THE BROODY HEN 79 
Whether one finds them or not one ought as a precautionary 
measure to “dust” the broody round the neck, under the wings 
and round the vent with some special insect powder, which can 
usually be obtained at the corn-chandler’s. 
Having dealt with the insects, place the broody gently on the 
eggs, wish her luck and close the door of the shed quietly behind 
you. To make quite sure that all is wel', return in a few minutes, 
and without disturbing her see if she is sitting tight. If she is not 
on the nest give her another chance, and indeed it will not matter 
much if you wait till next morning. If she is sitting then all is 
well, but if not you will have to try another hen. Nine times out 
of ten she will take quietly to her work. 
Every morning, then, you will return, lift her off the nest and 
feed her by scattering grain, or for preference maize. Maize is 
the more heating, and will assist in keeping up the “fever ”’ called 
broodiness. You will also, of course, let her drink. She may 
wander around a few minutes before returning to her nest, but if 
she takes too long you can gently shepherd her back. Nature has 
ordained that the eggs be slightly lowered in temperature once in 
twenty-four hours, and this the hen does by coming off the nest for 
from five to ten minutes. It is usually at this interval too that she 
“turns” the eggs, as she settles down on them again. In the 
incubator the eggs must be cooled by being exposed to the colder 
air a few minutes, and the eggs must be turned by hand or other 
mechanical arrangement. The broody hen saves you all this fuss. 
She turns the eggs, and as a rule those on the outside of the nest 
to-day will be found on the inside to-morrow. A very wise bird ! 
Every day for twenty or twenty-one days you visit her and go 
through the same performance. I had a dozen broodies sitting in 
one shed and I lifted them all off their nests at the same time. 
Sometimes they made a mistake and returned to another nest, but 
I did not disturb them, and it made no difference inthe end. There 
is nothing to be alarmed about if two hens swop nests. If about 
the sixteenth day you lift an egg, put it to your ear and listen, you 
will hear the heart beating of the young chick inside. Perhaps I 
ought to have told you that about the sixth or seventh day you can 
