RABBITS .sx The doe and her litter should be left alone for a few days .sx At this time the doe should be given some special titbits to pacify her , and she should be removed to another hutch until the nest has been examined .sx The examination should not occupy longer than two or three minutes .sx On returning the doe to her nest another titbit should be offered .sx The nest should not be touched until after the hands have been rubbed in a little of the sawdust from the floor , so that the human smell is obliterated .sx Any dead young should be removed , and , if there are too many for the doe to suckle , the surplus ones should be removed and either killed or given to a foster-mother .sx After the nest has been examined , it should be re-made to resemble its original state as nearly as possible .sx Nothing further need be done until weaning-time arrives .sx Young rabbits are blind until they are two weeks old , but after this time they may emerge into the run compartment of the hutch , although some does will keep them in the nest for a week or two longer .sx The youngsters generally start nibbling at their mother's food when they are from two to three weeks old , but this does not say that they are sufficiently far advanced to be weaned .sx Weaning is best done at seven weeks in winter and six weeks in summer .sx The young rabbits not only need their mother's milk until this age , but they cannot dispense with the heat of her body at night .sx The more the young rabbits can be encouraged to eat before being weaned the better , for then they feel the change less than would otherwise be the case .sx If it is obvious that the doe is feeling the strain of rearing her family , it is quite possible to take away one half of the litter at the end of four weeks , and to feed them artificially , but this is not advisable unless there is no other way of saving the doe .sx When the litter is due for weaning , the mother should be removed and placed in another hutch .sx This is preferable to removing the youngsters , for a change of quarters may affect their growth .sx The whole litter should be kept together for some weeks , for if parted too soon they may refuse to eat , and poor development may result .sx If any of the young are to be retained for stock purposes , the sexes should be separated at fourteen to fifteen weeks .sx It is commonly imagined that the use of a foster-mother is only for breeders of exhibition stock , but this is not correct .sx It is a valuable practice for the utility breeder .sx To procure the foster-mothers , several does should be mated on successive days , so that they kindle almost together .sx When the litters are examined , the surplus from a large litter may be given to any doe which has only a small one , so that each is given as many as she can comfortably feed without affecting her health .sx This enables the breeder to rear a larger number of youngsters than he might otherwise be able to do , and at no greater expense .sx When this plan is adopted it is essential to see that the does accept alien young without question .sx Rabbits recognise their own young by their smell .sx This fact can be made use of in the following way .sx When introducing alien young to another nest , one of the original youngsters should be taken in the hand and lightly squeezed so that some of its urine falls on to those to be introduced .sx They should then all be rubbed together so that each one takes on the same smell .sx Smearing with urine in this way always proves successful .sx DOGS .sx The puppies need not be interfered with unless the bitch's milk proves insufficient .sx In this case one or two of the puppies should be given to a foster-mother , or fed by hand with a feeding-bottle .sx This is seldom necessary , for few bitches have any difficulty in supplying the wants of their litter .sx A start should be made at weaning when the puppies are about five or six weeks old .sx This must be a gradual process .sx A beginning should be made by supplying five .sx meals a day of food of a milky nature , increasing the strength gradually until the end of about the seventh week , when they can use their teeth .sx At this time meat may be included in the diet .sx All puppies should be given a vermifuge when four to five weeks old , for in all probability they will be affected with worms .sx A proprietary remedy should be used , for this is better than any home-made one .sx Many breeds of dogs are docked ; that is , their tails are shortened .sx When this has to be done , it should be carried out when the puppies are between three and six days old , for at this age they hardly feel the operation , which causes very little pain .sx A sharp , strong knife is the best instrument to use , although wire cutters and strong scissors are sometimes employed .sx The wound should be touched with a few drops of friar's balsam .sx HATCHING CHICKENS .sx It is necessary here to deal with the hatching of chickens , ducklings , and goslings , for poultry , unlike animals , do not carry their young .sx The development of the embryo is carried out apart from the mother .sx Whether the young birds should be hatched by the natural or the artificial method depends upon the number of birds required .sx Incubators are as reliable as sitting hens , but investment in them is not recommended unless they can be used for some months in every year .sx As mentioned in a previous chapter , the bulk of the chickens should be hatched out within a few weeks of each other .sx To do this with machines means that at least four incubators must be bought , and if the small farmer is only hatching sufficient chickens to replace his old hens it implies that each machine is only employed for