The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-05-15

the fault Tor poor hatcneS may lay.
In these days there are many good
makes of incubators. One does not
have the troublesome moisture ques-
ton, ventilation or the unreliable, slow
of action regulator to fuss or worry
over as used to be the case some ten
or fifteen years ago. All you have to
do is to regulate the machine, put the
eggs in, fill the lamp daily, and after
the second day turn the eggs twice a
day, which is about five minutes
work; or rather a pleasure or past1me.
Of coure one must use some good
commonsense judgment in running
the machine. Some people could not
successfully run one to save their
lives, while others get good matches
but are unable to heat the brooders
evenly. Still others can do neither.
A poor hatch from good machine
is nearly always the fault of the oper-
ator, or possibly of the eggs. One
writer in a recent issue of The Ranch
states he got only 12Q chicks from
360-egg machine, which I consider ex-
traordinarily poor My first hatch on
March 18th last year was 1872 chicks
from the same size machine, Cyph
ers Model This writer also stated
that he had only a dozen or less hens
to each male bird. This is very wise
rule to follow, but it does not prove
that good results can not be had from
mating a greater number of females
to a male.
Now, this large hatch that l just
got was produced from stock by no
means properly mated. They were
Buff Leghorn mated thirty-one females
to each male. They were also last
years pullets. Of course, l by no
means advise such mating. l prefer
two-year-old hens, mated fifteen to
one male bird But this shows what
can be done when one is careful with
the incubator. l have never been able
to get a good hatch from Barred
Rocks Last year I tried an expert
ment with four pens of the breed
spoken of. Pen No. 1 contained SIX
hens; No. 2, eight hens; No. 3 and No.
4, each twelve hens, also each pen
contained one male bird. The eggs
from each were marked separately.
All incubated in the same machine
from each pen were found to be equal
in fertility and Matched the same. That
is, pen No. 4 Matched as we'll as pea
No. 1. But none of them Matched over
55 per cent. of all the eggs put in the
incubator.
Last year, in my smaller machine,
from Buff LeghOrn eggs I got as high
as 100 chicks from 121 fertile eggs,
(eggs being gathered in the first part
of March,. l also kept an account of
each hatch, which was as follows:
December %, 1903, set 100 eggs, hatch
ed 81, which was so per cent, ap-
proximately; January 10, 1904, set 1872
eggs and Matched "a; February II,
1904, set 131 eggs and Matched SO;
March 8, 1904, set 124 Plymouth Rock
eggs and Matched Sc; April 3, 1904,
set IS goose eggs, of which only IL
Matched.
The records for the big machine are
as follows: December 1, 1904, set
$40 eggs, of which 231 hatched De-
cember %, set 368 eggs and Matched
236; February 20, set 448 eggs, OF
which 342 Matched; March %, set 36S
Plymouth Rock eggs and Matched 217;
March 6, set 100 eggs and Matched
3d. April 1, set 1876 eggs and Matched
1O9 January 2, 1906, set 1O6 eggs and
Matched 72; February II, set 44O eggs
and Matched 1872; February 16, set 1O5
eggs and Matched 81.
l have always secured the best
matches from Leghorns and Wyandot
ties. With good eggs from the middle
of the season hope to get from SO TO
100 per cent hatch from the tested
eggs. The feeding of the hens has
much to do with the fertility. Good
heavy laying Lehgorns in the breeding
season should receive about one-third
corn for their daily feed. l have not
had such good results when corn is
omitted. If good heavy laying strain
| Of FOULS aro foroo5 thn firet uoor Gov.