Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-05-26
Water Bottle
is Successful in
Hdtching Chicks

"A question worrying All u. COOK OF
the Ottumwa Blank Book Co., is, can a
good self respecting chicken pay the
debt of filial devotion to hot water
bottle when the aforesaid sick room
essential has played the role of mother
to the chicks, or rather can a hot
water bottle be properly called the
mother OF clutch Of chicks when it
has been responsible for their ex-
istence?
Mr.. Cook has asked number Of his
friends among them some well known
medical men, but has thus far been I'm.
successful in taking the credit Of ma
ternity from the hot water bottle.
Neither can he reconcile himself to be.
lieve that fowl, not OF the web foot
variety owes any allegiance to water
In any form.
The question is not one of debate
in the Lime Kiln club or in the
|Amalgamated clubs for the study of
|eugenics, but has arisen naturally from
an instance of day or two ago at
the Cook home on West Fourth street
Mr. Cook set hen few weeks ago
upon ten eggs and for few days the
barnyard queen performed her mater
nal duties WE'LL But she later became
restless and leaving her eggs one day
attempted to negotiate fence in order
to get into some of the growing stuff
that good hens will let alone She
got her head caught in the pickets OF
the fence and hanging was her fate.
Her young life was cut off all too
soon.
Casting about among the chickens
Mr.. Cook found another hen that did
not object to playing second fiddle at
the Matching and set her on the eggs.
signed her, in fact worked at the job
SO hard and worried SO much over the
follies Of her sister who strangled, that
she collapsed under the load and died
on the nest
The second poultry fatality took
place within three days Of the time
when the chicklets should begin to ap-
pear and Mr.. Cook was non-plussed.
The remainder of the hens belonged
to the union and refused to take up
the unfinished task. Mr.. Cook
suspected that the hens were possibly
superstitious.
Having no incubator and knowing
that II the eggs were left uncared for
they would be lost, and possibly many
young chickens thus destroyed, he
ruminated on what to do. Being a re-
sourceful fellow, ALI hit upon good
plan. At least so it proved although
1t was only sporting chance at the
outset. He thought of the good effect
a hot water bottle has in the sick room
and while not fully conversant with
its technical use, he was convinced
that at least it made things warm.
Now as warmth is an essential to the
Matching of eggs. the maker Of blank
,, books reasoned that hot water bot
tie might save the Matching interfered
with by death of two hens. To think
is to act with Mr. Cook who proceeded
to place the improvised incubator to
work He changed the water at inter
walls during the day and night for the
intervening days and was rewarded
when fullness Of time had expired, to
see and hear ten little chicks, to all ap-
pearances as healthy and happy as II
brought into the cruel world under
purely natural conditions.
AS stated before, the only worry OF
Mr.. Cook who is a logical fellow, Is
whether the hot water bottle is really
the mother of the chicks. While un-
decided on this point, he has conceived
the idea of using the hot water bottle
wrapped in clothes to serve as q
hr0Oder for the future brOilers