The log cabin Democrat., 1911-03-10
INCUBATOR NEEDS
 FOR BEST RESULTS

While there is not so much doubt regarding the correct principles in in- cubation among experienced poultry raisers who have operated incubators for a number of years, yet to the small army of beginners who each year start in poultry, many-in fact, over one-half-at some time will op- crate an incubator. There are many small details that the beginner should know to successfully operate an in- cubator that are not in the incubator firms instructions, and these are set forth in what is probably the best in- formation on incubation and breeding by Prof Atwood of the West Virginia experiment station, who has thor oughly gone into the matter. Prof. Atwood, on operating the incubator, says:
 "The machine should be set up carefully according to directions and the incubating chamber gradually brought to the proper temperature. What the tehrmometer should regis ter depends somewhat upon it's posi- tion in the incubating chamber. If the tehrmometer merely records the air temperature on a level with the tops of the eggs as they lay upon the trays, and is suspended near the cen ter of the chamber, then a tempera- ture of 1O2 1-2 will bring the chicks out promptly on the 21st day. The eggs should not be palced in the iucu bator until after the operator is able to maintain fairly uniform tempera- ture. Unless the regulator is proper ly adjusted to the right temperature and all the parts are in good working order, it is very easy matter for the temperature to run too high and thus injure or totally destroy the hatch The temperature should be maintained as uniform as possible. All violent fluctuations are unnatural and injurious. This is especially true of air above the proper incubating temperature. Cooling the eggs a few degrees below the proper incubating temperature does no harm, and in case the ventilation of the machine is not sufficient to supply the germs with enough oxygen, this cooling may be necessary for good hatch.
 "The ventilation of the machine is reyt in importance to the tempera- ture. During their development the germs absorb oxygen and throw off carbon-doXde, or carbonic acid gas, as it is sometimes called. If the car bon dioxide is allowed to accumulate, or, in other words, if the vitiated air is not replaced by pre- air with sutfi- cient rapidity, the germs will be weak ened, and those which are somewhat naturally weak will be killed It is likely that bowel trouble and nonab- sorption of the contents of the yolk sack, two very common ailments of i incubator chicks, are frequently caus- ed by lack of fresh air in the incubat- ing chamber during the hatch.
 ! For good results the eggs must be given plenty of fresh aid. When this is overdone another trouble is en- countered. The eggs lose too much moisture and the chicks dry fast to the shell, thus destroying many chicks and producing many cripples. On the other hand, if the eggs do not lose enough moisture the chicks are weak and flabby and do not have sufficient room so that they are able to break their shells and thus make their es- cape. Between the two extremes of too much coisture and too little there is medium where the moisture con- ditions are just right, and which, when closely adhered to in practice, gives best results.
 "In bulletin No. 73 the loss in Welght or eggs While Delng natched by hens is discussed, and the follow ing quoted from that publication, which is now out of print:
 Artificial incubation is rapidly as- suming immense importance, not only on the large poultry farms where all of the matching is done by incubators, but thousands of people who keep few hens find that it is easiest to hatch by artificial methods. Artificial incubation would be more widely used if poultrymen had some simple and reliable method of determining wheth- CT the eggs, while incubating, are re- ceiving the proper amount of ventila- tion and at the same time are not dry ing up too rapidly. A proper and uni