PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



There is, however, a well-founded prejudice against arti- 

 ficial incubation. Prominent breeders hatch all their breeding 

 stock with hens, believing that the incubator chick has a weak- 

 ness entailed upon it that in time undermines the vigor of the 

 flock. This prejudice is only increased when a farmer's wife 

 has no trouble in raising 400 to 600 hen-hatched chicks, while 

 her neighbor who hatches many more with an incubator has 

 nothing to show for her labor at the end of the season. There 

 is no reason why an incubator properly constructed and cor- 

 rectly managed should not hatch as good a chick as the hen 

 that dances on her nest and often deserts it at the critical 

 moment. When artificial incubation and brooding are brought 

 to exact sciences this prejudice will disappear. 



Natural Incubation 



Natural incubation is accomplished by heat from the sun, 

 from fermentation of decaying vegetation, and from the body 

 of the parent. It is usually accomplished by the heat of the 

 hen's body. When a hen becomes broody she enters into a 

 fever (this is denied by some), and her temperature rises from 

 101 degrees to 107 degrees. This high temperature is com- 

 municated to the &gg so that during most of the period of 

 natural incubation the upper surface of the egg records a tem- 

 perature of 106 degrees. For sucessful incubation three con- 

 ditions are required : 



, Adequate heat, sufficient moisture and a supply of oxygen. 

 All of these conditions are provided by the sitting hen. Her 

 own temperature provides the heat, her body conserves the 

 moisture produced by oxidation within the egg, and the porous 

 nature of the feather allows the access of all the oxygen needed 

 for the growing embryo. There is no excess of heat causing 

 the coagulation of albumen within the egg. There is no 

 excess of moisture causing the chick to drown. There is no 

 lack of oxygen causing suffocation and death in the shell. 



Care of the Sitting Hen 



The nest is first provided. This may be a box, 12 inches 

 by 14 inches. The depth may be six inches. It is a good plan 

 to put sand or sweet soil in the bottom, and, after properly 

 shaping it, to line the nest with cut straw or fine hay. One or 

 two nest eggs are then put in place, and the hen is secured. 



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