15 



is done early in the morning, and the bucket is kept covered with a thick 

 sack throughout the day. This will be quite warm at night, if it has 

 been kept in a warm place. There is usually sufficient liquid to moisten 

 the meal that has been mixed. Our aim is to have about one-third of 

 the ration, in bulk, of clover. After the mash a small amount of whole 

 grain is fed in the straw. There is — and should be — a plentiful supply 

 of good, pure water within easy reach at all times. 



Natural and Artificial Incubation. 



Whether it will pay to buy incubators and brooders depends largely 

 on one's circumstances. Where chicks are wanted in considerable num- 

 bers earlier than April 15th, an incubator becomes practically a neces- 

 sity, as it is seldom that hens become broody in numbers until after 

 the 1 st of April. Again, where one wishes to hatch more than 150 

 chicks, an incubator is in many cases cheaper and better than the 

 natural method. It is also a necessity where one is breeding from the 

 non-setting varieties. 



There are numerous illustrations of chicks being raised in large 

 numbers by the natural method in the States of Rhode Island and 

 Massachusetts, particularly in the former State. Where this method 

 is followed, the chicks are hatched largely during the months of May 

 and June; and where from 500 to 1,500 laying hens are kept, there is 

 little difficulty in getting a sufficient number of broody hens. Those 

 who are keeping large numbers of hens appear to be well satisfied with 

 the natural method ; but there can be no doubt that the number of 

 incubators in use is increasing from year to year. 



Hen and Incubator.- — As to results, I am of the opinion that on 

 the average, the incubator will hatch as many chicks as the hen. There 

 is no doubt that some individual hens hatch a much higher percentage 

 than a machine ; but when we put 240 eggs into a machine and the same 

 number under 20 hens, our experience is that we get about equal results 

 in the number of chicks hatched. 



The average hatch is probably one chicken from every two eggs 

 set. This, of course, varies with the different seasons, also with the 

 percentage of fertile eggs, and the strength of the germ. We have found 

 during the months of February and March, when the ground is covered 

 with snow and the fowls are closely housed, that the percentage of 

 fertile eggs is small, and that the germs are very weak. Under such 

 conditions we have very poor hatches and chicks that are very hard to 

 rear. Much better eggs are obtained in December and early January, 

 or when the fowls get out into the fresh air and are able to pick some 

 grass. Thus it will be seen that, as a general rule, as the percentage 

 of fertile eggs increases, the vitality of the germ increases, the per- 

 centage hatched is larger and the mortality among the young chicks 

 smaller. For example, we would expect to get a much larger percent- 

 age hatch of the fertile eggs from eggs that were 90 per cent, fertile 

 than from those that were 60 per cent, fertile; and, moreover, we would 



