Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-01-05
CHICKEN MATCHING STATIONS.

all over the country Will De bringing
into use the incubator for Matching
the early chicks for all branches Of
the industry says the Country Gentle
man. In many cases they have been
going since September to produce the
early broilers for the city market.
This artificial raising of chicks has
grown to a mighty industry, but it is
still in it's infancy. We have scarcely
peeped into it's future. With the in
cubator for Matching, the brooder or
brooder-house for growing and the
Westinghouse or stuffing process for
gaining the most satisfactory results,
we have opening up before use the
possibilities of a most wholesome meat
supply that cannot be controlled by any
section or community
With the incubator to insure the
Matching of every hatchable egg at any
season of the year, we have a start for
better things. Those who have suffi-
cient stock to warrant them in keep
ing an incubator of their own may
have as many as they need or can
handle. They might extend their work
by Matching chicks for others who
keep only a few hens. This might be
made profitable to the individual, or
there might be in each locality or vii
lage some one who made it business
to run a number of incubatOrs for gen
eraI USE He might have set price
per hundred for incubating the eggs
for all who wished him so to do. This
is neither a new nor original prop
osition. Such plants are in operation
in Belgium and other foreign coun-
tries, and there are few in this coun-
try; but this might be largely increas-
ed by those who have machines if they
would put forth an effort to this end.
Some have started the business of
selling little chicks, just from the ma
chine, and shipping them in baskets by
press. This has been handicapped
somewhat by an effort in some i'll
stances of the society for prevention
of cruelty to animals to forbid the
express companies to make long-dis-
notion, for when properly packed for
the journey tn6 chicks will go for 48
hours, reach their destination in good
condition and do well; but as in
everything else( the manner of pack
ing must be properly attended to, or it
will not prove successful.
Matching stations in all localities
would obviate all this; and each one
might enjoy the delight Of having the
chicks Matched from eggs laid by his
own selected hens. Now that we can
have incubators divided into compart-
ments for 20 or more eggs, it is pos
sible to place eggs for three or four
persons in the same machine, and each
one get the chicks from his own eggs.
When one person has enough to do so
as to be profitably busy all the time in
looking after lot of machines, the
results are usually more uniformly
good than when the machine is a side
issue to other employment. If we
have so much to do that we can only
give an occasional moment to our in
cubatOrs, we may not succeed, nor can
we hope to do we'll with them if a
number attempt to care for the same
machine, admOnishes the Gentleman.
The demand for these Matching
places when started is on the increase.
We know of one that had 80 ma
chimes in constant use nine months of
the year, and there is scarcely we'll
populated section of the country that
could not do equally well. or better,
~, nj IF CT
At first it will be slow, as in every
new venture. For this reason, the
way to succeed is to start in a small
way Do your own Matching and what
besides you can get to do. Gradually
this will increase till. before you know
it, you will have all you can do. Start
right and do right by your customers
and you will succeed.
There are drawbacks in this, as in
all things. Often eggs will not hatch.
First of all is the trouble, SO general
all over the world, of infert1lity. The
germ may be weak and die during in
cubatiOn These and other causes pre-
vent one from having as large a hatch
as another, and the only safe way is to
find out, by accurate care and book
keeping, what it costs you to run an
incubator for three weeks. Divide this
cost by the number of eggs the ma
chine will hold. Add to this the cost
of maintenance per egg-that which
you should have for your time and at
tention per egg-and get your pay in
advance, so much for each egg you put
into your machine, from each person.
In this way there will not be any mis-
understandings and each individual
takes the chance of his eggs prOduc-
ing or not, just as he must do at
home.
The chicks, when Matched, can be
taken home by each owner and reared
in a brooder. There are quite a mum
i Der Of indoor as we'll as outdoor brood
ers that can be successfully run. with
a little attention at each feeding time,
and the filing and trimming Of the
lamp, for this assures more certain