Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-07-15
CHICKS ARTIFICIALLY HATCaED.

The steam Mothers and BrOods Doing
Well.
Last evening We visited the hennery (or
rather Matching house, for there arc no
hens there) of Messrs. Longaker s. Hum-
phreville, North Lime street, near Chest
nut, and were shown no less than six
hundred chicks of all ages, from tho tiny
peep just out of its shell to the we'll de-
velOped spring chicken of three months
old. These birds were all Matched by az
tificial means-twO patent incubators be-
ing used. One OF these is styled the
Perfect Hatcher" is manufactured at
Elmira, N. Y, and is capable of Matching
500 eggs at q single setting. The other is
styled the "AxfOrd." and is manufactured
at Chicago, I'll. It contains 1O5 eggs
at setting. The machines arc very in
geniously constructed, having galvanic
batteries and delicate clock-gear SO ar
ranged that a uniform heat of 1O3 or 104
degrees is kept up during incubation. The
heat is supplied by coal oil lamps, the
flame of which is automatically raised Or
lowered by an attachment connecting the
lamps with the clOck-gcar and battery.
Mr. Humphreville informs us that the
eggs hatch in the incubators with more
certainty than when placed under a hen.
Of 1O4 eggs placed in the AFFORD incuba-
tor, 100 were Matched. With the larger
incubator, the Perfect Hatcher, he has
been equally successful and with even less
trouble, as the eggs require no sprinkling,
but are kept sufficiently moist by the
evaporation of water from small tanks
placed in the machine, and tho eggs may
be readily turned" fifty at a time, by
merely invertiDg the trays upon which
they are placel. Mr.. Humphreville says
that with proper care and very little
trouble, 95 per cent. OF the eggs will
hatch, and not more than per cent. Of
the chicks are likely to die from accident
OF other cause. This is a much larger per.
natural hen.
The chicks of different ages are kept in
different rooms. OF tho 600 shown US
last evening, about 100 were Matched only
few days ago. They were all huddled
together and appeared to be as happy and
healthy as chicks Matched in the natural
way. In an adjoining apartment were 200
more few weeks old. In another room,
were about $50 still older and we'll feath-
cred, and further on was room containing
$50 more. all fine, plump, well developed
spring chickens large enough for table
use.
The young chicks are at first fed on the
yolks of eggs. hard boiled, to which is
added bread crumbs. As they grow older
they are given cracked corn, wheat screen
ings, millet and other grain, with fresh
cabbage leaves, fresh water, gravel, crush
ed shells, sc. The water is kept in fOun-
tains, so constructed that the chicks can
not pollute it.
In this largo family Of artiticially hatch
ed chicks, Mr.. Humphreville tells us he
has had no lice, no gapes Or sickness of
any kind during the few months he has
been engaged in Matching. He says there
is not much money in the enterprise at
this season of the year when all
the farmers in the county are raising
chickens, and the price is consequently
low but he believes there will be money
made on young chickens for table use
during tho winter and early spring
months.