CHAPTER II 



Incubators and Brooders 



OON as we got settled I decided we must have 

 some chickens, so ordered an incubator at once. 

 A few months previous I had visited a little poul- 

 try farm. I was much attracted by the beauty of 

 the fowls, and the more so when I went into the 

 laying houses in January and could scarcely be- 

 lieve my eyes to see the hens at work. Some 

 were busy in their nests, others were trying to 

 crowd them offl, while others were cackling after laying. It repre- 

 sented the beehive appearance to see the industrious fowl so active 

 in midwinter. It is useless to say that it made an impression on me. 

 I resolved then that I would secure eggs from these fowls and imm'^ 

 diately placed my order. They arrived in Spring, a few days latei 

 than my incubator. I placed my incubator in the basement, and 

 after getting the machine regulated so that the thermometer regis- 

 tered 102% degrees I operated the machine two or three days, to 

 be sure that I had it well regulated before the eggs were put in. I 

 filled the lamp with the best oil I could procure and was careful not 

 to fill it full, in order to allow for the expansion of the oil. I started 

 with a moderate flame until after the heater was warmed through, 

 because a new wick will cause the flame to creep up, and if the 

 wick is turned too high on the start the lamp is likely to smoke and 

 accumulate soot on the burner. It will then burn with a large 

 flame until the burner becomes overheated and a puff of gas blows 

 it out. Should the burner be overheated so much as to blacken the 

 metal it should be scoured bright or replaced with a new one. The 

 heater drum should be cleaned out thoroughly. I was careful to 

 follow the directions that accompanied my incubator, and saw that 

 the chim7-ey or heater fitted closely to the burner. 



Placing the Eggs in the Incubator 



After allowing the eggs to settle for twenty-four hours, I placed 

 them in the machine with other eggs of different varieties I had 

 purchased. I took care to see that none of the eggs were standing 

 on end and that all were lying flat. Being on the road, I enlisted 

 the services of my faithful servant to run the incubator in my 

 absence. Like all novices, we were much interested in the develop- 



