£4 



Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1919. 



At the time when the eggs are turned for the last time 

 before hatching they are sorted into these baskets, the baskets 

 having been previously tagged with the number of the hen 

 who laid the eggs. These baskets are then covered and the 

 ■covers (Fig. 18) either wired on to the basket proper or the 

 ■covers held in place by No. 73 rubber bands. 



BANDING THE CHICKS. 



On the 22nd day these baskets containing the chicks are 

 removed from the incubator and the chicks are banded with 

 their distinguishing number. The bands which have been found 

 very satisfactory for this purpose are the No. 2 double clinch 

 pigeon bands, manufactured by the Keyes, Davis Company of 

 Battle Creek, Michigan. 



These bands are handled in the following way. As re- 

 ceived^ the bands are numbered from 1 to say 1000 (the end 

 number of the order). Here at the Station the clinch prongs 

 are bent down by a pair of small pliers. The bands, arranged 

 in numerical order, are then bent with numbers outside, around 

 a 3-16 inch wire using the pliers to draw them up tight as 

 shown in Figure 19. This procedure has many advantages; 

 (1) the' numerical arrangement greatly facilitates the construc- 

 tion and use of the "chick-adult-mating" index (p. 71), (2) 

 the bending of the band around the wire lends speed to the 

 operation of putting the band on the chick's leg as the circle 

 given the band by the wire causes it to fit the chickens ac- 

 curately. 



The operation of banding is very simple. The band is 

 opened, slipped off the wire and its number checked. The chick 



