24 METHODS OF POULTRY MANAGEMENT. 



has not tested many makes of incubators, and very likely some 

 of the makes not tested would prove as satisfactory as those 

 used.* 



Whatever make of incubator is used, pains should be taken 

 to become thoroughly acquainted with the machine before the 

 eggs are put into it. It is advisable for a person not familiar 

 with tlie use of an incubator to run the machine empty for sev- 

 eral days before filling it. After the eggs are put in, changes 

 and adjustments should be made with the greatest care for fear 

 of extreme results. By the use of an incubator it is possible to 

 determine exactly the time when the chickens shall be hatched. 

 With the strain of Barred Plymouth Rocks bred by the Maine 

 station it was formerly necessary to hatch the chickens in 

 March in order to have them ready for November laying. By 

 better methods of feeding, breeding, and treatment, it is now 

 possible to delay the hatching until x'\pril and the first of May 

 and have the pullets in good laying condition the last of October 

 and early in November. Chickens hatched in March under the 

 present method of breeding and feeding would in many cases 

 begin laying in August. 



THE INCUBATOR ROOM. 



It is important that the incubator room be so situated that it 

 can be kept at a fairly constant temperature. On this account 

 an undergrotmd room is usually selected. For many years the 

 well-lighted cellar under the wing of the farmhouse was used 

 by the Maine Station. A cold or badly ventilated cellar would, 

 however, be poorly adapted for incubators. Ventilation is very 

 important, and where several incubators are in use artificial 

 ventilation must be provided, in order that the machines ma}- 

 be furnished with clean, fresh air at all times. 



In 1905 the Maine Station erected an incubator house which 

 practically consists of a well-made, light, airy cellar with a 

 house for the poultry man above it. The incubator room, which 

 occupies the entire cellar, is 30 feet square. The room is 7 feet 



*A discussion of the different types of incubators and the methods of 

 managing them to get the best results is given in Farmers' Bulletin 

 236, "Incubation and Incubators," which may be obtained free on appli- 

 cation to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. The direc- 

 tions furnished by the manufacturers of the different incubators should 

 be strictly adhered to by the beginner. 



