The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-05-20
INTELLIGENT CARE OF HENS
NEEDED FOR BEST RESULTS
Right Kind Of Mother Shows
Matching and Brooding
Efficiency
fey q. r. SMITH,

AutNop ana praCVcau V0uNVyWAV.J
The Sitting hen is still big factor
in~poultry culture. Most people who
less. She Is a cheap and very eff
Gent Matching machine for thousands
who have not enough business to war
rant the use of the artificial method.
When comparatively few chicks are
needed to replenish the flock. and on
many farms where time and help are
lacking. tho sitting hen should be care
fully studied and used to best adj
vantage.
The 'termagant" should be skipped.
The true mother spirit is of great i'm
pOrtanCc with hens as with folks.
Some broody hens are rough in their
ways. They seem to have no regard
for tho safety of either eggs of chick
ems. Such hens arc likely to break the
eggs on which you place them. and il
they succeed in Matching any chicks.
they are likely to crush them to death
with their bodies. trample them to
death. or kill them outright by strik-
ing them with their bcaks.
The fitness of the hen for mother
hood must be judged by signs. The
gentle. but firm and faithful bird. is
the one to select. She should be in
perfect health and of good size. She
has a large task before her. 1t will
not pay to waste time and patience on
a small. sickly gh-tempered bird.
There are plenty of them. There are
also plenty of the better kind.
II you haven't the right kind. seek
her among your neiShbors. Many peo-
pie are glad to sell a sitting hen, or
loan" her. Poultrymcn are every
where disposed to accommodate one
another. 4 hen that is really a sue
ccssful mother is as profitable for
Matching and brooding purposes as her
2O0-eEg sister for commercial egg pro-
duction. Such n kind and tender and
faithful mother bird is worth keeping
till she dies of old age. She may have
small laying powers. but eminent
Matching and brooding talent. Find
her and make the most of her.
Arranging the Sitter's Nest.
It's a three weeks steady pull, and
more. That means wide extremes of
the burning sun and the drcnching.
chilling storm. 1t means also dangers
from Vcrmin, ranging from the deadly
little spider louise to the weasel. the
skunk and the fox. not forgetting the
rat.
Have all these things in mind, and
arrange the nest accordingly. Let there
he no possibility OF danger to tho
brooding bird under any conceivable
conditions. If you do not thoroughly
dust both nest and bird with the best
procurable insect powder there will he
great danger of her being literally bit :
ten to death. Thousands Of deadly mites
Will hatch and mature in a marvelously
short time. They must be forcstalled
at the very beginning. or your best
laid schemes will prove failures.
A thick sod turned earth side up
makes an excellent foundation for the
nest. DO not make the nest depression
too concavc. lest the eggs pile up in
the center and break place straw
about one inch in thickness over the
dirt. This makes the ideal broodine
nest. A space two by four feet in ad-
dition to the nest space will furnish
sufficient room Of eating and exercise
once or twice day. 1t is better tina,
the sitter should notarun at large with
other fowls when off the nest. Kecr
cracked corn and wheat, water ant
grits. with material for Il daily dus
bath in the Matching pen all the time
Arrange the nest so that 1t can b.
easily reached by the caretaker. Blu
he should not reach" 1t too often.
Select EGGS With Much Care.
The eggs are your seed You will
reap what you SOW. 1t will take NJ
longer to hatch Thoroughbred chick
than to hatch mongrels. The forme
will pay you back many times over 70
the extra cost OF eggs. not only in dol
lars and cents. but in plea sure and sat
isfaction. Look about for the best full
blood. heavy laying strain of fowls
Don't expect to get such eggs at 3
cents a dozen. You will get out o
your business what you are willing T.
put into II. Try some well-bred stoc|
merely as an investment, and then Sc
that you make good.
Set fresh eggs-thc fresher the bet
ter. 1t is best that they should not b
more than two weeks old. Two day
will be better. The warm. freshly-la!
eggs, still better. II preserved an
length Of time, the temperature shout
not be above so degrees. il possible
Give as careful thought to the handlin
of each egg as you would il It were
fully-matured fowl. Neglect of egg
causes failure with chicks. and there
fore with the mature birds. Pre- nata
conditions count as much with chick
as with humans.
When nest and eggs are all in readi
ness. the sitter should be placed on tn
nest after dark. Handle her with gen
tie care. Place a few china eggs undo
her at first. II she remains true to he
trust on the new nest for a period {
- hours. the eggs to be incubated ma
be given her. Place three or four at
time successfully about the edge Of Il