194 Farm Poultry 



or less carefully and are, therefore, able to give 

 some valuable information. Those who are about 

 to invest in an incubator should make the most 

 of the information given by manufacturers and 

 others, and expect to learn many valuable lessons 

 by their own experience. 



Placing the incubator. On many farms it is 

 not easy to prepare a suitable place for an in- 

 cubator.. In selecting a location four essentials 

 should be kept in mind, namely, ventilation, even 

 temperature of room, convenience, and freedom 

 from danger of fire. Most incubators are heated 

 by lamps, and if they are placed in a small 

 room, considerable ventilation will be required 

 in order to keep the air pure. 



An even temperature is of considerable im- 

 portance, although some tests with modern in- 

 cubators tend to show that the best hatches do 

 not necessarily result from the most uniform 

 temperature of the egg chamber. Uniform tem- 

 perature is desired, however, and is easiest to 

 maintain when the temperature of the room in 

 which the incubator is placed varies least. 



It is important that the incubator be placed 

 in a room in which the air is in a normal con- 

 dition, that is, neither too dry nor saturated 

 with moisture. The ideal condition as to purity 

 will approximate the air out-of-doors where 

 there is a free circulation. The air should also 



