The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-07-05
THE HEN AND HER NEST.

our journals full of the question OF
! moisture for our inCubalOrs too much
| moisture or too little moisture; then the
moisture gauge to grade the supply; UNI
I'll some wise head discovered that the
| nen which hid her nest in the hay-mOw
Drought forth quite as many chickens
as her sister that Ind her nest on tho
| ground under the barn. So it was con-
| cldded that the moisture must come
| from the air, and to-day we have the
most successful nOn-moisturc machine.
Ihcrc IS one other fact to be learned
from tDc hidden nest: Usually the
lcn VIII lay not to exceed four ew1S
per week; she hides her nest and lays
out hcr litter or supply us may be,
from Twelve TO sixteen eggs. have
seen the hidden nest produce seventeen
chicks, allowing Four eggs per week;
some OF these eggs were four weeks
old when incubation began, showing
how the vitality will last under natural
treatment of the hen. But, under the
best, some of them were full three
weeks old when incubation began
Here is II lesson us to how long the
vitality will last prior to incubation.
To test this fact, ! last season had Il
basket Of Is l.cmhurn eggs sent me;
without unparkin" placed them in
The cellar, where they stayed not dis
turbcd or 'urncd for four weeks; they
were placed under II hen and produrru
eight or len chicks.
These questions cannot be thcuriHcd
on; prior to this test | held To the
opinion that eggs three weeks old
would hr absolutely certain not to
hatch. The question of the hidden
nest led to the other test, the result OF
which will prompt me to 90 farther
with the experiment this season. 1t
may be that another trial will proyr
less successful; then again, will be
uncertain. At this time | believe there
is difference in the lruwth of the viial
" OF the rTgs from different llurkS.
Strong, vigorous fowls will ~ivr more
lasting vitality than over sept amt
pamprrrd ones.
When the hen selects her nest TO
hide away her eggs, she invariahlr
chooses one with solid foundation 50
that the EGGS may hc guaranteed from
beneath from climate changes. The
turkey or guinea hen, wilder hv nature.
usually selects some secluded spot on
the ground that has some natural pro-
| lection. In thus selecting, they have
help FROM the natural surroundings to
hold the regular heat from their bodies
within the nest. Some tell us that The
natural moisture from the ground helps
in the progress of incubation. This
do not deny. But. if true, why should
the hen in the top Of hay NOW do
equally we'll? Pigeon rygS hatch well
| IN, Il, 1,
hot upper loft of Il barn If the
ground is necessary for success, why
these two differences, rs We see them +?
The question evidently has not vet
| be-. settled.
We know that good results come
from our incuhatorS. il Il regular and
even heat of the proper temperature is
maintained. We also know that if al
| lowed II chill, the result is bad The
incubator. We know. will hatch every
good fertile or hIlchablc cyg. providin.
the proper degree of heat is maintala
ed. We also know that 1T times The
hen does not hatch ali of the >o-callcd
hatclIablc cyy>. Chicks dead IN the
sllc!! are quite 4 common occurrence
with the hen. There must be some
y"oA reason for this.
Providing We ccccnt the theory Of
The tiddcE nest, we feel assured that
rgyS three weeks old should hatch
reasonably well. The moisture or no
moisture question being settled rs to
the incubator, We should not hesitate
To accept the proposition that the
nest llddcn away in the NOV must
yain lis moisture from The air, which
does away with the necessity Of making
the nest on the ground. After due
consideration Of these facts, am lcd
to believe that we must find some
other reason why rAys that should
hatch under a hen, do not hatch. We
must try some new explanation that
may lead Us to discover the cause of
the dead d-in-thc-shcl chicks under the
hen.
The most natural conclusion seems
that they had been chilled IN the shcn
, 50 we had better consider this problem
rs a factor. When the nest IS ON The
|, ground and becomes dry, rs II viii, no
cold Will he likely To in mr the c,,ys
. tor the temperature is usually regular
in the ground. When The nest is in
the NOW, the body of hay or straw
surrounding the nest prevents chilling
from beneath. But when Il nest OF
hay or straw of sliyht depth or thick.
ness is made in Il box, the changes OF
lhc weather have full swing about Tn,
nest, giving the often severe changes
from day to day, Il chance To chang,
the close Surrnundinys from 20 degrees
often 10 TO degrees, within II hours
When the loundatinn and surround,
mWs of The nest are of sufficient lhlck
ness to hold the heat rs against these
changes, the even temperature will be
maintained. But when only an inch
or two Is between the undcrSidc Of tn,
eggs and the free circulation of tn,
changcablc atmosphere, why may not
this poor protection from beneath
cause the eggs to chill, and thus end
| lln liEn AI tLn nAirL ~ lLn Alnl y W