed so that each hen may be 

 confined to her own nest. In this way a number of hens may be set in 

 the same room, all being released for food and water at the same time. 

 It is necessary to see that each hen returns to her nest as soon as through 

 feeding. Several hens should be set at the same time. This will save 

 labor and allow the chicks hatched by two or three hens to be given to 

 one for brooding. Hens should be removed from their regular nests to 

 the nests in which they are to be set after dark. If handled quietly and 

 given a few decoy eggs they may usually be moved without difficulty. 

 The hen should be allowed to become accustomed to her new surroundings 

 before setting her. This usually requires two to three days. 



Setting hens must be kept Iree from lice and mites. The nest box 

 and the walls of the coop or room should be painted or sprayed with a 

 good lice killer a few days before the hens are set. The hen should be 

 well dusted with a good insect powder two or three days before the eggs 

 are placed under her and again two or three days before the chicks hatch. 



The feed for setting hens should consist of hard grains. No wet or 

 dry mashes should be given. A constant supply of fresh water, grit and 

 shell should be provided. 



One hen should not be given, more than twelve eggs during cold 

 weather or more than fifteen during warm weather. 



Should any eggs become broken in the nest, the nesting material 

 should be renewed and all badly soiled eggs washed in water at a tem- 

 perature of 90° F. 



Hatching with Incubators. — There should be no difficulty in hatching 

 chicks with incubators if a good machine and good eggs are used. Different 

 types of incubators require different care. Each manufacturer has com- 

 piled a set of directions for the operation of his incubator under average 

 conditions. These directions should be carefully followed and an exact 

 record kept of the operation of the machine throughout the hatch. If 

 results are not satisfactory, variations should be made in the operation 

 of the incubator during the following hatch as the judgment of the operator 

 indicates. Poor hatches are more often due to poor eggs than to any 

 failure on the part of the incubator. 



BROODING 

 Importance of the Brooder. — The greater part of the mortality among 

 young chicks occurs during the first four to six weeks. The losses during 



