48 THE BEGINNER IN POULTRY 



within which means a developing chick. This small 

 body lies on one side (but is mobile within the egg to 

 some extent) and toward the large end of the egg. 

 Around it, and tending to lie lengthwise of the egg, is an 

 indistinct nebula, a bit reddish or darkened ; but much 

 of the egg is at this time still clear. The infertile egg, 

 or the one which has died very early, may show only a 

 central, floating globe a bit darker than the body of the 



egg- 

 As the chick develops, the darker portion spreads 

 and intensifies, day by day, till, when the hatch is about 

 two thirds through, the shell is nearly filled with the 

 body of the chick, which makes it opaque except for the 

 air space. 



Your part of the brooding is very simple. It will 

 consist, first, in seeing that the mother's feathers are 

 entirely free from matting. A bit of soft feed or of 

 white of egg may have caused them to stick together 

 near the tips. One morning you may go out to find 

 your best chick hung by the neck in this natural noose, 

 if you have not made sure that the feathers are free. 

 Then, it is rather safe, even if you have powdered the hen 

 carefully, to rub one or two drops of liquid oil like sweet 

 oil or hens' oil into the down on the head of each chick. 

 If there is any reason for distinguishing these chicks, 

 set the foot of each one squarely on a soft pine board, 

 and punch through the web with a hollow, hand awl 

 punch. This works better than any spring punch I 

 have seen. The chicks do not need any feed till thirty- 

 six hours old, but you can throw in a bit of pulverized 

 egg shell, or some chick grit, at once, if you like. Feed 

 the hen some whole corn, water her, and leave her to care 