one hatch annually .sx If , however , both heavy and light breeds are kept ( the latter should be hatched about a month later than the former ) , and if laying ducks and turkeys are also required , to say nothing of the production of spring chickens and ducklings , incubators are recommended .sx When natural hatching is adopted , a shed should be placed at the disposal of the sitting hens .sx The broody hens should be placed in specially made nests and given a trial run for two or three days on dummy eggs , so that their sitting propensities may be tested .sx Sitting boxes may be made in pairs :sx a series is not suitable , as it renders cleaning more difficult .sx A good size for a double sitting box is 30 inches long , 15 inches wide , and 18 inches high .sx No wooden floor is necessary , but the bottom should be filled in with small-mesh netting , and this should come 6 inches up the walls .sx The top should be loose to form a lid .sx Three ventilation holes , 1 inch in diameter , should be bored on each side at both top and bottom .sx Sitting boxes should rest on a natural earth floor .sx To make the nest , two or three shovelfuls of damp earth or peat moss litter , or a turf cut to shape and hollowed out on the under-side , should be put in the bottom and made saucer-shaped , to keep the eggs well to the centre .sx A thin layer of short straw , broken in the hand , should be placed on top .sx If the earth shows signs of dryness during the hatching process , a little tepid water should be poured on the ground round the box so that it will be absorbed by the earth foundation , or a little may be poured direct into each corner .sx Sitting hens should be fed once every day and always at the same time .sx For this purpose it is preferable to have a number of cages under cover , so that each hen may be fed apart .sx The floor should be covered with a few inches of dry earth , sand , and grit , and sprinkled liberally with insect powder , and a food trough and drinking fountain should be placed in each cage .sx When the hens are to be fed they should be lifted off by one wing , placed into their cages , and left there for twenty minutes to half an hour .sx The best food is a mixture of wheat and whole maize .sx No green food should be supplied .sx After the hen has been tested , she should be dusted with insect powder and placed upon the hatching eggs already in the nest .sx A large hen can cover fifteen eggs , but a dozen is generally sufficient .sx Setting is best done in the evening , so that the chickens will hatch out during the night , while it is also advisable to set two or three hens at the same time .sx The advantage of this is seen on the seventh day when the eggs are tested for fertility .sx If a number should prove infertile , the fertile ones can be grouped together and placed under a smaller number of hens , and one or more hens can then be liberated for resetting .sx This saves broody hens , time , and money .sx On the seventh day the eggs should be tested by holding each one before a strong light in a darkened room or shed .sx If fertile , a dark spot will be seen in the centre , from which radiate numerous red lines .sx An infertile egg is clear , although it may appear slightly darker in the centre , while an addled egg ( one in which the embryo has died ) can be told by the presence of a red ring adhering to the inner shell membrane .sx Infertile eggs are useful for many purposes , even for human consumption , and should not be thrown away .sx At hatching-time the eggs should be disturbed as little as possible , and as soon as any of the eggs are seen to be chipped , the hen should only be allowed off the nest for the time it takes her to feed .sx The newly hatched chickens should be allowed to remain in the nest for about forty-eight hours before being removed to the coop for rearing .sx The room or shed in which the incubators are housed should be airy , and what windows there are should be on the north side .sx If in any other position , they should be fitted with dark-coloured blinds so as to exclude the sunshine .sx As far as possible the temperature in the incubator room should be constant .sx The floor should be steady , for any vibration adversely affects the hatch , and the incubators should stand level .sx There is nothing to choose between the two types of incubator the hot-water and the hot-air .sx Either one gives eminently satisfactory results .sx The machines should always be given a trial run so that the regulating apparatus may be adjusted correctly , for an even temperature must be maintained in the egg chamber .sx Details concerning the regulation of the machines can be obtained from the instruction book issued by the maker .sx When hen eggs are being incubated in a hot-water machine , the thermometer should register 104 degrees when the room temperature is about 60 degrees .sx One degree lower is advisable in the hot-air type .sx If the room is warmer , a slightly lower thermometer heat is desirable ; if cooler , half a degree higher should be registered for each to degrees decrease in room heat .sx The eggs should be marked with a cross on one side and a nought on the other , to facilitate turning .sx The egg drawer should just be comfortably filled ; it is a mistake to overcrowd it to make up for those eggs which will be removed on the seventh day after testing for fertility .sx The eggs should be cooled and turned twice a day .sx Cooling should last for ten minutes a time the first week , fifteen minutes the second week , and twenty minutes the third week , when the room temperature is about 6o degrees .sx If the room is cooler or warmer , the time taken for cooling should be shortened or lengthened accordingly .sx