Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-05-14

Mandy Lee Incubator three times
this year. but only 25 per cent of
eggs Matched. The chicks form in
the eggs but do not live long
enough to break the shell. 1 notice
the inside white skin of the shell,
after shell is broken gets dry ana
tough and the chicken is not able
TO break the skin. That Is where
the egg is pipped. The Incubator
has moisture pan. 1 put IT in on
the 18th day from setting, just
two or three days before Matching,
but 1T does not seem TO do any
good. Tell me the trouble
The hover does not keep the
chickens warm enough in brooder.
We do not have the lamp. Chicks
soon set cold and die. After TAX
ing them out / gave them nothing
but wheat bran for four or five
days, thereafter the chick feed.
l shall set the incubator next
week. Please tell me what to do
or how to start. l used this in
cubator last year. 1t Matched so
per cent of eggs, while this year
only 20 per cent of the eggs hatch.
We have the incubator in the ground
about four feet, cement floors, brick
bator. Do the cold brick hurt?
What is a feed for hens to pro-
duce fertile eggs? What must I
give for worms and the pip? What
must / give little chicks for loose
bowels? About three days after
they hatch they seem to have
loose stomach. 1 do not know
whether I give water too soon or
not. What should be the degree
of heat when chickens are hatch
ing? How should / put Paris green
on potatoes? How many days does
ii take a hen to hatch?
Please answer by return mail.
A SUBSCRIBER.
ANSWER.
If you operate the incubator
the same this year as you did last
IL shows very clearly that the
fault is in the eggs that you are
using. However. it is possible
that you waited too late to put
moisture in your machine. You
should follow the instructions. and
write to the people who made the
machine as they can help you more
than / can. / have never operated
a Mandy Lee, therefore. can not tell
you under what conditions it would
be best to handle the eggs, at what
time to give moisture or IL there
should be any at all. AS a rule,
it is not a good idea to give it at
the last part of the hatch as it
makes the chick in the egg swell
up and sufficate. 1t should either
be applied from the beginning to
the end of the hatch, or not at all.
/ have some machines that l do
not use any moisture at all in,
others that / have to apply mois-
ture, but these machines are differ
emily constructed. If you succeed
ed in getting good matches last year
IL shows that the machine is all
right. but that you are not operat-
ing IL properly. and unless / had
used it 1 would not tell you what
to do.
YOU can not expect your little
chickens to live in the cold BROOD
er any more than you could to raise
a little baby in a cold room with
out SUFFICIENT clothing to keep IL
warm. You should supply heat at
least two to three weeks for them.
II the weather is good and enough
chickens are kept in a close box
80 A4ldl TIE dHllllal neat viii gem
crate warmth sufficient to keep
them going it is all right. but il
requires lots of trouble. lots OF
watching 10 raise them in this way
and as you say, when they get chill
ed they die. They must be kept
warm If you expect them to thrive.
! do not think il is a good idea to
give them wheat bran. They
should have the chick feed
from the beginning. At the end
of ten days or two weeks it is all
right to give them the wheat bran
and meat scraps mixed. 1t might
be best for you to keep the incuba-
tor in an open room where a
draught will not blow on it. and it
would probably do better than in
the basement you refer to-
Hens. to produce fertile eggs
must have a good vigorous male
bird with them. made to take ex-
ercise and feed a variety of food
and at least one grain feed per
day. There is not such thing as