Incubation 1847 



for this variation when the thermometer is used in the incubator. If the 

 variation is great, the thermometer should be returned to the company 

 that furnished it. 



If the mercury in a thermometer should become separated, it may usually 

 be brought together by swinging the bulb downward quickly, or by running 

 the temperature up several degrees above the point indicated by the 

 separated mercury. 



INCUBATING CELLARS 



An ideal incubating cellar is a very valuable factor on a large poultry 

 farm, or in case enough eggs are to be incubated each year to make it 

 necessary to operate several incubators. Otherwise, a clean, well- venti- 

 lated cellar in a dwelling house or any other suitable room may be used 

 if proper precautions are taken. If a cellar originally designed for other 

 purposes is available, it should be 

 thoroughly cleaned before being used ■ 

 as an incubating cellar. Good venti- 

 lation should be provided, and this 

 may be obtained by opening the 

 windows and placing a thin muslin 

 curtain over each opening. There 

 should be at least two windows arranged 

 in this manner, even if only one incu- 

 bator is to be operated. In very cold ^^^- ^^•— ^^ f"''^ ^^^"f/"" >'' '^^ ^'"^w- 



■' bating cellar 



weather the windows should be partly 



closed, especially on cold nights. When a cellar is not available, a room 

 above ground may be used, but the best conditions for successful arti- 

 ficial incubation prevail in a room that is partly underground. There it 

 is easier to keep an even temperature and to retain moisture. 



If possible, incubators should be operated in a building used for no other 

 purpose. 



The location. — If a cellar is to be built especially for incubators, a site 

 should be chosen far enough from the other farm buildings to avoid great 

 loss from fire in case of accident, but not so far away as to be inconvenient. 

 Sloping ground is an ideal building site for an incubating cellar. The 

 building may then be erected parallel with the slope, having one end of 

 the incubating room almost entirely below ground and the other end 

 coming out above ground, or nearly so, thereby making it possible to 

 secure good air and drainage. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 60. 



The building. — A room ten feet high, with a distance of seven feet 

 from the floor to the bottom of the windows, is very satisfactory. A 

 high ceiling is especially beneficial. If the windows are placed properly, 

 they are not at aU objectionable in an incubating cellar. If the windows 



