The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-08-01
INCUBATOR CHAT.

A poor incubator is temper tester
II beats baby for keeping man up
nights. Say your prayers often If
you've bought bargain. Some incu.
bators improve on acquaintance; 9th.
ers are advertised improvements that
do not improve mans morals. But
beg pardon! OF course you have Sc
cured a first class machine and set 1t
with good eggs in well aired room
where the temperature stands at 65
degrees. Now for a short chat.
The hot air machine warns up soon
er and fluctuates less than the warm
water incubator. Same with brooders.
Then there's no water tank to fill, melt
when forgotten nor leak. Before you
run for the timer put handful of
chop In the tank to stop the leak. They
use it in radiators. It's good plug. If
you happen to have poor regulator
you can keep the thermometer at 10S
degrees by simply increasing or lower
ing the dame. but don't forget that a
fame in newly filled lamp will rise
Of itself, so be watchful. When the
eggs warm up. remember that their
animal heat increases, and as the
chick develops there is more heat un.
I'll the last week, especially in warm
weather. the heat from the growing
chick viii some days run the incu-
hator. Running hatcher with damper
up Is oil waste. A smoking lamp is
dangerous. IL not a charred wick,
poorly fitting chimney. bad oil. dirty
burner or a chimney showed too tight
ly into the tiue, the fue itself may be
clogged with SCOT or stopped with some
obstacle. If you cannot prevent it.
throw the machine out. To sell a
secondhand fire hatcher is a capital
crime. Don't go crazy if the heat oc-
casionally runs above 103 degrees.
About the best temperature is 102 de-
grees to 103 degrees the first week, 103
degrees the remainder. When the ther-
mometer hangs up 1t should be a de-
gree higher. We have seen the heat at
115 degrees and good hatch followed.
but to remain at that point long means
baked eggs The Matching temperature
Is between 100 degrees and 105 degrees.
When the heat is higher than 105 de-
grees, take out the eggs, cool and roll
them and adjust the fame. A good
incubator is not a. trickster, and we
never have such things to worry US.
In cooling eggs the time Of turning
Is sufficient for the first week, ten min
utes the second and fifteen minutes
morning and night of the third. Mark
the eggs with an X. Turn the trays
end for end the second day. Begin
ming with the third day, turn the eggs
half over morning and evening until
they begin to pip, about the eighteenth
day. They will hatch too soon if you
run your machine too high or drag
along if you run a low heat. Neither
is good. The latter will stick chicks
in the she'll You will forget some
times. We left tray of eggs cool
two hours last summer, yet they hatch
ed. We left an incubator door open
till the eggs got cold while the chicks
were picking the shell. Got a good !
hatch. Wonders will never cease even
If we are dumb and have good forget
ters. So don't cry if something like
that happens and throw the hatch out. I
You can tell by test when the eggs
get hot if they are pretty well devel
oped. They'll wiggle in the shell.
Don't let some of these incubator in
structions scare you. The more rank
some machines are the more particu-
lar and extensive the code of rules to
run them by and the more loopholes
and technicalities for escaping re-
fund when the smash comes.
Watch that thermometer. If the sill
yer thread is not solid, but keeps di-
viding, throw it out An air space in
that thread may make a little speck
at the end you overlook. You may
run one point at 103 degrees, while the
little speck is the real end and roast
ing your chicks at 110.
Some sprinkle the eggs with warm
water the eighteenth day. We use the
machine with the big wet sand tray,
and 1t does dandy. If you have a ma
chine like ours, you don't have to rock
the incubator cradle all night.
nOMiTC u