S4 INCOBATIOH. 



This can only be gained by^being constantly ■with them and 

 carefully watching them through all the various stages of th^ 

 lives. 



It is never very difficult to procure a broody hen , Tour Brahma 

 hens will most likely be quite willing to sit, probably more often 

 than you wish them to. Be careful, however, not to put 

 under her at once the eggs which you have selected for you 

 sitting. She should be moved in at night, , placed on a 

 Bitting of china eggs, and allowed to sit on them for at least 

 two days before you entrust her with real eggs. 



Now about the eggs themselves. Probably you have, out of 

 your family of hens, some that are better than this others, either 

 in shape and form, or moreJiandsomely marked, or better layers, 

 or there is something or other about them, some distingaishii^ 

 point, which leads you to wish to perpetuate their stock. Their 

 eggs should, therefore, be saved; but do not keep eggs certainly 

 beyond a fortnight; the fresher the eggs the better, I believe. 

 Those you set apart for a sitting remove directly thej are laid 

 and place them in bran, small end downwards, dating them in 

 ink, and adding the name of the hen. Does this sound absurd? 

 Possibly to people who know little and care less about fowls it 

 may, but those who keep a limited number I venture to say 

 would have their original family of birds named, either bynames 

 caused by some distinguishing mark about the bird, or in groups 

 adhering to one initial letter. 



When you have collected, say, thirteen eggs, which is quite 

 enough to put under any hen, though people do advise fifteen 

 for a large hen — ^too many really for a hen, though a tiirkey 

 would cover them comfortably — thirteen for a large Brahma hen, 

 and eleven for a smaller hen are the number I usually place 

 under the hen, and find them quite enough. If a nest is too 

 full of eggs there is sure to be an accident: some eggs get broken 

 and the iiei>^- gete foul and sickly; besides, the hen covers a «oin> 



