Incubation of Hens' Eggs. 
5 
When possible the nest should be in some out-of-the-way place 
where the hen will not be disturbed. Move the hen at night from the 
regular laying nest to the nest where she is to sit, and in doing so 
handle her carefully. Place a china nest egg or two in the nest where 
she is to sit, and place over the nest a board or a covering such as that 
Fig. 2.—Dusting the sitting hen with insect powder. 
shown in figure 3, so that the hen will not get off. Toward the end 
of the second day go quietly to where the hen is sitting, leave some 
feed and water, and remove the covering from the top or front of 
the nest, so that she can come off when ready. The best feed for 
the sitting hen is whole corn or wheat, or both. Should she return 
to the nest after feeding, remove the china egg or eggs and place 
in the nest the eggs that are to be incubated. The nest should be 
slightly darkened, as the hen is then not so likely to become restless. 
In cool weather it is best not to put more than 10 eggs under a hen. 
Later in the spring, however, from 12 to 15 eggs can be set, according 
to the size of the hen. 
CARE OF THE SITTING HEN. 
When several hens are sitting in the same room they should be 
kept on the nests, only allowing them to come off once each day to 
receive feed and water. If there are any that do not voluntarily 
