34 Money in Broilers and Squabs. 



successful issue from the very beginning.- The best location for an 

 incubator is afforded by a cellar, or apartment wholly or partially 

 underground. Here a uniform temperature is preserved, affected tc 

 a minimum degree by the various climatic changes. Here also a 

 firm foundation on which to set the machine is offered, and thuf 

 any jarring of the eggs is avoided. 



"Means of ventilation of the incubator room should always 

 exist, and excessive dampness is undesirable. The incubator should 

 be run empty for two or three days, or long enough to determine 

 that it is working correctly and with precision, registering a tem- 

 perature of from 102 degrees to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It is then 

 ready for the reception of the eggs. 



"A word right here in regard to the selection of the eggs. First 

 they must be fresh, and the fresher they are the better. All had 

 better be less than a fortnight old. They should be of good size 

 and regular in shape, the shells smooth, of a proper thickness and 

 free from chalky formations. Th'e superiority of large eggs for 

 hatching is apparent. Large eggs have large yolks that supply 

 more nourishment and induce an increased growth within the shell. 

 Consequently, a plumper and stronger chick is hatched, one more 

 sure to live and thrive. The eggs in the incubator must be regularly 

 turned *(wo or three times daily. In some machines this is accom- 

 plished automatically by their own operation, and thus any hand 

 labor in this direction is uncalled for. The eggs should always be 

 tested and the infertile ones removed. The latter, if taken out early, 

 are fit for culinary uses, or they may be saved and boiled for chicken 

 feed. The first testing may be made at the end of the third day. 

 A second one should be made as late as the end of the first week, 

 for if the egg shells are dark colored, it is quite difficult to determine 

 the character of the egg at first testing. Also the germs of some 

 will have died after having started to develop, and these will need 

 to be removed. Infertile eggs always have a clear, translucent 

 look. Fertile eggs show the germ as a clot of blood, with veins 

 radiating from it in every direction. Where the germ has died, a 

 reddish suffusion of blood will be apparent. 



"The amount of moisture required for the egg chamber of the 

 incubator can be estimated quite correctly after some experience, 

 by the appearance or feeling of the egg shell. Indeed, if the ma- 

 chine is stationed in a cellar, as before advised, little or no addi- 

 tional moisture will be needed. We have made good hatches under 

 such conditions, without the use of any artificial moisture whatever, 

 and have learned of others being successful in the same manner. 



"The incubator needs some attention during hatching. The 

 chickens as soon as hatched and dried should be transferred from 

 the egg trays to the nursery, that they may not inconvenience others 

 not yet out of the shell. All pipped eggs should be placed with the 

 chipped side uppermost, that the chicks may have plenty of air, and 

 escape suffocation. Empty shells often impede the hatching by 

 becoming attached to other eggs, and should therefore be removed 

 as soon as present. 



