PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



Before placing on the nest she is carefully dusted with insect 

 powder and some of it is also dusted in the nest. It is a good 

 plan to change the hen from the laying house to the nest 

 at night. By morning she will probably be contented with 

 her new surroundings, and the setting of 13 or 14 eggs can be 

 placed under her. Dusting should again be done about the 

 15th day, and at that time the nesting material should be 

 changed. Occasionally the nest should be examined, and, if 

 any of the eggs have been soiled by a broken egg, they should 

 be washed in tepid water and new nesting material provided. 

 If this is not done the embryos will smother, as the albumen 

 from the broken egg completely closes the pores of all sur- 

 faces that it smears. 



Where Shall the Hen be Kept? 



Not in the laying house, for that means almost certain dis- 

 aster. There are three good methods of providing room for 

 the sitting hen. One method is to make the nest in the brood 

 coop. This is provided with an outside slatted runway, so that 

 she can secure any needed exercise, and a place is provided 

 where food can be placed before her without interference from 

 other fowls. When the hen hatches, the nesting material is 

 removed, and the coop becomes the home of the hen and 

 brood. It should be stated here that the hen should be kept 

 confined for at least two weeks. After that she may be allowed 

 to range, with the brood, at least in the afternoons. 



A second method is to provide a small building with com- 

 partments. I have used this system for several years. The 

 building is 12x24 feet. There is an aisle through the center 

 and on each side two rows of compartments. The lower floor 

 should be concrete and the upper floor wood. The rooms are 

 three feet wide and four feet deep. This provides for 32 rooms 

 in the building, and, if one hen is placed in each room, that 

 number of hens can be accommodated. Two can be put in each 

 room, if they are taken from the same breeding pen. 



In that way 64 hens covering 800 to 900 eggs can be han- 

 dled with little trouble. If the nest boxes are six inches deep 

 there will .be trouble when the hatch comes off, for some of 

 the chicks will creep out of the nest and, unable to get back, 

 will become chilled. This danger is avoided by making a few 

 frames of 1x4 inch boards the exact size of the nest box and 



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