The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-12
SITTING HENS NEED
CONSIDERABLE CARE
Poultry Specialists of Department of Ag-
riculture Make Suggestions to
Poultry Raisers.

generally for incubation purposes on the
farm, should receive certain amount of
care and attention during the process OF
Matching eggs. TO great extent the
care given sitting hen plays an impor-
tant part on the number and condition OF
the chicks when Matched. With this end
in view, the poultry specialists of the u.
S. department of agriculture make the
following suggestions;
If several hens are sitting in the same
room, see that they are kept on the nests.
allowing them to come off only once a
day to receive feed and water, the feed
to consist of corn, wheat, or both. IL
there are any that do not desire to come
off themselves, they should be taken off.
Hens usually return to their nests be-
fore there is any danger of the eggs
chilling, but if they do not go back In
half an hour in ordinary weather, they
should be put on the nest. Where
large number of sitters are kept in one
room it is advisable to let them off in
groups of from 4 to 6 at time. The
eggs and nests should be examined and
cleaned, removing all broken eggs and
washing those that are soiled; in the lat |
Ter case lHt sDlltu NESTING mditi iui |
should be removed and clean straw add |
ed Nests containing broken eggs that |
the hen is allowed to sit on soon become |
infested with mites and lice, which cause
the hens to become uneasy and leave the
nest, often causing the loss of valuable
sittings of eggs. In mite-infested nests,
the hen, if fastened in, will often be
found standing over rather than sitting
on the eggs. Many eggs that are laid in
the late winter and early spring are in
fertile. For this, reason it is advisable
to set several hens at the same time.
After the eggs have been under the hens
from five to seven days, the time de-
pending somewhat on the color and thick
ness of the shells--white-sh eggs be-
ing easier to test than those having
brown shells-they should be tested, the
infertile eggs and dead germs removed,
and the fertile eggs put back under the
hen. In this way it is often possible TO
put all the eggs that several hens orig
inally started to sit on under fewer hens
and reset the others. For example, 80
eggs are set under three hens at the
same time, 10 under each At the end of
seven days we find on testing eggs from
dli tile Htnc biidL ~ tlts "HiAH
leaves us 20 eggs to reset, which we do
by putting them under two hens, and
have the remaining hen sit over again
after she has sat only seven days. In 8
this way considerable time can be saved e
in ones Matching operations. c
Testing Eggs for Fertility. :
An egg. whether impregnated or not.
IL - =
the yolk known as the "germinal spot" !
AS soon as fertile egg is placed under |
4 hen, or in an incubator, development
begins. All eggs should be tested at :
least twice during the period of ineuba
ton, preferably on the seventh and l4th
lays, and the infert;le eggs and dead
germs removed. White eggs can be test
ID on the fourth or fifth day, while the e
development in eggs having brown shells
,ften cannot be seen by the use OF an or
iinary egg tester until the seventh day.
Dead germs soon decay and give off
BAD odor if allowed TO remain under the
len. Infertile eggs make good feed for
young chickens, and are often used in Z
he home for culinary purposes. Most :
Incubator companies furnish testing
with their machines which will Ii
il ordinary lamps. Electric or gas lamps in
nay be used in box with hole slight
y smaller than an egg cut in the side OF e
he box and Mt the same level as the D,
light. They may also be tested by sun &C
light or daylight, using shutter or cur
ain with a small hole In ii for the light al
o shine through. u y
A good home made egg tester. or can 70
Ter, can be made with large shoe box
r any box that is large enough to go a
yer lamp, by removing the end and
utting hole little larger than the =
ize of quarter in the bottom of the 4
OK, so that when it is set over kero-
enc lamp the hole in the bottom will be
pposite the blaze. A hole the size of
liver dollar should be cut in the top of !
he box to allow the heat to escape.
The eggs are tested with the large end
p, so that the size of the air cell may
e seen as we'll as the condition of tiNf
mbryo. The testing should take place
/ dark room. The infertile egg when
ED before the small hole with the lamp :.
GIFTED inside the box will look perfectly VI
ear, the same as a fresh one, while a pe
,rtile egg will show a small dark spot fe
nowD as the embryo, with a mass of On
tile blood veins extending in all direc ~
ons, if the embryo is living if dead,
nd the egg has been incubated for at ST
asst 40 hours, the blood settles away be
ON the embryo toward the edges OF GO
lie yolk, forming in some cases an ir- a.
gqlar circle of blood known as blood =.
ng. Eggs vary in this respect, some pl
lowing only streak of blood. Eggs be
Try in this respect, some showing only Sd
streak of blood All infertile eggs
ould be removed at the first test. The
'gs containing strong living embryos IN
e dark and we'll filed up on the l4th oh
" and show a clear, sharp, distinct ar
he OF demarcation between the air cell n,
ID the growing embryo, while dead i'
rms show only partial development, or
ID lack this clear, distinct outline. XII