The Florida agriculturist., 1907-11-20
Incubators Best.

l.
Does it pay to use an incubator?
This is a question which l am often
asked. To most of us it is a super
huous one. How could we get out
our early birds without one? In the
good old times hens had not the hatch
ing habit bred out of them as at the
present day, and who would go back,
if they could, to the fussy old hen?
Who only to the fussy old hen who
only laid few eggs and then would
monopollze the nest, against all 9th
ers?
Where would our two-hundred-egg
hen come from if sitters were as
plentiful as of old? Give me the hen
that will lay and lay, rest awhile,
then lay again, and keep it UP for
six months at a time. This is why
I like the Reds Once in a while I
come across an old-time sitter, but
unless of extra good color, none of
her eggs are set. [ believe in going
forward, not back. Which do you
like best-hot air or hot water? Hot
air by all means. Have had quite an
experience with both methods, but
am not dogmatic, and say it is the
that here in Florida it works best.
it takes such long time before again
reaching the desired point, and longer
to cool also The moisture question
does not bother us much in this eli
mate, never find it necessary to apply
it. Take this last season, for instance,
day after day passed with not drop
Of rain, though the parched earth and
curling leaves of the orange trees were
loudly calling for it, but we did have
moisture laden nights, which saved
the situation during all that time used
no moisture. Some years ago the
question came up, "Do the chicks
need air before piping the shell ?"
and as I had just come through an
experience with homemade incu-
bator, in which no provision had been
made for ventilation except that af-
forded by opening the door, | answer
ed in the negative. Never did I see
eggs pop open as those did. They
were Leghorns, and you know how
sprightly they are. There was no lag
ging behind, and in a short while the
hatch was done-thirty-two chicks
from forty-two eggs. There might
have been more, but do you suppose
for an instant that with my first ex
perience with an incubator I could
resist opening the door to look at
them, there was no glass in the door,
only smooth half-inch plank. Every
one of those chickens lived and grew
to maturity. Of course, my say-so
did not settle the matter, as it was
advised that a homemade incubator
would be faulty at best, and have more
or less air holes, but as it was lined
with heavy felt paper, do not see
how it could. However, we had no
thing more to say. Our first brooder
was a success, but too much trouble
for large numbers, inasmuch as it was
on long legs, a good, roomy box with
a square in one end cut to accom-
modate large tin can, underneath it
lamp.
To go back once more, one can
hardly ever get enough sitters at one
time, so you have your chickens all
making it more trouble to feed
Systematically You are always sure
of finding the machine where you put
it-something you cannot say for the
hen Why, just last week | had sew
eral hens sitting and the hatch was
due, one Of these hens was to be sold
with the little chicks, SO it will be
necessary to make change. did
so to another yard, and everything
as | thought was workino beautifully,
made the change at night, and the
hen seemed contented 1t was quite