228 



POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Taking ofE the Hatch. — As soon as the chicks begin to pip 

 the moisture pans should l^e renioNed (unless they are so pro- 

 tected liy a wire screen that the chicks cannot get into them), 

 and the aj)ertin-e through which the chicks drop down into 

 the ntu'sery, opened. The incubator should then )je closed 

 and left closed until the hatch is well over. The temperature 

 should be carefully watched at this time, because the heat 

 generated by the struggling chicks is often sufficient to 

 raise the temperature beyond the limit of the regulator's 

 ability to act. It should not be allowed to run above 105° F. 



Fig. 107 



A handy arrangement for hardening the chicker 

 Prairie State Incubator.) 



(Courtesy of 



After a normal run the hatch will be well over by the end of 

 the twentieth day in the case of eggs from iNIediterranean 

 breeds, and the twenty-first day in the case of the American 

 breeds. With the Asiatics it frecpiently takes eight to 

 twelve hours longer. If the temperature runs low the hatch 

 will be delayed, and if it runs high it will be hastened. When 

 the hatch is well over, the egg trays should be remo\'ed and 

 the shells and unhatched eggs burned. 



