120 HATCHING AND REARING 



thoroughly with a good lice powder at the beginning of the 

 hatch, and again just before the eggs pip, danger from this 

 parasite is materially reduced. 



Weaning. — As soon as the chicks are old and big enough 

 to look out for themselves, they should be separated from 

 the mother hen, who, if put back into the laying house, will 

 begin again to lay, and thus increase the egg yield and 

 revenue. After they are five weeks old, the chicks will grow 

 faster if not compelled to stay at night in the warm shelter 

 with the hen (Fig. 67). The time for the mother hen to be 

 removed from them depends somewhat upon season and 

 weather conditions. She should never be taken away before 

 they are five weeks old, and never during cold, rainy weather. 

 As soon as it is possible to distinguish the pullets from the 

 cockerels, they should be separated, as the pullets grow 

 better by themselves, while cockerels will more rapidly 

 become plump for broilers if kept rather closely confined 

 under forced feeding. Natural incubation is a natural proc- 

 ess. Given a good sitting hen and good eggs, the result will 

 always be satisfactory. 



LABORATORY EXERCISE 



Exercise No. 19. — Allow members of the class to set 

 one or more hens. Barrels or boxes may be secured for nests. 

 The pupils should follow instruction carefully, as given in 

 the text, when making the nest, selecting the sitters and man- 

 aging the hens during incubation. If hens are not owned 

 by the school, some members of the class will doubtless be 

 willing to contribute some for the work. The setting of 

 hens at home should be encouraged. The pupil should keep 

 a careful record of the work and report from time to time 

 upon the results obtained. Prizes may be offered for the 

 best hatches and broods. The above work is best carried 

 on as laboratory work before and after school, rather than 

 as exercises during school hours. 



