126 THE HOME POULTRY BOOK 



ing the period of incubation. If left to her own 

 devices, the hen will lay many more eggs than she 

 can cover, so that it is customary to remove them. 

 This proceeding is one which demands caution, for 

 the guinea hen is a wise and suspicious bird. Peo- 

 ple say she can count to five. Anyway, that num- 

 ber of eggs should always be left in the nest and 

 those which are removed, while the hen seeks pro- 

 vender, must be lifted out with a wooden spoon. 

 The amateur may laugh at this statement, and call 

 it an old wife's tale. He will learn better when he 

 sees nest after nest abandoned. 



The eggs removed should be given to hens, al- 

 though the latter might refuse to take them if they 

 realized the task confronting them. Guinea chicks 

 are strange little creatures. They fairly pop out of 

 their shells when the day of hatching comes, and as 

 soon as they are dried off, they are ready to start 

 out to see the world. Unless boards or netting is 

 placed around the nest, there is danger that the ven- 

 turesome young guineas will wander away and be- 

 come lost. Although they grow rapidly and soon 

 become quite capable of caring for themselves, 

 they refuse to be weaned and continue to tag after 

 the hen which has mothered them until they 



