AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 



the same age and size, and may all be kept in one 

 flock with a great saving in time and labor; and 

 machine-raised chicks are decidedly easier to keep 

 free from lice. 



It is always best for the beginner to follow 

 closely the instructions sent along with the machine 

 Instructions ne ' ls us ' m g> because different makes 

 for Operating of machines, different locations, and 

 Incubators different climatic conditions require 

 vastly different methods of operation ; and the man- 

 ufacturer of your machine ought to know better 

 than anybody else how to operate it for best results. 



There are, however, a few general principles 

 which may be laid down that will hold good with 

 every make of machine and in every climate, and 

 which sometimes are not found in incubator instruc- 

 tion books, even though they are important to one 

 who has never had experience. 



Make sure that your thermometer registers ex- 

 actly correct. Test it at the beginning of each 

 hatching season with a physician's thermometer. 

 This may be done by holding the two instruments 

 in a pan of water and stirring gently and steadily 

 to keep the temperature of the water uniform. A 

 half degree variation in the thermometer may ruin 

 a hatch. New thermometers sometimes are imper- 

 fect, and old ones will occasionally show a slight 

 variation from one season to the next. 



Have the incubator setting perfectly level, as 

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