86 The Essentials of Poultry Raising 



201. Vigor of Chicks. If the hen is irregular in sitting and 

 stays off the nest too long, thus allowing the eggs to become 

 chilled, or if the eggs are in an incubator and the temperature 

 is irregular or too high, the chicks will be more or less weak. 

 A large egg hatches a large chick, and this chick outgrows 

 the small, runty chick hatched from a small egg. ~ Immature 

 cockerels produce weak chicks. Improper care and feeding of 

 the breeding stock also tend to the producing of weak chicks. 



202. When to Hatch Chicks. The utility breeds, such as the 

 Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Wyandottes, should 

 be hatched in February and March. The smaller egg producing 

 breeds, as the Leghorns, should be hatched from the last week 

 in March to the first week in May. 



203. Average Length of Time Required to Hatch Eggs. Hen 

 eggs hatch in twenty-one days, goose eggs in thirty days, duck 

 eggs in twenty-eight days, turkey eggs in twenty-eight days, 

 guinea eggs in thirty days, and pigeon eggs in seventeen days. 



204. How to Set a Hen. Make. a frame. fourteen inches square 

 and six inches high. Place it in the center of the combination 

 sitting and brooding coop. Use as nesting material excelsior 

 or fine hay. With the hand round out the nest well, so there 

 will be no pockets in the corners for the eggs to roll into, and 

 thoroughly press down the center, making a good U-shaped nest. 

 Secure a hen that is broody and place her on the nest with one 

 egg. Hang a burlap bag in front of the coop and on the second 

 day take the hen off and feed and water her. If she goes back 

 on the nest, she may be set on the following day. The sitting 

 coop makes it possible to keep clean water and feed before the 

 hen at all times and allow her to come off when she chooses. 

 Dust the hen with insect powder when she is set and again 

 when she is taken from the nest with chicks. 



205. The Kind Of Hen That Makes the Best Mother. The 

 best mothers are the larger breeds, as the Rhode Island Reds 

 or the Plymouth Rocks. The hen should be well-feathered and 



