INCUBATION 



low and the temperature cool the eggs are often 

 saved for as long a period as two weeks without no- 

 ticeably bad results. 



Ca7-e of Hatching Eggs. Eggs for hatching should 

 be kept in a cool place. Any place suitable for keep- 

 ing hens' eggs for hatching is a suitable place for 

 duck eggs. The temperature should be from 50° 

 to 70° Fahrenheit. Where the eggs are not kept 

 longer than one week, it is not necessary to turn 

 them, especially if they are kept on end. If kept 

 longer than this it is safer to turn them once a day 

 or once in two days, handling them carefully so as 

 not to crack any or to injure their hatching quali- 

 ties. 



Selecting the Eggs for Hatching. Medium sized 

 eggs are preferred for this purpose. Therefore, the 

 extremely large eggs and the very small ones are 

 thrown out. Rough shelled eggs or eggs with 

 crooked or deformed shells are likewise thrown out 

 since they are not likely to hatch well. Eggs that 

 are badly soiled s6 that they cannot be tested easily 

 are washed but the clean eggs are not. All the eggs 

 intended for incubation purposes are sounded by 

 striking them gently against one another in order to 

 detect and remove the cracked eggs. No selection 

 is made on the basis of color. The eggs may be 

 white, creamy white or a blue, or bluish green in 

 color. At the present time a considerably less pro- 

 portion of the eggs show a blue tint than formerly. 



73 



