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with a band on the right leg; and birds that are hatched in the 

 odd years (years that cannot be divided by two) with a band on 

 the left leg. In this way I can always tell at a glance just how 

 old a bird is, and never confuse a pullet and a year-old hen. 



INCUBATOR OR HEN, WHICH? 



Sooner or later the poultryman must face the question with 

 which this paragraph is headed, and it is my purpose now to help 

 him to an answer. In this matter, as in most others, there is 

 something to be said on both sides. In favor of the natural 

 method there is first of all economy. It costs at least $25 to install 

 an outfit fpr artificial incubation, and this is an expense that many 

 can ill afford. Chickens brooded by hens have more stamina and 

 are subject to fewer diseases than chickens brooded in any other 

 way. There is no mother for a brood of young chickens that can 

 equal an old hen. Some of the most progressive poultrymen in 

 the country use heris exclusively, setting hundreds of them at a 

 time. 



The disadvantage of the natural method is that it is never com- 

 pletely under one's control. Whatever mental qualities a hen 

 may or may not possess, she has a full-grown, large-sized will; 

 and no method has yet been discovered to make a hen sit when she 

 does not want to. To realize the largest profits in poultry, 

 chickens must be hatched early and kept growing from the day 

 they leave the shell. It is not always possible to have a supply of 

 sitting hens on hand. The sitting hen is liable to leave her nest 

 before her task is done, and no amount of persuasion will induce 

 her to return. Sometimes she crushes eggs or young chicks under 

 her clumsy feet. At the best she can bring out but a few 

 chickens at a time. After a while the up-to-date poultryman is 

 almost certain to come to the conclusion that he must have an 

 incubator. 



The advantage of the artificial method is that it is so com- 

 pletely under one's control. The incubator may be started at any 

 time. The best machines are so adjusted that the element of 

 chance is practically eliminated, and every fertile egg may be 

 incubated. The trouble comes in rearing the chickens. Brooder 

 chickens require much more attention and are more subject to dis- 

 ease than chickens brooded under hens. The per cent, of loss 

 is greater. Especially among beginners there is sometimes a 

 "slaughter of the innocents" that is frightful. 



