INCUBATION 253 



that may affect results. While the natural method is the only 

 one available for those who cannot give an incubator as close 

 attention as its heater requires, the poultry keeper who leaves sit- 

 ting birds to themselves is taking chances. Under favorable con- 

 ditions a single bird sitting by itself may make a good hatch. A 

 few birds may do as well if they get along amicably, but good or 

 even fair hatches are exceptional under such circumstances. As a 

 rule, good results by natural methods are secured only by careful 

 selection of eggs and sitters, careful preparation of nests, regular 

 attention to the wants of the birds, and prompt correction of any 

 condition unfavorably affecting either the germs in the eggs or the 

 mothers at hatching time. The natural method of incubation, at 

 its season and in its place, is the more economical method, and 

 taxes the thought of the operator less than the other, but to get 

 full results from it the operator must do his part as faithfully as he 

 expects his birds to do theirs. 



Hatching by Artificial Methods 



Responsibility of the operator. The modern incubator is a clev- 

 erly designed, serviceable mechanism, but it has its limitations. Many 

 of the troubles of incubator operators are due to overestimates of 

 the automatic capacity of incubators, and to the consequent neglect 

 of things to which the operator should give his personal attention. 

 The most successful operators are those who watch their incubators 

 very closely, quite ignoring the manufacturer's claim that the 

 machine will do its work with a little attention every twelve hours, 

 and that no serious harm will result if the operator happens to 

 leave it alone for twenty-four hours. The facts as to this are, as 

 the experienced operator has learned, that while an incubator may 

 run for weeks without requiring attention except at the regular 

 intervals, it may go wrong at any time, and many hatches are lost 

 which might have been saved had the operator been on the look- 

 out to promptly correct wrong conditions. When operations are on 

 a large scale the risk of loss is so great that the wise poultry keeper 

 takes no unnecessary chances, but looks after his incubators and 

 brooders early, often, and late. In small operations it may not 

 seem profitable to give the time to this, and on the actual value of 

 the eggs, or of the chicks when hatched, it may not be profitable ; 



