The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-07-14
POIJITPY
Care Of sitting Hens.

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There are numerous farms on which
some fowls are raised. but not enough
to justify the owner in purchasing and
using an incubator. On such farms
tie old hen must still be used for the
purposes Of incubation. 1t will be
found that the amount of care that is
given the sitting hens will determine
to considerable extent the outcome
or the Matching operations. ALI poul-
try rafsers must acknowledge that the
sitting hens require a good deal OF
attention, and often more than is
given them. In a state Of nature the
hen at this period takes care of her
SELF. Let us not imagine, however.
that she always does 1t successfully.
In that state she laid more eggs than
she could cover and naturally many
OF them spoiled. The wild things of
the wood and the air preyed upon her
nest and 1t was often despoiled. When
born her chicks often fell into the
clutches of rapacious animals and
birds. Let US not suppose that the
hen In her wild state led a life of
uninterrupted prosperity. II left to
her own inclinations the hen would
to-day prove very Improbable in
vestment to her owner. To make hei
profitable man has had to surround
her with safeguards that would pre-
serve her extra eggs and her extra
progeny for himself. The wild things
still try to make her and her product
their plumber and frequently succeed.
The first care for the sitting hen,
then. Is to see that she is undisturbed
In her task Of lowering the eggs for
three weeks. 1t Is needless to say
that she should not be left to make
her nest In {, g fence corners or the
bushes. as is sometimes done. Her
nest must be provided for her. and II
1t 10 an exposed place she must be
shut In each night. On our farms q
good many people follow the practice
Of turning down a barrel and setting
the fowl In that. The barrel is left
in the door yard or any other place
that comes handy. This is all right,
iI the owner prefers it that way, but
In such case the barrel should have
. cover to 1t that will permit the
entrance Of air but not of animals of
prey, such as skunks. coons and
minks.
Where brooding places are provided
In the poultry houses the greatest
danger 10 from mites, which frequent
ly kill the hens on taeir nests. One
farmer told the writer his experience
in this matter. He said he had a
flock of about fifty fowls and had pro-
vided q good house for them. His
nests were specially arranged for sit
ting, SO that the laying birds could
be kept from the ones that were
sitting. The nests opened on both
sides, but at sitting time the openings
into the roosting part of the house
were closed. He set two fine birds
on some choice eggs and waited re-
suits. In few days he noticed that
both birds were becoming pale around
the combs and wattles and it was q
puzzle to him to find the cause. They
were apparently sick, and he went
on doctoring, but this did no good.
One morning he found one of the sit
tiers dead ON the nest and the other
nearly SO. He examined the dead
bird and found not louise on her or
anything that would give hint of the
cause Of her death. She seemed
bloodless. He took the other hen off
and gave her her freedom and she
at once began to recover. He found a
well hen and put her ON one sitting
OF eggs. and she began to get sick.
Then he took the bird off and began
to tear the nest to pieces That
solved the mystery. The bottom of
the nest was a writhing mass of red
mites. Every night they had climbed
onto the doomed birds and cked so
much Of their blood that they had
killed one and nearly killed another
Up to that time this poultryman did
not know that he had a mite In his
poultry house. This proves most con-
clusively that it never pays to set a
hen and then forget her.--Farmers'
Review.
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