INCUBATING 83 
duced and he would have to pay $300 to $400 
for his hens instead of $200, as the hens I 
have figured on here were not for breeding 
but just a temporary utility egg-laying flock. 
If he bought the eggs to hatch he would have 
to pay 6 to 8 cents for the same strain as his 
15 cent day old chicks, so that before he got 
through and had the 500 estimated he would 
find that his flock had cost him at least as 
much as the 15 cents apiece. 
Incubators in the hands of novices don’t 
hatch every egg bought nor every fertile egg. 
So if you hatch 50% to 60% of the bought 
eggs you will be doing well. Figure it up 
and add your oil and see how close the figures 
would be to 15 cents. 
To breed properly from your own hens re- 
quires also more study and knowledge than 
the average novice would be able to master 
to enable him to start right in to raise his 
own flock and keep that flock up to the 
standard he wants. It means study, watch- 
fulness and a knowledge of his hens that a 
beginner would not have; so but few words 
have been said as to brooding because it 
seems better that the beginner should follow 
the other plan and take the first season to 
profit by his experiences and together with 
