176 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



Selecting Eggs for Hatching. — In selecting eggs for hatching 

 purposes, by far the most important consideration is the 

 health and vigor of the parent stock. The reason why this 

 is so vastly important is fully discussed elsewhere. Suffice 

 it to say that the fundamental selection is that of the parents. 

 It far outweighs every other consideration. 



Beyond this it is well that the eggs from desirable breeders 

 should be normal in every observable characteristic, and of 

 the size and color most demanded by the market catered to. 

 No eggs should be incubated which weigh less than two 

 ounces. The twenty-four-ounce dozen and the case of 

 thirty dozen weighing forty-five pounds net are the gener- 

 ally accepted standards, below which eggs are not considered 

 first class. 



It will usually be necessary to set four eggs for every 

 pullet brought to maturity, if the vigor of the parent stock 

 is good. If the vigor is not the best, the number of eggs will 

 be larger. 



They should be uniform in size, shape, and color; free from 

 ridges, excrescences, or weak shells. The practice of hatching 

 abnormal eggs tends to increase the lack of that uniformity 

 which is so desirable from every stand-point, because pullets 

 hatched from small or odd-shaped eggs are likely to produce 

 abnormal eggs in turn. 



Predetermining Fertility and Sex. — The manifest advantage 

 of being able to ascertain whether an egg is fertile and if 

 hatched what the sex of the chick will be, by an external 

 examination, is so great that it has led to much speculation. 

 Out of this speculation have grown " sure methods" of accom- 

 plishing it. Needless to say these "methods" are unsup- 

 ported by experimental evidence, and are practically worth- 

 less. The one which is given widest credence is that the shape 

 of the shell is an indication of the sex of chick that will 

 result if the egg is hatched. It has long since been found that 

 the long, narrow eggs popularly credited with hatching only 

 males in the long run give about 50 per cent, females, and 

 that the short, round eggs supposed to produce a preponder- 

 ance of females, when hatched in large numbers produce a 

 little above or below 50 per cent, of males. 



