Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-05-17
Matching and Rearing
Timely Suggestions and Helps by H. A.
D. Leggett, Instructor Poultry Depart
ment at University of Vermont.


upon which success with poultry rests
is the ability one has to hatch and rear
chickens successfully. This is very
true statement, especially the latter
part of the remark "to rear chickens
successfully" should be strongly en-
phasized. for without this ability one
can never get very far along nor make
very much money with poultry.
You will notice that have partially
neglected to emphasize the Matching of
eggs largely because [ have found out
from my own observation that the
great majority of people have great
deal less trouble in Matching than they
do in rearing. I have seen men and
women who never have had any expert
ence with poultry, bring off good
matches. The same results are seen
here at the university with students;
the young man without experience in
handling an incubator will bring off as
large per cent of good chicks as will
the more experienced student. This is
due largely to the fact that we have
what we call "set rules" and when
followed, the results are quite sure to
be good. But with rearing, it is en-
tirely a different proposition. Here
we have no set rules to follow. Each
person has to think out the many prob
lens for himself or herself, and sue
cess comes only to the person who can
cope with the many problems at the
proper time. Especially is this fact
brought to ones attention where one
rears by artificial means and in large
numbers. So / feel that if there is
anything that can be said at this season
poultry friends of Orleans county, it
will be to give few suggestions along
the line of rearing of young chicks.
The season has been exceedingly
| backward this year, eggs have not
! Matched we'll for one or another rea-
sons, and as result there are not
many early chickens on the market to
date. What does this mean? 1t means
that next fall the market will in all
probability be very favorable and
prices will be high SO if you have not
been able to hatch the desired number
of early chickens, continue to hatch
until the first of June or perhaps later
! if you have a favorable location for
/ summer rearing.
Inasmuch as many will hatch by hens
it will not be amiss to say few words
first in regard to the setting of hens,
the kind to select, the place to set her,
her care and management. AS to the
kind of hen to select, one should select
first a hen of the American breeds,
Rocks, Wyandottes or Rhode Island
Reds. Those who have games can we'll
afford to use them, but being very
nervous, greater attention is needed in
caring for them. The hen should be of
medium size. Avoid theslarge as well,
as the large hens are usually clumsy
and are liable to break the eggs, as
we'll as step on the chickens after
Matching while the small hens do not
cover enough eggs and are apt to be
nervous. The hen should be healthy
and vigorous and in fair condition, not
fat nor poor, because incubating is Z
very severe drain on q hens system
and only the strong, healthy hens will
be able to survive the period of incuba-
ton. A neighbor of mine recently lost
setting of high-priced eggs simply
because he intrusted them to weak
hen. Another type of hen to avoid is
nervous, Eighty hen. One should be
very careful in this respect. Select a
quiet, docile, motherly acting hen.
These make by far the best settlers and
best mothers. Also discard the young
pullet and selecting the yearling OF
tentimes set all right but the hen is g
, safer proposition.
Now that we have the right hen Sc.
lected give her a thorough busting
with some good lice powder so as to
rid her of lice and make her as comfor.
table as possible Place her nest in
some secluded place away from the
laying hens and give her few china
or glass eggs, leaving her there for 6
couple of days to see if she is satisfied
and contented with her new quarters
, If she is perfectly quiet at the end Of
a couple of days, give her the settine
, of eggs.
Make the nest shallow, roomy and fla
! on the bottom, with rounded sides jus
! high enough to keep eggs from getting
pushed out and chilled. A very gooC
= plan is to place about four inches O.
moist dirt or a sod on the bottom of thu
nest, keeping the sod moist Throughout
hatch. On top of the sod place littl
chaff and be sure to fill in the corner
= so as to avoid danger of holes in which
q eggs might get lost. On the chat
place covering of good clean straw
4 about an inch will be found sufficien
in most cases.
CARE OF HEN.
Feed the hen on whole grains. cor
| WuSdL OSlIlS pISlSEISO, lSGtlu,
there be ample food before her at al
~ times. Water her with fresh, clea
3 cool water daily and allow her acces
to sand pile or ground so that sh
can dust herself when she pleases. D
not NEEDLE with her after she ono
gets to setting as better results are oh
tanned when the hen is left alone. TIE
days before Matching, dust her agai
with the lice powder to catch any lie
that were skipped at first busting. A
time of Matching if she appears uneas
and the hatch is not completed, it
n we'll then to remove the chickens q
J fast as they are Matched, keeping thel
:. in a warm place 80 as to avoid chillin
1T them.
% HANDLING INCUBATORS.
Many do not re ly upon the desires G