Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1880-03-11
The Process of Incubation.

There are many things the ex-
istence of which the majority of us
live and die in ignorance Of. Only
by close observation do we acquaint
ourselves with some interesting
facts. We know that hen sets
three weeks before bringing ont
her young; turkey sets four weeks,
or about twenty six days the COM
mon duck nearly the same length
of time while The robin brings ont
her fiedSling in about eleven days.
The young of the latter bird is not
fnlly formed when it comes from
the shell. The eyes, beak, and
feathers grow attcrward, and the
body grows into shape, requiring
fully eleven days more before the
yonng bird can help itself, and in
deed for many days after leaving
the nest is fed and cared for by the
parents.
The "Pcople's Practical Poultry
Book says of incubation "The
hon has scarcely set on her eggs
twelve hours before some Inca
mems Of the head and body of the
chicken appear. The heart may be
seen TO beat at the end of the second
day of incubation. 1t has at this
time sorueN hat the form Of a horse
shoe; bat 80 blood appears. At
the end OF two days two vessels Of
blood are to be distinguished, the
/ pulsation of which is visible. Ono
Of these is the left vcntricie, and the
other is the great artery. At the
tittieth hour one anricle of the heart
appears, resembling moose folded
down upon itself The beating of
the heart is first observed in the
auricle, and afterward in the ven
tricle. At the end of seventy hours
the wings are distinguishablc; and
on the head two bubbles are seen
for the brain, one for the bill, and
two for the fore and hind part of
the head. Tow ard the end Of the
fourth day the two auricles already
visible draw nearer to the heart
than before. The liver appears
toward the end Of the fifth day
At the end of one hundred and
thir:y'one hours the first voluntary
motion is observed. At the end OF
seven hours more tie langs and
stomach become visible; and, fou.
hours attcrward. the intestnes,
loins, and upper,aw. At the one
hundred and forty fourth hour the
venricles are visible, and two drops
OF blood ,instead,.of the single one that
was seen before. On the seventh
day the brain begins to have
. some consistency. At the two-hun-
drcd-and-ninteenth hour the bill
, opens, and the flesh appears on the
breast. In four hours more the
/. breast-bone is seen. In six hours
| after this the ribs appear, forming
, from the back, )and the bill is clear.
|, ly visible, as well rs the gall blad-
ler The bill becomes green at
the end of two hundred and thirty =
b six hours: and, if the chicken be
+ taken out OF its covering at this Pc
= riod. it evidently moves itself. Tho
: feathers begin to shoot out toward
the two hundred and fort;eth honr,
s and the skull becomes gristly. At
), the two hundred and eighty eighth
: hour the ribs are perfect. At the
II three hundred and thirty first hour
b the spleen draws near the stomach,
y and the lungs TO the chest. At the
end of three hundred and tifty-tive
% hours the bill frequently opens and
shuts, and at the end of the eigh
tcenth day the first cry ofthe chick.
Ell is heard. 1t afterwards gets
more strength, and grows continu-
at ally, I'LL at length it is enabled Il
set itself free from confinement" IL
le the whole process, we must remarl
that every part appears Iii its prop
of er time. Ii, for example, the live
is formed on the fifth day, it i
te founded on:the proceeding situation
al of the chicken, and on the change
s, that are to follow. No part of th'
: body could possibly appear sooner
or later without the whole embry'
~ suffering.