80 MY POULTRY DAY BY DAY 
tell the infertile eggs from the fertile by holding them up in a 
dark room to a concentrated light. If the eggs are fertile they 
will show a small dark mass on one side. This is the nucleus of the 
young chick. The infertile eggs will be just as clear as the day 
you put them in the nest, and they can be used for cooking. They 
are quite good. If you are in any doubt about the fertility of the 
egg better leave it in the nest. 
On the twentieth day, if your eggs were new, you may see the 
chicks beginning to appear. Some may be hatched. If you 
have two broods hatching at the same time it is better to give all 
the newly hatched chicks to one hen and all the eggs in the process 
of hatching to another. If there are not more than, say, fifteen 
young chicks in the two broods you can put them all under one 
hen. She will like it. The other broody you can put on a fresh 
nest of eggs or return her whence she came. 
Occasionally a chicken will find it difficult to struggle out of the 
shell. Experts will tell you not to trouble helping it out, because 
if you do and it live it will never do any good. Perhaps. Any- 
how I have helped out a few and they lived, and I know of no reason 
to suppose they did not thrive. My motto is “Give the thing a 
chance.” 
WHEN THE CHICKS ARE HATCHED 
As the chickens are hatched clear away the eggshells and make 
the place comfortable. You ought also, as soon as possible, to re- 
move the hen and her baby chicks to a coop with arun. The coop 
will be the nursery and bedroom for all and the run will be for the 
chicks alone. The run should be made of wire with a fine mesh 
to keep out birds and rats, or one made of wood with wire on top 
will do equally well. 
ABOUT Coops 
If possible the bottom of the coop should be made of wood and 
should not be a fixture. In other words, it should be cut to the 
size of the coop and the coop placed on top. This arrangement 
