88 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



gather the eggs twice a day, at least ; otherwise some 

 of them may be incubated by the succession of lay- 

 ing hens for several hours. If the eggs are fertile, 

 this is enough to start the germ into development. 



As a matter of fact, it is better to have no male 

 bird with the flock. There probably will be more 

 eggs and less danger of broken ones. If an egg 

 is broken in the nest, it should be removed from the 

 pen. If thrown on the floor, the habit of eating 

 eggs may be established. The nest should be thor- 

 oughly cleaned out and fresh hay substituted. 



The color of the yolks is influenced by the feed- 

 ing. Yolks which are yellow to an objectional de- 

 gree indicate an almost exclusive diet of corn. Al- 

 falfa, clover and grass clippings tend to give the 

 yolks a rich shade of yellow, just as they affect the 

 color of milk. Rape fed to excess gives a very pale 

 shade to the yolks, over-much cabbage makes them 

 thin. 



Eggs should be kept in a cool, dry place. Dry- 

 ness is very important because germs cannot pene- 

 trate the membrane of the egg unless it becomes 

 moist. Sometimes eggs absorb the odors of other 

 food stored close by, if highly scented like bananas 

 and onions. 



