The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1914-06-17
SOME POINTERS ON
HOW TO SET A HEN
Nest Should Be Nearly Flat and
Of Proper Size,
FEED At same HOUR DAILY
BY A. c. SMITH, Pou'tryn,an, Univer.
sity Farm, St. Paul.

sity Farm, St. Paul.
The hen is an efficient mother and
has certain advantages which no arti.
fetal system has yet been able to
provide, but the incubator is better
adapted to large enterprises and to
some small ones where the hen is not
properly understood. Notwithstand.
ing the popularity Of incubators, large
and small. and of breeders of differ
ent styles and sizes, there are yet
many of Ii best authorities as we'll
as our most successful poultry raisers
that maintain that there is no incuba.
tor or brooder that can rear chicks
that quite equal those Matched and
raised by the natural process.
There are, however. a few funda.
mental advantages in the old fashion.
ed method for the small! grower. First
OF all a good setting hen involves
very little additional exoense-noue
at all if she is one OF your own flock.
Second. a small number of eggs Nay
De set, thereby allowing incubation
Don after eggs are laid. which often
means better matches and stronger
chicks. Third, with proper arrange
ments, and up to a small limit, the
same lumber Of eggs set under hens
requires no more work than when in
an incubator. Fourth, fewer eggs are
spoiled when a hen abandOns q nest
than when an incubator goes wrong.
Fifth, perhaps the greatest advantage
OF all, lies in II fact hat the aver
age hen takes a great deal better
care OF a young chick than the aver.
age human being can take. Sixth,
that the hen supplies much cheaper
labor. Chicks with hens require very
much less attention than those reared
IN breeders. Finally, results are
usually more satisfactory because j.
less mortality and. with only average
skill, growth is much more rapid.
Let US contrast a few OF the hens
ways with those of the pou!tryman.
Man selects a box of large or small
dimensions, but usually not less than
ten or twelve inches in height, places
therein a nest OF hay. the eggs. the
hen, and outside a little water and
corn. and expects the hen to do the
rest. OF course the hen has to leave
the nest, and to return she must
jump first upon the edge of the box
ten or twelve inches high and from
this perch she is expected to alight
in the midst of from thirteen to IF
teen eggs without striking one. II
the hen selected that nest it would
be where she could walk on and off.
and the sensational high dive would
be omitted from the daily program.
The nest is usually made of straw
or hay in such a way that the weight
Of the hen. being the greatest in the
center. gradually forms a bowl-shaped
cavity which allows the eggs to roll
toward the center or lowest part of
the nest. This increases the liability
to breakagt when the hen jumps into
the nest. { the eggs are not broken
earlier chicks are liable to be crushed
at Matching time when the she'll be-
ONE more brittle and has less
strength. When the hen selects the
material it is usually earth with i.st
enough hay. straw. twis,s or like maze
rial On the outside 30 hold the eggs
and the heat from her body in the
nest. The material selected by the
hen learth) furnishes the moisture
necessary to keep the membranes
within the egg of the proper consist.
ency and prevents this becoming SO
er!ess to break out.
TO secure as nearl: natural COndl.
tons as possible the hen should b.
set in a mes: nearly "a. having jus