POULTRY 
133 
Proper Care of Hatching Eggs.—Eggs intended for 
hatching should not be stored in a very cold or hot room. 
The best plan is to collect them from the nest daily and 
store them in a cool place. Turn them regularly and set 
them soon after they are laid. 
Selecting Broody Hens.—When choosing hens for 
hatching eggs and caring for baby chicks, it is important 
that they should be persistent sitters, of medium size, and 
motherly instinct. The meat breeds are too large and 
Fig. 104.—Sitting hen, placed in a barrel where she will not be disturbed. 
clumsy for incubating eggs because they crush a large 
percentage of them in getting on and off the nest. They 
are' also poor rustlers and will step on the young chicks 
and kill them in the coops. The egg breeds do not make 
good mothers for hatchings eggs or brooding chicks be¬ 
cause of their size and nervous disposition. Plymouth 
Rock, Wyandotte, and Rhode Island Red hens, weigh¬ 
ing from six to nine pounds, make excellent brood hens 
that will cover from thirteen to fifteen eggs. They also 
hover their chickens well and are good rustlers and care¬ 
ful mothers. 
