AMERICAN POULTRY CULTURE 
Testing out the infertile eggs is necessary in arti- 
ficial incubation and often very desirable where 
Testing hens are doing the hatching. Hens 
the Eggs that steal their nests sometimes have 
too many eggs under them for best results, and if 
the infertile eggs are tested out as soon as possible 
the good eggs will be more certain to hatch well; 
or, when several hens are set at one time, if the 
infertile eggs are tested out one or more of the 
hens may be reset with fresh eggs. 
The egg-tester illustrated (or one similar to it) 
takes the place of the chimney on a lamp in a dark 
room. By holding the eggs up to the opening in 
the tester, those that are infertile can readily be 
distinguished, as they will be perfectly clear. The 
living germs will appear as a small spider-like body 
if the testing is done between the fifth and tenth 
days. The inexperienced should not attempt to 
test eggs before the seventh or eighth day, or he 
may throw out a few good eggs along with the 
others. Don’t hold eggs before the strong light 
any longer than necessary. 
If a second test is made at the end of the second 
week, those germs that have started and died may 
also be removed. The live germs will now appear 
very different from the first test, the lower portion 
of them being almost wholly dark and opaque, 
while at the large end of the egg an air space 
covering nearly one-fourth the total surface may be 
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