16 POULTRY 
course, we wish our hens to lay the same size 
egg as far as possible, and the same shade of 
brown or the same degree of whiteness. 
They should be free from ridges. They 
should be candled before a strong light to 
remove any that show blood spots or meat 
spots, because such eggs will never hatch. 
Any that show fine cracks should be removed, 
because these will seldom hatch and in any 
event are very likely to become broken in 
turning. All eggs that are extremely long or 
extremely short should also be discarded. 
Effect of Storage. The hatchability of 
eggs is materially less after they are several 
days old. Eggs should not be saved, unless 
under special circumstances, for more than 
ten days. If the operator is trap-nesting his 
hens, or if he has certain hens that he knows 
to be unusually high producers, the eggs from 
these birds may be saved three weeks; but 
they should be turned once a day after they 
are four or five days old. While the per cent 
of hatch from these old eggs will be small, the 
chicks which come from them will be worth 
more to the grower than the eggs would be 
worth if they were sold to eat. 
