INCUBATION— OARE OF THE CHICK 21 



shown by the dotted line, opposite which, and one inch above the bottom of the 

 cup, is an opening one fourth of an inch in diameter and furnished with an eye 

 piece. Enough light will be transmitted through the egg, if it be infertile, to 

 form a distinct image of the yelk upon the mirror, while if the egg be fertile tiTe 

 allantois will have extended over the inner surface to such an extent as to ren- 

 der the whole opaque. Experience will enable one to decide upon the fertility 

 of the eggs as early as the fifth or sixth days of incubation, at which time those 

 withdrawn as infertile may still be used for certain culinary operations, while 

 those which have been sat upon for eight or ten days may be used advantage- 

 ously in the food of the young chicles. 



Further than this, all handling gf the eggs should be avoided, and when they 

 begin to hatch, especially, they should be let alone. A chick that has not 

 strength enough to work its way out of the shell will not be worth anything 

 after it gets out; while attempts to assist it are likely to do more harm than 

 good, by prematurely rupturing the blood-vessels of the allantois, which (!or- 

 responds in this respect to the atter-birth in animals, and this may cause the 

 chick to bleed to death. The chicks shotild be left in the neet until the hen 

 leads them ofiT, unless there has been so great a difference in the age of the eggs 

 as to cause a number of them to be many hours later than the rest in hatching, 

 in which case it may be necessary to remove them to prevent the hen from leav- 

 ing the nest. The better plan, however, is to confine her there, giving her food 

 and water (the young chicks will need nothing during the first day), and leave 

 the chickens with her, as they will not thrive so weU anywhere els.e as with tlie 

 hen. 



CARE OF THB CHICK. 



The young chick, when first hatched, has just filled itself with the egg yelk, 

 and will need no other food until that is fully digested, or from twelve to twenty. ' 

 four hours. As the first food of the young human or quadruped is its mother's 

 milk, so there is no other food so suited to the wants of the newly hatclied 

 chick as that which has heretofore sustained it,, or eggs. To give this food in tlic 

 Dest condition beat up an egg with two tablespoonful's of mUk and set it in a 



Fig. 6. 



warm place until it coagulates, or "sets" into a custard, and fe^d it in this con- 

 dition. This is much better than boiling it hard. This food should be continued 

 for three or four days, adding gradually a larger and larger proportion of bread 

 crumbs soaked in sweet milk, — (sour food is injurious to young chickens, hence 

 only so much should be given as will be eaten clean at each feed), — and of oat 

 meal, or a mixture of bran, oat meal and Indian meal, scalded and fed cold. 



