Evening star., 1917-05-13
POULTRY YARD NOTES.

The fitness Of the hen for motherhood
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.
sickIy, high-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 neighbors. Many peo-
pie are glad to sell a sitting hen. or
loan" her. Poultrymen are every
where disposed to accommodate one
another. A hen that is really, sue
Matching and brooding purposes as her
20o-egg sister for commercial egg pro-
duction.
It's three-week steady pull. and
more. That means wide extremes of
weather-heat and cold, wet and dry
the burning sun and the drenching.
chilling storm. 1t means also dangers
from vermin. ranging from the deadly
little spider louise to the weasel. the
skunk and the fox, not forgetting the
A thick sod turned earth side up
makes an excellent foundation for the
nest Do not make the nest depression
too concave, lest the eggs pile up in
about one inch in thickness over the
dirt This makes the ideal brooding
nest. A space two by four feet in ad-
dition to the nest space will furnish
once or twice a day. 1t is better that
the sitter should not run at large with
other fowls when off the nest. Keep
cracked corn and wheat, water and
grits. with material for a daily dust
bath, in the Matching pen all the time.
Arrange the nest so that 1t can be
easily reached by the caretaker. But
he should not "reacb" 1t too often.
The eggs are your seed. fou Will
longer to hatch thoroughbred chicks
than to hatch mongrels. The former Will
pay you back many times over for the
extra cost of eggs. not only In dollars
and cents. but in pleasure and satisfac, :,
ton. Look about for the best full
blood. heavy laying strain of fowls.
Don't expect to get such eggs a. so
cents a dozen. You will get out of
your business what you are willing 10
put into it. Try some well-bred stock
merely as an investment, and then see
that you make good.
Set fresh eggs-the fresher the better.
1t is best that they should not be more
than two weeks old. Two days will be
better The warm. freshly laid eggs.
still better. II preserved any length of
time. the temperature should not be
above fifty degrees. If possible. Give
as careful thought to the handling of
fully matured fowl Neglect Of eggs
causes failure with chicks. and there
fore with the mature birds. Prenatal
conditions count as much with chicks
as with humans.
When nest and eggs are all in readi-
ness. the sitter should be placed on the
nest after dark. Handle her with gen
tie care. Place a few china eggs under
her at first. If she remains true to her
trust on the new nest for a period of
twentyfour hours. the eggs to be incu-
bated may be given her Place three
or four at time successfully about the
edge Of the nest, permitting the would
be, mother the delight Of pressing them
underneath her body by the use of her
beak. This will help to make her
pleased with her surroundings, and SO
aid in confirming her in the prosecu-
tfon of her important business.
The first month Is the emergency
period. Get a chick well brooded to
four weeks of age and you are rea-
sonably sure of maturing 1t. The value
Of the full-grown bird will be deter
mined largely by the efficiency of the
first months broodfng.
Plenty of water and grits are all the
feed the chicks need for the first
thirty-six hours. At the end OF this
period they should be given finely
cracked grain. Pinhead oatmeal is an
excellent thing for them. They like II.
and it Is almost a perfectly balanced
ration.
A chance should be given theno NV
the second day to dig their grain from,
light litter. They must have exercise
from the first. Qfheru;oa th.s.