No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 209 



The light, active Mediterranean breeds are much quicker grow- 

 ers, maturing on good range in from four to six months. They can 

 be hatched, therefore, later than the heavier breeds which require 

 about four to six weeks longer to reach maturity. The Leghorns can 

 be safely hatched from the midde of April to the middle or last of 

 May; while heavier breeds like the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, 

 Rhode Island Reds and will do better if hatched from the middle 

 of March to the last of April. 



Success with the incubator calls for a knowledge of the principles 

 of incubation, and of the running of the machine, including the 

 proper care of the lamp, its daily filling, the trimming of the wick 

 and the maintaining of the flame at a height sufficient to furnish 

 the required amount of heat without smoking. The incubation tem- 

 perature is 103 degrees Fahrenheit. It should not vary in either di- 

 rection, and a rising of the temperature should be especially guarded 

 against on or about the fourteenth day. The eggs must be turned 

 twice a day from the third to the eigliteenth day, and cooled regularly, 

 the length of time depending upon the period of incubation and the 

 temperature of the cellar. The eggs should be cooled longer as the 

 hatch progresses; in a warm cellar in the late spring, often as long 

 as 20 minutes during the last week of the hatch, and usually not 

 longer than the time required for turning during the first week of 

 the hatch. A good test is to cool the eggs down so that they still 

 feel warm to the cheek or back of the hand. 



The question of sanitation in the incubator is very important. It 

 is desirable to wash the machine thoroughly after each hatch with 

 a 5 per cent, solution of creolin and to allow it to air for eighteen or 

 twenty hours. This will insure the next hatch against infection by 

 germs of white diarrhoea or of other diseases with which the for- 

 mer brood may have been infected, and the presence of which cannot 

 be determined until the chicks are removed to the brooder. 



The question of supplying the proper amount of moisture to the 

 incubator, is often as perplexing as it is important. The final re- 

 sults of the hatch are determined to a great extent by this factor. 

 The amount of moisture required will vary with the season and the 

 character of the room in which the machine is located. Experi- 

 ments during the past two winters show conclusively that lack of 

 sufficient moisture is very detrimental to the hatch. Moisture can 

 be supplied in two ways, first by increasing the moisture content of 

 the whole room by sprinking the floor; and second, by the use of a 

 Kand tray under the eggs. The greatest amount of moisture was re- 

 ijuired in these experiments during the last week of the hatch, and it 

 tvas found desirable to raise the relative humidity at this time up 

 \o an average of from 55 to 65, depending upon the season. More 

 moisture was required in the summer than in the winter. 



A GOOD FEEDING PRACTICE 

 Dry Cracked Grains Are the Safest 



First 18 hours in brooder, supply an abundance of grit, shell and 

 fresh water with no solid feed. On the following day, first feeding, 

 rolled oats about 1 oz. to 25 birds. For the remainder of the second 



14—5—1914 



