NUMBEB OF NESTS REQUIBED 19 



Sand or dirt may be used in this passage but not nest material as that 

 would tempt some of the bens to lay outside of the nests. A space wide 

 enough to .admit the hens to the passage, should be left at the center or 

 any preferred place in the row. 



If the nests are used back to the wall they should be so placed that 

 the hens cannot get behind them. When one nest is to be placed on 

 top of another, a board should be fastened to the top of the under box, 

 projecting about 6 inches in front to permit the hen to reach the upper 

 nest;, cleats may be nailed to the board to prevent the nest from being 

 pushed off by the hens. If such a board be fastened to the bottom of 

 the box, the nest may be hung on the wall at any convenient height, 

 provided it has the hinged front, or a door in the side. The Ideal nests 

 may be made in banks or groups, "one box for each pen," if you wish, 

 but most poultry keepers, I think, prefer to have their nests single and 

 separate. I also prefer to make them with a bottom but it is not 

 necessary. 



A hen will often select one nest in which she will lay day after day, 

 sometimes waiting a considerable length of time for it to be vacated. 

 Taking advantage of this habit, I frequently "break them up" when 

 broody simply by locking them out of their favorite nest and they will 

 often begin laying again in a short time. While this will not be suc- 

 cessful in every case it is well worth trying, for the brooding habit can 

 be controlled to a considerable extent by the judicious use of the Ideal. 



The constant handling of the laying hens and the frequent collections 

 of their eggs has a tendency to keep them laying and overcome the in- 

 clination to sit. The trap nest has exploded the theory that a hen will 

 only lay a certain number of eggs and then "go broody." The tiny 

 eggs that have been commonly supposed to indicate the "end of the 

 litter" may be laid at any time by hens that are out of condition. 



When sitting hens are wanted they should be left on the nests as long 

 as they will stay voluntarily, when they want to get out they should 

 be released; do not try to force them to sit. Their eggs should be 

 marked and dated and returned to them. When a hen begins to cluck, 

 or has remained on the nest quietly for a day and a night, she may be 

 removed to the hatching room, even if she has not stopped laying. Here 

 seclusion and quiet, plenty of whole corn, grit and water and a few 

 nest eggs will generally bring about the desired result. 



NUMBER OF NESTS REQUIRED. 



It is impossible to state the exact number of nests required, in every 

 case, as that depends upon the number of eggs laid daily and the fre- 

 quency of collections. There should be enough nests so that they will 

 not all be occupied at one time. When a ben wants to lay she should 



