INCUBATION 15 
costly. Also, the time that the hens them- 
selves lose would make his chickens cost 
much more than would be the case if they 
were hatched in incubators, because the hens 
can be broken up from their desire to set, 
and can be restored to laying conditions. 
With that accomplished they will produce 
more eggs and pay such a profit that they 
cannot possibly be considered as economical 
hatchers. 
It is now believed that incubator chicks 
are just as strong and healthy as hen-hatched 
chicks. Since the incubator does not hatch 
quite as many chicks from a given number 
of eggs as do hens which are properly set, 
it is possible or even probable that there 
is some elimination in the incubator of the 
weaker germ. If this is true, the chicks 
that are hatched in an incubator should 
prove to be better than the chicks hatched 
by a hen. 
Selecting Eggs for Hatching. The eggs 
to be saved for hatching should be alike in 
size and color. It is considered that uni- 
formity of size and color are factors which 
may be inherited through the egg, and, of 
