SELECTING EGGS FOR SITTING 401 



The average-sized hen egg is about 2.27 inches long and 1.72 

 inches in diameter. Illy shaped eggs should be discarded, as 

 the progeny is not desirable and they bring a low percentage 

 hatch. No eggs weighing less than 2 ounces should be used, as 

 the markets of the future will grade according to weight per 

 dozen and, in fact, at this time many of the large markets are 

 making such differences. The size of the egg is a character 

 that is inherited, and we do not expect that the hen developed 

 from an undersized egg will lay one any larger, besides she 

 herself in body may be smaller as a result of coming from an 

 undersized egg. 



Eggs for sitting should not be over two weeks old. The 

 eggs should be kept in a cool place, as a cellar. Incubation 

 begins at a temperature of 68° F., so that the eggs must be 

 kept at a temperature below 70° F. 



Hauling them over rough roads, especially mountain roads, 

 causes such jarring or concussion that the delicate membranes 

 surrounding the yolk or whites break and a so-called "addled" 

 condition results. In such an egg one can hear the contents 

 shake or slush, and it would be unfit for sitting purposes. 

 This also decreases its value on the market as a product for 

 food and lessens its keeping qualities. 



As stated before, the yolk has a tendency to float to the top 

 of the egg. On the top surface of the yolk the tiny embryo, or 

 blastoderm, which is, in reality, the quiescent embryo, is 

 located. If the yolk is allowed to gravitate to the top of the 

 albumen in the egg, upon reaching the surface, and as a result 

 of the evaporation which is going on from the egg, the blasto- 

 derm will become adherent (dried fast to the shell membrane) 

 and will die. Hence, eggs for sitting should be turned daily 

 to prevent the yolk from raising to the surface. 



The finishing touch nature puts on the egg in the egg canal 

 before it is laid is to cover it with a varnish-like substance, 

 which is commonly known as the bloom. Washing destroys 

 this bloom. The so-called bloom is a protective coating. It 

 is apparent from experiments carried on that after the removal 

 of this outer coating or bloom there is a more rapid evaporation 

 from the egg, and hence more chicks die in the shell and those 

 that hatch would be less vigorous. 



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