Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-08
INCUBATOR HINTS
FROM AN EXPERT
Just How to Get the Best Re-
suits and How to Care for
Chicks and Machine.
BY o. p. SCOTT,
Manager Pacific incubator Company,
Tacoma, Wash.

The writer has been experimenting,
making and selling incubators for
about 80 years, not just now and then,
but twelve months each year. Old
Biddy has been our only model to work
from, and it would seem that in all that
time one could master her every
thought, and action and while artificial
incubators have made wonderful strides
in recent years. there has been one
most important feature overlooked
namely, the cooling and airing of the
eggs.
Possibly | should not say cooling, for
there Is the point | wish to make that
in nature eggs are not cooled. When
the hen leaves her nest Gas most people
think for food and drink nature or
instinct tells her Just how long to re-
main off the nest 80 that the eggs may
not be injured by becoming cold or
chilled BY watching her carefully, you
will note that Of she is a good setter)
she will not leave the nest for the first
SO to 40 hours. and If so, she will quick
ly return.
The incubator manufacturer" adj
vises that after the eggs are placed in
the machine they are to remain undis-
turbed for the above length Of time,
The eggs turned and replaced as soon
as possible, always leaving the door
closed, that the heat may be kept up to
the proper utsIeet lbI the ileu Will re-
turn to her nest with the same degree
of heat that she had when she left II.
and we must, to succeed, initiate her
closely.
The point wish to make is this, that
we do not initiate the hen in airing the
eggs. All incubator manufacturers lex
cept one) make the egg trays exactly
the same, with wire cloth for the bot
tom of the tray. Why the wire bot
tom? That the warm air may pass
through and warm the nursery drawer
And in some machines to permit the
air to pass out Of the machine below
the eggs. What is the result? Very
dangerous, one might say suicidal. I
will try to explain so simply that all
can see at glance that ! am cor
rect
When the hen leaves her nest she
leaves both eggs ands nest warm. say
about 1913 or 104 degrees, now follow
carefully. the nest is oval in form; the
eggs lie packed together; the bottom
Of the nest, you might say. is air tight.
or nearly SO; this being the fact no
air can touch the eggs. only as It
passes over the top Of the same What
is the result? You air the eggs from
the top down. the eggs cool very slowly,
the nest keeps the eggs warm. The
| eggs being close together, keep each
other warm. We have seen the hen
remain off the nest for an hour. and
still the eggs were not cold. This is
nature.
Now, let us go back to the imitation,
the incubator The eggs are taken from
the machine and as directed either put
on top Of the incubator. on a table box
or anything that may be handy More
likely the end projecting over the edge
of the table What is the result? Heat
always creates a draft instead Of cool
ing very slowly and from the top only.
as in nature, the eggs in the tray are
cooled from both top and bottom. while
current Of air is passing up around.
and through, the eggs. and they will
cool very fast Just as you would do
should YOU sit near an open window
when quite warm, YOU would chill
quickly and take cold If the eggs are
only cooled once during the hatch. the
chicks might stand the shock, but to
repeat ii daily for eighteen days you
can al once see that only the strongest
chicks can endure il.