86 GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF POULTRY. 



some strange power of resting , or recovering througn rest 

 injuries of this kind. 



Eggs of water-fowl are on the average easier to hatch than 

 those of fowls, but require a very free supply of moisture. 



The practical details of management have been sufficiently 

 treated in describing the hydro-incubators. 



Of late there has been, owing to high breeding, a marked 

 decline in the average fertility of eggs from "fancy" stock. 

 Hence the eggs of cross-bred fowls hatch much more readily 

 than others, as a rule, and an incubator may often be used with 

 great success on a farm where poultry are bred for market, 

 when less successful with the fancier. Recent reports have, 

 however, gone to show that the most approved makes of incu- 

 bators have fully equalled hens in average performance, in 

 winter and early spring considerably surpassing them, when in 

 intelligent hands. 



Artificial hatching is in fact no longer a matter of theory, 

 or of interest to a few amateurs, but is now carried on by 

 hundreds with constant and unvarying success. At the same 

 time, there are still many persons who never seem able to 

 succeed in it ; and this can only be set down to some personal 

 inability to grasp the principles and details of the process. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



REARING CHICKENS ARTIFICIALLY. 



THE artificial rearing of chickens must be regarded as a 

 question entirely distinct from the artificial hatching of them, 

 and may often become advisable, or even necessary, when they 

 have been hatched under a hen. The mother may die just 

 when her care becomes most necessary ; or she may be a 

 valuable hen, whose eggs are much wanted, and whom it is not 

 advisable to subject to the wear and tear of a young brood. 

 And lastly, some persons consider that it is absolutely better 



