Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-04-24

inclination is discouraged, IL she Il
driven from the nest, and kept from tn,
nest or anything that resembles a nest
particularly if she is kept from any
seclusion or privacy, it usually follows
that she abandons the idea in a day OF
two and returns to the rest of the flock
whereupon the succeeding series of eggs
Is developed and she goes on laying.
Let hen dwell upon the nest for a
week or two and the next series of eggs
ceases to develop. The egg organs re-
vert to a dormant. contraster state, from
which 1t may take month or two to
stimulate them to the point Of pro-
duction. Thus broodiness not only re-
duces egg production in the first instance,
which constitutes loss, but it invariably
leads to early noting, which is even
more of loss.
CRUEL METHODS ARE WRONG
Many practices have been devised for
breaking up broody hens, and in the
, past many of them-in fact, most of
them-depended upon some form of
punishment This is all wrong 1t is
perfectly natural for the hen to want
to hatch her eggs. Except for this
instinct in the days before incubators
came into general use, rearing young
stock would have been exceedingly
! troublesome if not impossible.
Then, to inflict harsh treatment on the
hen simply because she responds to "A
I natural impulse is unreasonable, cruel
and lnhumane. Apart from these con-
| sideratons. to punish ll-troat a hen
| runs counter to the caretaker's best in
terest; had treatment further retards egg
production whereas production should
be aged-stimulated
Water cures, starvation, exposure and
/ similar methods are not to be recommends
! ed under any circumstances And they
! are unnecessary. 1t must be admitted,
| OF course, that most sitting hens are per-
! verse and trying to ones patience. Some
| times the most patient caretalier is moved
to spirit of What wouldn't l give to
wiring that chickens neck" But don't
! fall for the temptation. The hen isn't to
blame. really. It's in the nature of things
! for her to be persistent. If it were not so,
| she would not remain faithful to her task
| of bringing off at hitch, which Is a long
suffering job indeed
| One of the best schemes to discourage
broodiness widely used and Endorsed by
, the foremost authorities. is to place the
broody hen in a coup that is fitted with a
Slated bottom. The hen is unable to
squat in a comfortable position, because
her feet protrude through the openings be-
tween the Stats she has no sense Of pri-
vacy or security and the sensation of cur.
rents of air under her is not to her liking.
Two or three days of this harmless pill
lory usually disgusts her with the notion
Of sitting and when released she is only
too anxious to rejoin her companions in
the laying house.
1t is understood that food and water
/ boy IN hn nf al iyooaG OR q
'clucks" should be encouraged to MAIN
tain their physical trim. and not starved.
The coop should be kept in a dry, WELL
ventilated place, under perfect sanitary
conditions, preferably where there is
strong light, because plenty of light Is
distracting to the sitting hen. which nat
urally seeks a dark, secluded spot in
which to bring off her brood.
In mild, pleasant weather he ''broodies'
can be turned into yard and made to
sleep outdoors. Do what you will with
them TO distract the inclination to sit, pro-
viding they are not injured, frightened or
impaired in any way. By all means feed
and water them literally
The chief consideration is TO segregate
the hens as soon as they become broody,
If possible on the first day. A hen re-
moved from the nest at this time is very
much easier to discourage than when she
has been allowed to indulge her fancy
| for a week or more.
To insure getting the "broodies' at an
early stage, the poultry keeper should
make 1t hard and fast rule to so over
all the nests every evening about an hour
before shutdown, during the spring and
summer months, and to remove therefrom
any hens found at this time. Very few
hens lay after four o'clock in the after
noon consequently one is entitled ia
view with suspicion any fowls found on
| the nests in the evening.
Copyright, 1912 by Public Ledger Coz