Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-15

SBesVW - Sukx1UXs
I'm the matter OF chicken raising, q
states . writer for the Washington
Star, there Is good deal to In ter
est one beside the financial results.
About Matching they have some very
odd ways. A short while ago young
game hen evinced the strongest de-
sire to sit, or "set," as common par.
lance has 1t, and as / had number
of others going through that inter
esting process. and as she would not
sit save on a certain nest, where q
number Of hens were laying, did
not approve OF her plan. However,
she was so persistent, and disturbed
the laying hens so much. that I
finally, to her great satisfaction, put
her on thirteen eggs. For about ten
days she seemed the picture Of con-
tentment, but at the end of this
period she apparently became dis
gusted at the slow process and left
the nest. positively refusing to re-
turn.
las good luck would have it. an
other hen happened to be strolling
by at that time-one that had shown
no signs whatever Of desire to sit
and seeing the eggs already arranged
Immediately took possession OF the
nest. The brood was duly Matched,
but the foster mother was not
destined to enjoy the bringing up of
all her chicks, for. no sooner had
they left the nest than pirate hen.
which had apparently been lying in
wait, asserted protectorship over
several OF them, and took them of to
raise according to her own notions.
This particular method is rather I'M
common, though it not infrequently
happens that when two hens are sit
ting near each other both of them
will 60 off with the first brood
Matched and abandon the others to
their fate, even though they be with
in day Of Matching.
Another odd thing occurred last
year. l had two hens, a black one
and white one, that would sit on
the same nest side by side. Neither
one appeared to mind the other in
the least, but, on the contrary, there
seemed to be an understanding be-
tween them, as they snuggled up
closely together and carefully covered
all the eggs. By some chance only
two chicks were Matched, q black one
and white one, and whether it was
mere accident or not, l cannot say,
but each took the one of it's own
color, and while they brought them
up together, yet each hen only fed
its own chick. From all I've seen Of
the queer ways OF hens, am inclined
to believe that these particular ones
understood what they were doing.
and in their onsideration-if l may
be allowed the xpression-this was
the surest way Of getting their own
offspring.
II am much interested at present
in what seems to me the oldest freak
Of all, About two weeks ago / set a
white hen on thirteen eggs. as usual,
in an old barrel which was on it's side.
No sooner had l done this than O
black hen took up her station imme-
diately at the mouth of the barrel,
and began to sit on the bare ground.
/ decided to let her alone and watch
the result, as / was sure she had
some idea to work out. Nor was I
mistaken, for in couple of days,
when the white hen came off to get
some food. the black one Immediately
took her place. Naturally, expect
ed some disturbance on her return,
but in this / was disappointed. She
appeared to know exactly what the
black hen had been sitting there for,
and had apparently counted on the
result. Without showing the slight
est agitation, she merely glanced in
the BARREL then took her station on
the exact spot that the black hen had
quilted. Since then they have ex-
changed places several times, evil
IDENTIFY thoroughly satisfied with their
cooperative method.
More than once l have had oc-
casion to notice the quiet resignation
and patience of sitting hen under
the most adverse circumstances. For
instance, have known one to sit out
the whole three weeks with another
hen calmly seated upon her back.
/ have seen this not infrequently,
and vain have been my endeavors to
put stop to it, until at last have
found it necessary to imprison the
intruding hen. In some cases, the
intruder would consent to sit by her
self when nest was prepared for her,
but more frequently, like Rachel,
she has refused to be comforted, and
could not be cajoled into any other
occupation. Sometimes, il the orig
inal occupant is of a good disposition.
and offers the visitor an opportunity,
the latter will descend from her
high station and share the work side
by side, as related above; but there
are occasions when just nothing but
pure cussedness seems to animate
her. and she is then as obstinate as