DISADVANTAGES OF THE ARTIFICIAL METHOD 313 



cease, and, if the exact temper of the sitters is not carefully noted, 

 great loss of eggs and time may result from their fickleness. This 

 is even more true of the light nervous breeds than it is of the heavier 

 meat producers and general-purpose fowls. The hen is never abso- 

 lutely under man's control; she has a will of her owti; hence, the 

 poultryman at best cannot be certain of definite results until after 

 the hatch. (3) If the hen used is of nervous temperament and large 

 size, she is apt to crush the eggs or chicks under her feet. Some 

 hens have a greater tendency to break eggs than others ; this is due 

 largely to their clumsiness in the nest, and is especially true of the 

 large meat breeds, which have such a mass of feathers on their 

 shanks that they are clumsy in getting about. (4) Even under 

 ideal conditions the hen can hatch only a limited number of chicks 

 at each sitting. When a large hatch is desired there must be a 

 great many sitters, and it may be practically impossible to secure 

 them; moreover, the limited results obtained do not compensate 

 for the necessary care and handling. 



Advantages of the Artificial Method. — Much may be said of 

 the merits of artificial incubation. It may be briefly summed up 

 in the statement that, with good eggs from good stock in an incu- 

 bator properly and intelligently managed, equally good or better 

 results can be realized than with natural incubation. (1) The 

 chief advantage of artificial incubation lies in the fact that it can 

 be absolutely regulated by man. Eggs may be hatched at any 

 season of the year if it is possible to secure fertile eggs for that 

 purpose, — whether it be for broilers, in the fall and winter; for 

 early pullets, in January and February; or for future layers, in 

 March and April. (2) By an intelligent use of the incubator, the 

 poultryman can so regulate the temperature, moisture, and venti- 

 lation as to secure those uniform conditions during the hatch 

 which insure uniform results. (3) The element of chance is prac- 

 tically eliminated, and, with care and attention, approximately 

 the same results can be secured in continuous hatches and during 

 successive years. (4) The incubator is cheaper in the long run. 

 Taking a period of five years, and considering the initial expense 

 and labor, it is much cheaper to hatch a given number of eggs in 

 an incubator than under hens. 



Disadvantages of the Artificial Method. — The disadvantages, 

 if any, of this method are largely due to brooding. (1) It is, how- 

 ever, doubtful whether the percentage of fertile eggs hatched in 

 the incubator will year after year run quite as high as when under 



