ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION 



add a little moisture by means of a wet sponge or a small quan- 

 itty of wann water in a saucer, which will generally correct the 

 taouble. Avoid opening the machine while a hatch is in progress, 

 as it completely destroys the humidity of the egg chamber and 

 will cause a loss of many chicks. 



All the chicks should be out on the twenty-first day. When 

 I am satisfied that the hatch is finished, I remove the egg tray, 

 allowing the chicks to remain in the incubator until they are 

 at least twenty-four hours old. 



SUCCESS WITH INCUBATORS 



INCUBATING AND BROODING EQUALLY IM- 

 PORTANT— HATCHING AND RAISING CHICKS 



WILLIAMS BROS. 



THE disappointment to beginners in the poultry business 

 could, nine-tenths of them, be avoided if they would 

 assume a less experimental strain, and adopt the horse- 

 sense principle. Experiments are all right and to be commend- 

 ■ed when confined to the proper sphere, but it seems that most 

 people when starting to operate an incubator for the first time 

 -beheve they can improve upon the rules laid down by the makers 

 -of the machine. They, therefore, put their own ideas in opera- 

 tion, often ideas which are diametrically opposed to the rules 

 ^ven them, as well as being in opposition to the laws of nature, 



All incubators are not operated ahke, and while there is 

 more or less similiarity among them, in many cases the rules 

 .governing the operation of one make would not prove success- 

 ful if applied to another. It seems natural that the maker of 

 an incubator should understand his particular machine better 

 than a person not so famihar with its mechanism, therefore, 

 we strongly recommend to the beginner when starting his in- 

 ■cubator to apply the rules laid down and given him by the 

 manufacturer of the particular machine he is operating. After 

 he has run it for two ar three hatches, should he find he can im- 

 prove upon the printed instructions he has followed, then he 

 may do so, but he should by all means use all the good judgment 

 he possesses, and mingle with it just as little "theory" as pos- 

 .sible. 



It is a very simple thing to operate an incubator. In recent 

 years wonderful improvements have been made in incubator 

 construction, until to-day there are machines on the market 

 which are almost perfect. We believe that the best are none 

 •too good, therefore, would advise purchasers of incubators not 

 to consider a few dollars' difference in cost, but to pay a little 

 ■extra if necessary and get a good machine. 



There are a few points we will refer to particularly as they 

 may be beneficial to some who are inexperienced in operating 

 incubators; 



First. It is highly important to keep the temperature of 

 the egg chamber as near 103 degrees Fahrenheit as possible the 

 first week of the hatch, but do not lose your equilibrium should 

 you find on different occasions that it varies. Sometimes the 

 temperature drops to 95, without injury to the eggs. Again, it 

 may go up to 107 the latter part of the hatch without serious 

 injury, • but this is risky business, although some of the best 

 hatches we have ever seen have been under just such circum- 

 stances. There is nothing gained by such a variation of tem- 

 perature, but on the other hand, everything to lose, however, 

 we repeat, do not get excited if the temperature varies, but do 

 your best to learn to manage your incubator so it will not vary. 



Second. The moisture question is about as important as 

 any, and should be carefully considered. It is difficult to make 

 a rule which will apply to all machines and to all climates. In 

 a dry climate, and in warm weather more moisture is required 



than otherwise, and two or three hatches will prove to the 

 operator whether the eggs require considerable moisture, veiy 

 little, or none at all. If the chicks develop too rapidly it is 

 usually caused by too much moisture, in some cases combined 

 with too much heat. This causes them to die in the shell. It 

 is far better to have a little moisture in the incubator from the 

 beginning to the end of a hatch, rather than to put it in at in- 

 tervals and have too much. Rather than guess at the amount 

 required, we would much prefer to have a httle in the machine 

 during the entire hatch, i. e., from the first day to the twenty- 

 first. But whatever you do, follow the instructions of the 

 manufacturer. 



BOWEL TROUBLE 



Usually the cause of chicks dying the first week of their 

 lives may be attributed to improper incubation of the eggs, 

 resulting in their coming out of the shells not so strong in con- 

 stitution as they should be. By "improper incubation" we 

 mean too much or too httle heat, or too much or too little mois- 

 ture. If the chicks do not come out of the shells strong and 

 vigorous, the operator of the incubator should be a close enough 

 observer to determine the cause. He can do this by watching 

 the chicks develop and studying the process of whi^h so much 

 has been written. 



There is no more excuse for improper brooding and feeding 

 than there is for improper incubating. While there are many 

 first-class makes of brooders on the market, I think there is yet 

 room for improvement in some. Poor ventilation of the brood- 

 ers is the very root of all evil. It is the cause for chicks dying 

 more than all other caus^ combined. A brooder which will 

 give enough heat and still furnish an abundance of pure fresh 

 air is the right thing, but a brooder which will cause the chicks 

 to crowd and suffocate is not a success. 



The key-note for feeding should be — "Keep the chicks 

 hungry." Learn to feed them just what they will eat up clean, 

 no more. Then feed again soon. Keep them busy and hungry. 

 Never allow them to become overthirsty, but keep good, clean 

 water before them all the time. Never feed sloppy food. We 

 beheve chicks will grow faster and do better on a dry, well-bal- 

 anced diet, than on anything else. Never neglect the chicks 

 from the time they are hatched. Any extra attention that can 

 be given them out of the ordinary routine of feeding, etc;, for 

 the first three or four weeks is time well spent, for if they are 

 given a good start, they will grow, and develop rapidly, whereas 

 if they do not grow from the time they are hatched they never 

 will reach the state of perfection they would had they started 

 out on their career under more favorable conditions. 



Cleanliness in everything connected with the chicks plays 

 an important part, and this department must not be neglected. 



Out here in Cahfornia we can hatch and raise poultry any 

 month in the year, although most of the extensive breeders 

 coimt on getting out the largest number of chicks in January, 

 February and March. It makes it very convenient for us in 

 breeding and hatching for exhibition specimens, for we know 

 just when to hatch the birds in order to have them just right 

 and in the pink of condition for the different shows. We our- 

 selves raise exhibition S. C. Brown Leghorns exclusively, and 

 for the state fairs hatch out our birds about April 1st, and by 

 September 15th they are in fine condition. Then for the Dec- 

 ember and January shows we hatch a Httle later. Eastern 

 breeders must follow the seasons for doing their hatching, while 

 California breeders do not have climate to contend with. 



In conclusion, to get back to the subject of this article, we 

 will say that there are only a few cardinal points to keep in 

 mind to be successful, and any person of ordinary intelligence 

 can raise poultry artificially if he will only apply himself to the 

 business and study the requirements,, always keeping foremost 

 in mind — "Take every man's counsel, but reserve judgment;" 

 then profit and pleasure will go hand in hand. 



47 



