CHAPTER XX. 

 ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION. 



ARTIFICIAL incubation and brooding means the hatching and 

 rearing of chicks by use of incubators and brooders. The hen's 

 heat and maternal instinct are entirely disregarded. 



Historical. Artificial incubation has been successfully prac- 

 tised since prehistoric times. The earliest reliable records are 

 found in accounts of Egyptian egg ovens: The eggs were placed 

 in large baskets made of reeds, and surrounded by fermenting 

 manure which supplied the heat. The method was very crude, 

 yet productive of excellent results. This artificial hatching was 

 carried on by different families, generation after generation, and 

 they thus became very expert in manipulating the equipment. 



This simple method was superseded by the use of ovens, re- 

 mains of which have recently been found in Egypt, where the prac- 

 tice of hatching eggs in large ovens has lately been revived. These 

 ovens have capacities ranging from one thousand to three hundred 

 thousand eggs in a season. As a rule, they are centrally located 

 in some large village in an agricultural district. The eggs are 

 purchased by the manager of the oven, and the chicks sold when 

 hatched. Such eggs can usually be purchased for $2.50 to 

 $3.00 per thousand, and the resulting chicks sold for $1.00 per 

 hundred. These large hatching plants are marvels of simplicity. 

 They consist of a large, low building constructed of clay, through 

 the centre of which runs a long alley, and opening out of this are 

 small, circular compartments with two floors, the second being 

 about four feet above the first. The eggs are placed on straw, the 

 heat being generated by burning fuel let on an elevated ledge 

 around the sides of each room, the amount of fuel used regulating 

 the heat. There is an aperture in each room which carries off the 

 smoke and surplus heat. In the centre of each compartment is 

 an opening where the operator stands when turning and handling 

 the eggs. As they hatch the chicks are removed to the central 

 alley, which is somewhat cooler, and kept there until sold. 



Early historical records show that artificial incubation was 

 carried on in China in ovens similar to the above. The appliances 

 were very crude, and success depended almost entirely upon the 

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