INCUBATION 



97 



ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION 



During recent years there has been a large increase 

 of market poultry, resulting from the practice of arti- 

 ficial incubation. The incubator operator can control 

 production by artificial means, but with hens a desire 

 to hatch cannot be hastened. The artificial methods of 

 hatching and rearing chicks bring alike to the farmer 

 and to the small grower the choice of the day of pro- 

 duction and of the number of chicks produced. 



The results obtained from artificial incubation depend 

 primarily on the vitality of the eggs; but the handling 

 of the incubator, surrounding influences, and the gen- 

 eral efficiency of the incubator itself are other condi- 

 tions of fundamental importance. The vitality of eggs 

 depends on the constitutional 

 vigor of the fowls that pro- 

 duce them; superior vigor 

 must come through several 

 generations of strong and 

 healthy fowls. It follows 

 therefore that, in order to 

 have embryo chicks of 

 marked vitality, eggs must be 

 used that come from strong, 

 vigorous, well-bred fowls. 



The per cent, fertility is 

 an expression that is fre- 

 quently misleading. More 

 than 90% of the eggs 

 may be fertile and yet no 

 living chicks may come from WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCK 

 them, because the germ is MALE 



so lacking in vitality that 



it dies before incubation is completed. The per cent, 

 fertility is increased by proper feeding and the vigor 

 of both male and female is also increased, but there is 

 a pronounced difference between fertility and vitality. 

 The former may exist to a marked degree even though 



