INCXIBATION 423 



ference. If the membrane becomes too dry a few drops of 

 warm water may be sprinkled on the membrane. 



Eggs left standing on the end instead of the side may result 

 in cripples being developed. 



Chicks dead in the shell may also be due to low vitaUty of 

 the eggs, caused by being kept too long before sitting, or at 

 improper temperatures, from parents being too old, from par- 

 ents being too young, from inbred parents, the male mated to 

 too many females, the flock poorly fed, eggs overheated, the 

 eggs chilled too much during incubation, too much moisture or 

 insufficient ventilation, or parents not receiving sufficient 

 exercise or green feed. 



If the air be too moist there may not be sufficient evapora- 

 tion from the egg. On the other hand, if the air be too dry, 

 the evaporation may be too great and the membrane becomes 

 too dry and even leather-like and the chick unable to break 

 through. 



Duck eggs require to be incubated at 3^° to 1° F. lower tem- 

 perature than hens' eggs. 



Turkey eggs can be successfully hatched in the incubator 

 and the poults raised by aid of the brooder, as in chicks. 



Barrels or large boxes may be placed around in rather 

 secluded places for the turkey hens to lay in. These barrels 

 or boxes must be clean and nests made of clean straw. 



Some breeders yard their turkeys till after 4 o'clock, which 

 compel them to lay in nests prepared for them. 



The turkey hen begins laying at about ten months of age. 



Turkeys usually commence laying in March, and lay fifteen 

 to twenty eggs before becoming broody. If the broodiness is 

 broken up she wUl begin laying again in about ten days. 



One male is sufficient for ten females. 



Barrels should be placed on their sides and straw nests made 

 in them. These barrels should be placed in out-of-the-way 

 places. The same person should always attend the sitting 

 turkeys, as they do not like to be disturbed, and may desert 

 their nests or break some of the eggs. One good-sized female 

 should cover twenty-five eggs. 



It is often found necessary to remove the tom from the sit- 

 ting turkey hen or the brooding young poults, and, in fact, often 



