Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-15
T aking Care of
the Setting Hen
Older Birds Make the Best
Mothers.
Rest Period Between Clutches.


Ordinarily, between clusters there
is a spell Of nonproduetion, sort Of
rest period, which varies in duration
the same as the size of the litter. 1t
may be week or month, or per-
haps three months, and not infre-
quently a hen will lay but the one
cluster of eggs and then stay off the
nest for the remainder Of the year.
The original jungle fowl, gallus ban
kiva, from which our domestic hens
are descended, was of this type. To-
day, of course, fowls that retain such
nonproductive habits are reckoned as
drones and are speedily condemned
to the dinner table.
Generally speaking, hens that lay
short litters take but few days to
the intervals between them, whereas
those that lay big filters in almost
daily succession will require a much
longer period in which to recuperatc.
This seems natural enough, for egg
production is q severe tax on the
hens body.
The point is this, when hen COM
pletes laying a litter, especially dur
ing the spring months, she is usually
attended by a certain maternal in
stinct--a desire to hatch the eggs. In
some this instinct is but a passing
fancy, from which the hens recover in
a few days or a week; in others it is
sincere, and becomes more and more
confirmed the longer they remain on
the nest.
The moral is now perfectly clear:
For sitters beware OF the hens in
which the maternal instinct is but
a passing fancy; their fckleness will
be the means of your undoing if you
intrust them with eggs. Be sure Of
hens broody characteristics-seek
some evidences Of her sincerity, ex-
pertinent if necessary to see if she
has fully made up her mind that she
wants to sit. A good plan is-to chase
them from the nest two or three times
day for several days, noting their
anxiety to return. Another indication,
the feathers on the breasts of sitting
hens are usually loosened, frequently
their breasts are quite denuded, which
is for the purpose Of bringing the
eggs in direct contact with the flesh,
which is warmer than the plumage.
Sitters Should Be Comfortable.
Having assured yourself as to the
dependability OF certain hens for
Matching purposes, the next step is
to provide them with convenient
quarters in which to bring off their
broods. The commonplace of allow
ing the hen to sit wherever her fancy
dictates, on the supposition that she
knows best about these things, is all
wrong. Under absolutely natural con-
ditions we might rely on the hens
intuitions in these matters, but hav-
ing created more or less artificial
standard of domestication for her, it
behooves us to assume a general su-
pervision over her affairs.
Now and again the hen that steals
her nest brings off a surprisingly
big hatch, but as many times she
fails. Out-of-the-way corners of the
barn and outbuildings do not make
for security. 1t is a mistake to allow
the sitters to occupy the regular hem
house, because they are sure to be
annoyed by the layers. The other
fowls have kind OF contempt for
"broodies," They will lay in the sit
ter's nest, fight and crowd her, and
sometimes drive her off the nest en-
tirely, or break her eggs, Moreover.
hens set in the main poultry build
ing are more likely to be troubled with
vermin than if they are given a clean
nest by themselves somewhere else.
Ideal quarters for sitting hens
should be comfortable and convenient
for both the fowls and the attend
ant. II only few hens are to be set,
individual coops will answer the pur.
pose, for which barrels laid on their
side and protected at the open end
with wire netting may be put to
good service. They should be placed
in sheltered positions, and il left out
doors entirely it is best to cover them
with tar paper or patent roofing to
keep them dry. ,5
Providing Practical Nest.
A, nest fourteen inches square is
plenty large enough, which should
be carefully lined with chopped straw
or hay, or some other nesting mate
rial, and first sprinkled with a good
insect powder. Place some clean
earth or sand--bettcr still, a piece of