42 



THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



and water properly, and give her fertile eggs, you will 

 usually have no need whatever to berate your sitting 

 hen. I should warn you again, however, that the con- 

 dition of the hen at the beginning of the hatch is a most 

 important point. Some of your hens will not make good 

 hatchers because their temperature is too low, especially 

 early in the season. A hen that is too fat will be 

 clumsy ; but one in high condition, plump and in finest 

 health, will be the one that will usually give you the 

 best hatches, other things being equal. 



Your sitters should be kept quiet, and be subject to 

 no interference, either from other birds, or from chil- 

 dren or adults who are not their regular attendants. 

 They should leave the nest at least once a day, for feed 

 and water. Most people remove them all at the same 

 time during the morning round, in order to save uncer- 

 tainties, and see that they all get back properly. This 

 is one of the regular morning chores. It is altogether 

 better to start several sitters at the same time. If eggs 

 are strongly fertile, from a good even lot of hens, you 

 will have a fine bunch of chicks, all of similar age and 

 strength, so that they start fair, at least, if from good stock. 



If anything is wrong with the eggs, as shown at 

 testing time, the good eggs can be divided among a 

 part of the hens, and fresh clutches given to the rest, 

 thus saving their time. I would not give one hen more 

 than eleven hens' eggs during February or March, at 

 the north ; but from April i onward, it is usually safe 

 to use thirteen, and large hens will cover fifteen nicely. 

 But one should always consider that the hen must move 

 her eggs about in the nest continually. Therefore, the 

 more eggs she has, the greater are the chances of acci- 



