Nebraska advertiser., 1858-04-08

1
Fchickens, to be ready for market during
the months of April and May, quite as
profitable, considering the time and ex-
pense required, as they could desire
But if you have not accommodations for
fifty chickens, this is no reason why you
should not raise any. We have dozen
little fellows running about on the dry
ground floor Of well-hghted. basement
cellar; and "when the changed skies are
soft and warm, and Heaven puts on the
blue of May" il is the work of but mo-
ment to put them with their mother In
one of those long deep boxes, that come
from Massachusetts full of pegged boots.
and set them out In the sun. She will of
course invite them very earnestly to leave
the box with her, and sometimes an ad-
venturous chap will by jumping upon her
back, make his escape from the box; but
they can be easily taken care of in this
way, until they are large enough to be
transferred le coop with glass front,
out of doors. Such Coops may be provid-
ed for setting hens, as early as in March
so that they need not be taken in the
house at all. Let the coop be five feet
long, in the form of aShed, with perfectly
tight roof, back, and ends, nailed to four
small upright joists in the corners. A
width of two feet and height of eigh-
teen inches In the rear, will be sufficient
TO give the roof a good slope from the
front, which may be from three to three
and half feet high, to suit such sash as
you can procure. Nail 10 the joists in
front two strips of plank, of the same
thickness as your sash, one at the bottom
and the other at the top, on which 10 nail
the boards of your roof, and let the ends
of these boards project about SIX inches
over the rear and the front. Nail some
thin Stats along on the inside and outside
of both your horizontal strips In front, to
form groove for your sash to slide In;
then run In your sash at the right hand
side, and close UP the remainder of the
front securely with boards nailed perpen-
dicularly to the front strips, letting them
oEer-lap The, sash an inch or two The
slats which are nailed Oh the inside,
should extend the whole length of the
coop, thus allowing the sash to be run en-
tirely inside of the bearded half, 50 as 10
be out of the way when necessary. This
coop must have no bottom. but rest evenly
by its own weight on the ground, with a
loose floor of plank about two feet square,
fitted neatly into the boarded end. When
you have hen to set, make a nest for
her on this floor with an added egg or
two In it, and shut her up In the coop, and
! if she is hen of the right kind she will
soon take TO the nest, when she can be
l supplied with her eggs. She may remain
in this coop, supplied with water and food
including a little meat, and with. ashes IN
which to dust herself, without danger of
wandering away to places where she has
!, previously laid, or of being intruded upon
by other hens. Her coop can be cleaned
without disturbing her, or she can be
sometimes permitted to go oul of il; ant
= when her chicks are hatched, the neS
should be removed, the floor cleaned anC
! replaced and perhaps the coop Itself shift
| ed 10 new spot.
We have no difficulty in managing oui
Branas in this way, and almost any heI
can be made to set in a particular spot, BY
. causing her to lay there first Shut up
d laying hen in the above coop every morn
ing all she has laid for few days, ant
she will then resort to it herself; or leav,
the coop open with an inviting nest In II
containing two or three eggs, and SOM
one Of your laying hens will be prett,,
> sure to find it out, and take possession o
her own accord.
1t is a great mistake to set a hen Il
cold weather, on more than nine or elev
en- eggs, no matter how large she may be
for though more chickens may be hatche,
they will be puny things, not having rec
eived sufficient vital warmth, and nc
worth the trouble of raising. It Is ais
>, much better as a general rule, that set
, ting hen should wait for her eggs TO b
; laid than that eggs already laid shoul
,, wait for hen Two or three days ar
I. almost always enough to procure sethn
I'd of fresh laid eggs; but when you WIS
to set hen on her own eggs, or those
" some other one, they should be obtaine
as soon as possible after being laid, an
kept where they will not be subjected
dampness or great extremes of heat {
cold. After the eggs are under the hel
our adviee is to let them alone-to tax
care of her, and let her take care of he
eggs.
Do not, except in extraordinary case
attempt to release chicks from their shel
those that want to be helped out, WI
s probably alwIiys want helping.
1t is our practice to set two hens
81 nearly as possible on the same day,
or that both broeds may be given to one
m them, unless they are both large brood
az or the weather cold, In which cases 1t
ge better to Let each hen take care of b.
own. Should one hen hatch out Ia
= chicks day or two after the other, it
best to give both broods to the hen Ia
matching as they can be put under her
night. and the chicks themselves will
much more easily reconciled TO their ne
mother than the first hen would be
81 chickens placed with her after she h
learned to distinguish her own.
Sj You should discover by the pale, sick