200 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



with good insect or louse powder l.)efore being placed on the 

 eggs, and the ])rocess re])cated at the end of the first and 

 second weeks of the incultating i)criod. It is unsafe to dust 

 the hens just before hatching because some of the commeri'ial 

 powders are of such strength that they will kill chicks under 

 a week old. 



Care should l)e taken to be particularly thorough in w'orking 

 the powder well into the feathers, under the wings, and the 

 fluff around the vent. These are the regions which usually 

 show the heaviest infestation. 



It is always a safe precaution to grease tlie heads of hen- 

 hatched chicks with lard, in order to preclude the possibility 

 of head lice. 



Number of Eggs per Hen. — The number of eggs that should 

 be given to one lien is determined liy the size of the hen and 

 the season of the year. The usual number constituting a 

 setting is fifteen. In cold weatlier, however, eleven to 

 thirteen is all that one hen of medium size can cover success- 

 fully. ^Mlen the weather is warm, fifteen, or if it is A'cry 

 warm, seventeen eggs may be placed imder a hen with 

 safety. 



Breaking up Broody Hens. — When hens tliat are not desired 

 for setting become broody, and it is desired to keep them 

 from the nests of the layers and to induce them to lay again 

 as soon as possible, they should be confined in a coop that 

 oilers no opportunity for nesting. The broody coop shown in 

 Figure 1-5."), having a slatted bottom, is useful for this purpcjse. 



During the time that the birds are confined they should be 

 well fed and cared for, so that they will soon be in laying 

 trim. For all but the heaviest breeds a few daj's of confine- 

 ment on a bare floor with no nesting material will be sufficient 

 to overcome the desire for setting. The starvation and other 

 mistreatments sometimes recommended are not only in- 

 human, but are also bad jiractice from the standpoint of 

 pniduction. 



History of Artificial Incubation. — The hatching of chicks 

 by artificial means has been practised by the Chinese and 

 Fgyptians since centuries before Christ. In Egypt, tradition 

 credits the invention to the ancient jiriests of the Temple of 



