West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1880-05-22
Artificial Incubation.

For many centuries, various methods
have been in use for Matching eggs bv arti-
fetal heat. The Chinese and Egyptians
used large ovens. The Arabs made use of
termenting horse manure. and upon this
latter method patent was given in Eng
land hundred years ago, and in this
country few years since. Commodore
Perry, in his report of his voyage to Japan.
gives carefully detailed account of the
plan he saw practiced there, which, i'm brief,
consisted in having large rooms with shelves
covered with thick, spongy paper, upon
which the eggs were placed, and then COW
cred with the same kind of paper, the whole
kept at "A high temperature, this room beng
only used dunng the last days of incubation,
the earlier stages being conducted in sepa-
rate room, the eggs being but into barrels
protected from changes of temperature by
layers of heavy paper, the heat given by
charcoal furnaces. But To American inven-
ton within the past ten years has been due
the perfection of the incubator. There are
now half a dozen or more egg matching ma.
chimes, which, with care and proper use
give as good results as we can obtain from
hens. These will be more clearly under
stood, by remembering that we are making
a machine which is TO take the place of ma
ture in the Matching of eggs. a hen that
steals away to some quiet fence corner and
makes her nest on the ground, as general
rule comes off with larger and healthier
brood of chickens than under any other
conditions. Fourteen or fifteen davs will
be required by her to lay the nine or ten
eggs sine proposes 10 set upon. Every day
when she adds an egg to her nest she turns
those that she has already laid, and by the
warmth nf th.. h,.l,y
eggs. Now, with our artificial heh, where
we follow nature the closest, we obtain the
best results. To begin at the beginning, the
hen that stole her nest probably had her lib
crty and unlimited range, therefore was in
good condition OF body, andher eggs were
well formed and healthy. SO with our eggs
TO be used in the incubator, they must he
obtained from strong, healthy stock, which
have been properly mated. Where three
or four hundred eggs are to be set, il would
be necessary perhaps to keep them for some
time IN order TO obtain the number wanted.
Fifteen days after an egg is laid is as long
as 1t should be kept. This is the time given
by our hen. These eggs should be turned
every day, thus preventing the yolk from
settling to the shell, for If it does, when heat
is applied, and the chicken begins To form,
the yolk remains on one side OF the egg, and
when turned, receives one day too much,
the next too little heat, and the result is a
failure. The eggs, before setting, should
be stored in some place where the tempcra-
ture is even and not too dry. So much for
the eggs that we are TO set now to return
to the incubator itself. TO furnish "A close
Imitation of nature Is the secret of the
machine. The heat given by the hen is on
top of the eggs; so the heat, by whatever
means furnished, must be applied to the top
OF the eggs and not, as in some Of the
earlier machines, TO the bottom and sides.
This heat must be regulated so as TO remain
at uniform temperature of l04 degrees,
and during the last days Of the incubation,
when the chicks begin TO breathe through
the lungs, may be reduced two degrees or
three degrees. Our hen, by making her
nest on the ground, shows us that a certain
amount Of moisture is necessary, 80 tins
must be provided for in the incubator,
which is usually done by having shallow
trays OF water under the eggs. The last re-
quisite is pure air, for upon the third day
OF incubation the blood of the chicken be-
gins to be aerated by passing through res
plratory membrane, which is attached to
the shell OF the egg, ahd pure air becomes
the life of the chicken. Thus heat on ton
OF the eggs, pure air, and a certaiS amount
OF moisture, are the essentials for success
In our best American incubatOrs the heat is
supplied by a lamp on the outside, which
Keeps system OF pipes or a flat-covered
pan OF water placed few inches above the
eggs, at the required temperature. Tho
heat is controlled by self-acting machinery,
which opens ventilator when the ther-
mOmeter lying at the top of the eggs,
marks iO4 degrees. The moisture is sup
piled, "a we have stated, by trays of water
under the eggs. Sometimes water is sprink-
led over the eggs, especially during the last
days OF incubation, the effect being TO add
TO the supply Of air for shc chicks The
egg during incubation should be turned
once or twice each day otherwise, the um-
bilical veins are over-stimuated on one side.
and the chicken grows TO the shell and dies,
or if il succeeds in getting out it will proba-
bly, be defOrmed, generally being unable to
use its legs. The hen gives no assistance
in picking the shell when the chicken is
born, and none is required, as healthy
chick will do all that Is requifed To extri-
cate itself from the shell and assistance is
often attended with loss of blood, and more
damage than good is done. A chicken that
is not able TO get out Of the shell withol /
assistance Is not worth saving. After the
seventh or eighth day of incubation the UNI
bllical veins have 80 spread out and at
tached themselves TO the shell that the egg,
when enclosed in the hand and held TO a
strong light is Opaque, and the clear or in
fertile eggs are easily picked out, as they
are still trauslucant-the light passing
through them the same IA fresh laid egg.
These are boiled and used as food for the
young chickens. An expert can distn-
guish on the fourth or fifth day the eggs
that Will hatch aud those that are dead.
No means as yet have been discovered to
determine the sex Of the eggs, although a
good many rules have been given, such as
selecting the eggs by their shape and pee r.
liar appearance Of the she'll