PHEASANTS IN COVERT AND AVIARY 



is almost certain to be the result. It is in the attention to 

 details upon which success mainly depends. First of all the 

 incubator must be kept in a room where the surrounding 

 medium — i.e., the air — is warm, and the temperature uniform. 

 A drafty out-house, or a damp place of any kind, is not the 

 right situation for an incubator ; on the other hand, the apart- 

 ment must not be too warm. If a keeper has room in his 

 own cottage — though he is not as a rule overburdened with 

 apartments — the best plan is to place the incubator in such, 

 but not in a kitchen that is liable to be overheated. 



Previous to putting any eggs in the machine, it is a wise 

 procedure to regulate and adjust the temperature of the 

 machine for a few days, so as to become acquainted with the 

 regulation of the heat. The best temperature is 103°, with a 

 minimum range of 102° and a maximum of 105° Fahr, 



The eggs should be turned night and morning, but before 

 putting them into the incubator it is advisable to mark each 

 ^gg with a cross on one side, and some other distinguishing 

 stroke on the other, so that in turning the eggs there will be 

 one mark displayed in the morning and the other in the 

 evening. During the turning process shift the position of the 

 eggs, so that those in the corners and around the sides of the 

 drawer will be replaced by the eggs in the middle, by which 

 means the whole of the eggs will be uniform in the incubative 

 stage. Neglect of this precaution frequently leads to many 

 of the eggs being spoiled. Whilst turning the eggs the 

 drawer ought to be left open for ten minutes every day after 

 the end of the first week, and each subsequent day this time 

 should be increased about one minute, in order that there will 

 be about twenty minutes' exposure given to the eggs at the 

 full period of incubation. This exposure of the eggs to the 

 air is a very necessary part in the management of an 

 incubator, though a good deal will depend on the temperature 



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