Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/520

 WOMAN'S WORK 496 which to fashion her nest and settle down on the dummy eggs before being entrusted with real ones. She should be allowed to go through the routine of sitting, feeding, etc., before valuable eggs are given her. By so doing one can learn her disposition, and whether she is gentle or otherwise to handle when being removed at feeding-time. When satisfied that the hen is steady, she may be given her clutch of eggs, and the number of eggs allowed should be governed by their size, the size of the sitter, and the climatic conditions prevailing at the time. in the colder seasons, when eggs are set to produce early chicks, seven to nine will generally be found sufficient, as at such times hens cannot brood large batches of chickens. In mild seasons from eleven to fifteen may be given to a good-sized hen. The hen should be gently lifted, or allowed to come off the nest daily to feed, drink, dust herself, etc. When two or more hens are being set simultaneously in the open, precautions should be taken to prevent a return to the wrong nest after feeding and the possibility of quarrels and egg breakages in consequence, by tethering each hen by one leg to a piece of cord attached to a peg in the ground. Food for the Sitting Hen As food, maize should be used in cold weather, and a mixture of maize and wheat in mild seasons. A supply of pure water and sharp flint grit should be within reach of the sitter at feeding time, and a heap of fine ashes should be available for dusting pur- poses. The hen should stay off the nest until the necessary functions have been per- formed, and to allow of this without causing a chill to the eggs in cold weather the nest should have pieces of warmed flannel placed over it. After feeding, the hen should be gently driven on to the nest, and the fronts of the nest-box closed, and quietude should reign supreme until feeding-time again comes round. Where several hens are set at the same time, some advantage may be gained by testing the eggs for fertility on the seventh day of incubation. This operation should be performed at night by the aid of lamplight. The hens should be gently lifted off their nests and placed in a basket. Each egg should then be placed before the light, and any that are clear should be removed. Should there be a poor percentage of fertiles, one or more hens may be relieved of their eggs, which should be transferred to the other nests to make up for the clear ones removed, and the nests emptied may be filled with fresh batches. The Hot- water Test What is known as the hot-water test is resorted to by many poultry-keepers. A little time before the eggs are due to hatch, the eggs are placed in a bowl of water, heated to a temperature of 105°, and those con- taining living chicks soon begin to rock about, w^hilst those containing dead embryos either sink or remain motionless. While this method of testing is to be recommended in hot weather, when the nests and their contents are in too dry a state, it is not wise to adopt it in cold seasons, as it is likely to cause a fatal chill to the eggs. In cold, damp seasons the eggs will hatch out without any moisture, other than that contained in the atmosphere, and supplied from the pores of the sitter, but in very hot weather a slight hot-water spray a day before the eggs are due to hatch will soften the lining membranes of the shells, thus enabling the little prisoners to more easily break their way through. DuriQg the time the chickens are hatching out, the hens should be disturbed as little as possible. The only attention given should be to remove at night or morning any empty shells that may be in the nest ; but should the hens become restless, they should be left alone until all the youngsters are hatched. The empty shells should then be removed, and the chickens left under the hens to get thoroughly dry and strong. Many people take the chickens from the hens and place them in a basket before the kitchen fire. Bat if the hens are quiet, the best thing to do is to let nature have her course. No warmth artificially applied can equal that provided by the mother-hen. Warmth is all the downy mites require for the first twenty-four hours after they leave the shells. By this time they will be ready for transit to the coops, and capable of taking food. The next article will indicate to the novice how best to achieve success in chicken-rearing by natural methods. The Star Life Assurance Society, Ltd., make a featurcjof a policy which secures an annuity for women worlcers. A heaJthy brood of newly hatched chicks