The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-06-25
PLAN FOR CHICKS.


and decide how many young chicks
we intend to raise this season and
10 be thoroughly prepared To have
fertile, strong eggs we must have
vigorous parent stock, and to have
chicks full of vitality we must have
strong, fertile eggs. Much depends,
too, on the care of the egg after
it is laid and before it is placed IN
der the hen.
Eggs for Matching can not be re-
moved from the nest too carefully.
They should not be placed in large
basket with many other eggs. 1hls
Csten causes a very small crack 50
minute that it can hardly be seen
until the eggs have been under the
hen several days and become a III
tie soiled The hands that gather
the eggs should be clean and espe-
cially free from oily or greasy SUD-
stance Of any kind as the oil VIII
surely enter the pores CT the egg
she'll and seal them up 50 the chick
viii be deprived Of air and die IN
the early stages Of its Development
In going about from one nest to an
other and opening and closing doors
we are mos: likely to jar the basket
or bucket in which We are carrying
the eggs more than we realize, and
enough TO jar several germs from
their weblike moCring between the
yolk and white of the egg. During
the severe cold weather the egg
should not remain in the nest until
it becomes chilled or be removed
from warm nest cut into an open
basket and carried about in the cold
breeZes of the evening for a half
hour or more while gathering eggs
1t is mere advisable to gather the
eggs three or four times a day dur
ing cold weather if they. are to be
used for incubation. If two or more
pens are mated and if it is from
these that you intend to save eggs
fer Matching. lead pencil should
be carried along while gathering the
eggs and the egg marked with the
date and the pen number as it is
removed from the nest Experts find
this the only safe way to mark eggs,
as many eggs are handled day after
day and mistake is sure to be made
some time during the breeding sea-
son in marking il We wait until we
arrive at the house The shell Of
the egg should be observed from time
to time and care taken that the
fowls are supplied with oyster shell
at all times if the egg shells are
inclined in the least to be thin and
fragile. Eggs not we'll proportional
or with rough surface should not
be saved and you should note whether
your exceptionally good hen is lay
ing a nice smooth egg.
Low, fiat wooden tray or boxes
make ideal receptacles in which to
keep the eggs before setting them.
The box should be lined with three
or four thicknesses Of newspaper, as
paper is a nonconductor of heat and
the eggs will not be affected by rap
i'd changes in the temperature so
readily. 1t Is much better to place
only one layer Of eggs over the bot
tom Of the tray, as they have to be
turned each day. To turn the eggs.
lay row Of them to one side and
gently roll the rest over in their
place and In this way the eggs will
have been turned just half over, SO
that the part that was at the bot
tom the day before is now at the
top. Paper makes a very good COW
ering for the eggs, too. If they are
left to the open air for ten days
in a dwelling they will dry out more
than they would were they left in a
nest built upon the moist earth. The
temperature at which they are kept
should be near so degrees Fahren-
holt Eggs OF ordinary fertility may
he kept two weeks sately-Indian.
apo;is News.