ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION 



chicks, etc., he will naturally want to try his luck with cold 

 eggs, and in that case a little more attention is required. 



" The incubator should stand perfectly true. This is 

 best accomplished by using a spirit level and placing thin 

 pieces of wood or cardboard under the bottom if necessary. 

 Then the lamp needs carefully looking to, and should be 

 filled and trimmed every morning, and when a steady heat 

 of 105° is attained the drawer may be filled with eggs. 

 These should be turned over every day. I find the best 

 way to do this is to put a cross or other mark on one side 

 of the egg. Then it is easily seen if it has been missed. 

 The best way to turn them is with the finger tips. Incu- 

 bation should be started at the same time when a large 

 batch of eggs are placed under hens, then when hatched 

 the chicks will come in useful for distributing among the 

 hens which have brought off a poor lot, and thus you will 

 insure good broods being placed on the rearing-field. Care 

 should be taken to keep the heat of the incubator always 

 at 105° or eggs may be spoiled. Once a day is quite 

 sufficient to interfere, and eggs will get the necessary airing 

 while the turning and lamp-trimming process is going on. 

 To make most use of an incubator would be to fill it with 

 eggs when the first lot of hens are set ; it would then come 

 in useful for the weakly chicks after, but for some reason a 

 good many do not do this. Perhaps they would expect 

 more to hatch off than there would be mothers for. That 

 would depend, however, on the fertility of the eggs and 

 the number of hens set." 



149 



