The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-13
Incubator vs.. Hen.

c. z. Chapman. in Country Gentleman.
Our incubator is in the house cellar. is a
hot-air machine and does not vary a half
degree in the three weeks if the lamp is
properly cared for. In setting it up for
work a spirit level was used 10 get it ex-
actly level so that the heat would be uni
form in all parts Of the machine. This Is
an important point and should be always
attended to and the thermometer kept In
one place for uniform results.
The lamp is a large one and will heat the
machine without turning on a high name,
thus avoiding the danger OF oyerheating
and burning out the parts. Ii will hold OF.
enough for two days, but is filled ano
scraped every morning. which prevents the
formation OF gas, which occurs III nearly
empty lamps, and the crusting over Of the
wick, causing il TO smoke. / always scrape
a match across the burned wick once
which leaves II straight as 1t was before,
and can keep Ii in better form than with
a pair of shears. Our lamp has burned
now eight weeks without going out or be-
ing trimmed in any other way.
l put two hundred eggs on the trays and
thirty-two more on top Of them. so that
when 1 tested out would have full trays.
This can be safely done if the temperature
tray. which will make it about l04 degrees
on the upper tier, but when l had lOS de-
grees on the tray it cooked the eggs laid
on extra. The eggs were laid in with the
big end up and started slowly. being TWEEN
ty-four hours warming up to the desired
heat. / began to turn the morning or the
fourth day and tested them out the sixth
day. All but fourteen were FERTILE ana
showed well-deveioped germs in the large
end. When eggs are laid fiat or with the
little end up the chicks head will be in the
wrong end; IL does not have room 10 turn
and break out. They seldom hatch in such
cases.
The ventilators were kept open from the
start and we dried down as much as posi-
BILE. No moisture is used in this section,
and most operators agree that the best
matches are obtained where the air space
is largest. Our cellar is fairly dry as TO
condition of walls and floor, but has a well
in one corner.
The eggs are turned twice each day and
allowed to cool a few minutes, till the Their
mometer Is at 80 degrees when resting on
the eggs. No turning is done after the
morning of the eighteenth day. and the
machine is not opened again until the hatch
is over. | had TO turn the burr of the reg
ulator half round each morning to offset
the heat generated by the chickens in the
shells, and had to take off the extra
eighteen eggs on the tray before turning
each time, but kept them marked. so that
/ could tell them from the others. They
were in a temperature of 1O4 degrees al
the time.
The hatch was as follows: Good strong
chicks, 124; weak chicks, 2; weak germs
died early in hatch, 35; full-grown died in
the upper tier Matched. Now, will some one
tell me why they die on the nineteenth day,
ruiz grown, without Piping the smell!
Every egg pipped, except two, gave
strong chickens, which lived and are grow
ing splendidly. The eggs were more than
usually fertile, and should have Matched
well.
Six hens were set at the same time, and
/ give results: One left her nest every few
days and had to be put back on her eggs,
which felt cold to the hands; one had a
fight with an intruder and broke an egg,
which smeared the whole setting and COM
PEELED washing the eggs in warm water.
nhha had f0hfx a0or ~ urnHn nnf fnaf-
ed out at any time. but were from the
same lot as the others. They Matched sew
enty-three strong chicks, but smashed six
in the nests while coming out; seven eggs
were not fertile. Two of the hens left their
nests while the eggs were Matching, and
one was gone an hour, yet Matched every
egg. 1t does not seem 70 make any differ
ence If cold air does strike a Matching
chicken in a nest, but it dries them fast
if in an incubator. Hens seem to be ahead,
or am | at fault somewhere? Who can aid
me?