Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/519

 495 WOMAN'S WORK HOW TO MANAGE THE SITTING HEN By J. T. BROWN, F.Z.S., M.R.San.I. Editor of " The Encyclojxedia of Potdtry^^ etc. The Barn-door Hen and Her Stolen Nest— Preparing a Nest for the Sitter— The Best Type of Hen for Sitting— Treatment During Sitting Period— Hatching-out Time IN previous articles I have dealt with artificial incubation; in the present one propose to deal with the sitting hen. To achieve success with the sitting hen we must copy as far as possible the method adopted by the farmyard fowl that makes her nest in quiet, secluded places. The locality chosen by the barn-door hen that steals her nest in February or March is quite dissimilar to that chosen when the weather is more genial. In cold weather, the broody hen, being in a high state of fever, naturally feels uncomfortable in the open air — so much so that she is driven to seek a nest in some well-sheltered spot about the farm. Should the same hen steal a nest in the summer-time, being still in a high state of fever, she will seek comfort in some cool, shady situation. Thus, by studying the habits of the farmyard hen, we are led to infer that it is advisable to set broody hens in snug outbuildings during the most incle- ment seasons of the year and in open-air situations during warmer periods. Sitting-boxes When setting hens in outbuildings the nests should be made in properly constructed boxes. Such boxes can either be mad e at home or obtained from poultry appliance makers. The sitting-box should be fifteen inches square and eighteen inches high, and should be bottomless, whilst its front should be enclosed to a height of four inches by a board to keep the nesting materials in position. The remaining part of its front should be provided with a canvas-covered frame, which, when in use, may be secured in position by means of turn buttons. Such a sitting-box allows ample room for the hen, is handy to clean out, and airy and shady for the sitter. To prepare the nest for the reception of the sitter a handful of moist earth should be well beaten into each lower corner of the sitting-box. A turf of even thickness should then be placed, gr^-ss side downwards, in the box, and this should be beaten down until a saucer-like hollow is formed. The hollow should not be so deep as to allow an &%'g placed in it speedily to roll towards the centre, but should slope very gradually from outside to centre, so that the eggs will gently roll together. It is a good plan to test the hollow for safety with a few dummy eggs. Care should be taken that the surface of the hollow is free from projections or cavities. It should have a smooth surface, so that when the sitter shuffles her eggs about they will oscillate smoothly instead of breaking. Over the turf should be placed a nice thick- ness of sweet meadow hay or solt straw, and before this is shaped to the nest it should be well sprinkled with powdered sulphur, or some other kind of insect destroyer. When shaped, the nest should receive two or three dummy eggs in readiness for that preUminary stage in which the broody hen shapes the nest to the comfort of her body. Quite a different method must be adopted when making the nest for use during spells of hot weather. Instead of using the nest- box and placing it under cover, the nest should be fashioned on the bare earth in a shady, wind-sheltered spot in the open. The nest in this case should be made by scooping a shallow hollow in the bare earth, and lining it with soft, clean straw. The nest should be covered by a bottomless coop, to which is attached a wired run, so that the Hens set in the open should be tethered to prevent any possibility of their return to wrong nests sitter may, if so disposed, leave the eggs for food, etc., which she will generally do at daybreak, if left to her own devices. Should one's premises be infested with rats, the coop should be covered at the bottom with fine-meshed wire netting, over which should be placed some earth, in which the hollow to form the nest should be made. As regards the most suitable hen to set, the selection should be made with care, especially where valuable eggs are concerned. Any hen of a farmyard breed that carries a good amount of feather, except on the legs, and is gentle in disposition, will do. Of the pure breeds, Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and Plymouth Rocks are good, whilst a reliable first-cross sitter may be found in the Silkie- Wyandotte. Short-feathered fowls, as Game, should not be used for sitting, except in genial seasons, and should then only be given a few eggs. The hen should be placed on the nest at night so that she will have a quiet time in