The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-02-24
INCUBATION
By VICTOR r. BENNETT.


To return to the .'broody hens with
regards to rearing poultry. We spend
days, weeks, in trying to cure a hen Of
wishing to sit, a perfectly natural in
clination, very often starving and really
cruelty teasing the poor thing, while all
the time she might be fulfilling her end
in life, and sitting on nest full of eggs.
She does not cost more while she Is sit
ting, and, indeed, 1t Is far more econo-
mical to employ her than to chase the
poor wretch off the nests, shut her up,
give her physics, or otherwise torment
ner. You may argue, "Oh, but my hen
would lay again soon if l prevented her
from stting!" Pardon me, but the hen
certainly would not lay under a month,
and probably not for Six weeks, as she
will pine at first and lose flesh from the
fever.sh anxiety of her state. 1t will be
some time before she gets into condition
again, and very often two or three
months will elapse before she will lay;
whereas, after sitting even If her chick
ems are removed from her or she is only
left with one-she will begin to lay
again sooner than she would were she
.aboring under the strain. IL 1t Is very
late in the season you might get ducks
eggs and sit your ''broody" hen on them.
Ducks do better in cold, inclement wea-
ther than chickens, and when sold bring
in good price They cost more to fat,
though, as they are such ravenous feed
ers. Sitting hens should have daily
run. Do not remove them forcibly from
their nests, but let the door be open
every day at a certain hour for a GER
tain time, while you are about. Per-
haps for the first day or two you may
have to take them gently off their nests
and deposit them on the ground outside
the door. They will soon, however, learn
the habit, and come out when the door
is open, eat, drink, have a dust-bath, and
return TO their ness. That this should
be daily performance is quite neces-
Sary to their health and well-being. 1t
is a very old and mistaken notion to
fancy that the chicks hatch out peter if
the hen sits close and never leaves her
nest because it is not SO; air, food, ex-
ercise, and roll in the dust is neces-
sary to the hens health, and the eggs
viii not come to any harm.
Some people, while the hens are off
their ness, damp the eggs with luke
warm water. Moisture, they say, is ne
2essary, and the chicks gain strength by
the process. This may be correct, and in
very dry weather, perhaps necessary.
Myself, / never fancied 1T did much good,
.noush | have tried the experiment; but
1 cons der it mistake to NEEDLE too
much with nest or eggs; the hen is only
made restless and dissatisfied by so do
ing, and the result IS not such a very
decidedly good one as to be worth the
extra trouble. While the eggs are hatch
ng oat, do not touch the nests; it is very
,oolisn 70 fuss the old bird and make
her angry, as she treaCs on the eggs in
her fury ana crushes the chicks when
they are in the most delicate state of
hatching-i. e., when they are half in
and half out OF the shell, when heavy
tr cad on the part of the old bird is near
ly certain to kill them.
Picking of the she'll to help the i'm
Yrisoned chick is always more or less
Ia ardovs proceeding, and should never
De. V. R. BENNETT.