cocker's manual. 39 



little distance. Undoubtedly it is important that setting hens should 

 have a little exercise, as well as that the eggs should be exposed to the 

 circulation of air, to carry off any stj^gnant vapor which has been 

 proved by experiments to be deleterious and destructive to the chicks 

 still in the egg. We have ourselves remarked that setting hens are as 

 fond of rubbing themselves in the dust as they are of food and water ; 

 and we have always indulged them, evidently with benefit, in this habit. 

 Other hens will sit so closely and long that they are in danger of 

 starving themselves for want of food. Of such it has been said they 

 have been- known to faint outright, as if dead, and which, when the 

 chickens were hatched, were so exhausted as scarcely to be able to at- 

 tend them. It is recommended that such should be fed on the nest." 



We find in the April number of the Fanciers' Journal a well written 

 article upon this subject and of interest to all breeders : 



"Burn out every nest-box, new or old, before and after using. The 

 cJiarred surface will not favor the lodgment of vermin. Fill each 

 nest-bottom with freshly cut sod slightly hollowed towards the center, 

 covering with fine straw. Sprinkle nest and hen with carbolic pow- 

 der. Don't use too much sulphur; in fact if carbolic powder is ob- 

 tainable don't use it at all. Let your hen get accustomed to the nest 

 before trusting her with the eggs ; then give the eggs, to her, quietly 

 inserting them under her rather than giving her to the eggs. 'Make 

 haste slowly." Don't give her more than she can cover and care for 

 well. Mark the eggs with ink, giving kind, if necessary, and date of 

 sitting, preserving a duplicate record in a book kept for the purpose. 

 Examine the nest daily. If an egg is broken, or even cracked, re- 

 move it. If the remaining eggs have any trace of the disaster, clean 

 them from it by washing them carefully in tepid water. The contents 

 of an egg are alive or dead. If alive they must have air. If the pores 

 or air-ducts of the shell are closed, the contents die of suffocation. 

 The grave is made and hermetically sealed. It is our plan to moisten 

 the eggs and nests three times during the last ten days of incubation 

 when the nest is in a dry, warm situation, and the hen not permitted 

 the freedom of out-of-doors. We have found it done most easily and 

 effectually by a fine rose sprinkler, using tepid water. If a chick must 

 be helped from the shell, give it aid in the form of warmth, and 

 warmth only. Insert the pipped or unpipped egg if you are assured 

 that it contains life, in warm water, being careful to keep the opening 



