The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-05-06
POOR MATCHES
AND WEAK CHICKS
By G. Z. CONkEY.

InlS is Ine Lllne Oh year witch LHe
common complaint among poultry
raisers is that a large percentage of
chicks die in the shell or that they
hatch so weak they are not worth IN
attempt to raise them. Fond hopes
for a prosperous year with poultry
can be blighted in just few weeks
time through the eggs Matching poorly
or through chicks dying shortly after
they are brought out.
Naturally the blame for these fail
ures is laid on the method of incuba-
ton whether a hen or incubator has
been used and naturally also, the in
cubator being man-made generally
draws the greatest censure.
Before blaming either the hen or
the incubator, however, look we'll 20
the quality Of the eggs that you use
for Matching and to the possibility of
these Matching out strong. livable
chicks, for not even the best of lncu-
baton can give you good matches Or
good chicks from poor eggs.
Why Eggs Don't Hatch.
Classifying them in their order of
Importance We can attribute poor hat
ches to
l. Infertile eggs.
2. Weak Germs.
3. Chilled eggs.
A. Stale eggs.
5. Improper Incubation.
Infertile Eggs.
Among the many causes of infer
tility of eggs, the most common is an
insufficient number of male birds in
large f1ocks, the use of male that is
a poor breeder, improperly handling
birds in small pens or having stock in
an over-fat condition. Infertility of
eggs may also be due to a lack of
exercise, or to badly balanced ration.
With the smaller. more active
breeds you can mate one male to any
where from ten to twenty females and
this proportion holds good in large
flock. For the heavier breeds, about
half this number of females would be
right.
If you want to be sure to get fertile
eggs see that the hens are in good
laying condition, have them exercise
freely and furnish them with plenty
of greens.
Weak Germs.
Weak germs are the cause of as
much genuine trouble as infertility,
because the harm in the case of weak
germs may reach even beyond incu-
baton. A weak germ is one that does
not possess the life and strength to
develop as nature intended and you
will find these germs dying at all
stages of incubation. Sometimes weak
germs produce a chick of an undesir-
able kind. but where this occurs the
stock usually falls an early victim to
some chick ailmelt. Many poultry
men have adopted policy OF killing
chicks that are not strong at Matching
or that show any weakness the first
few days. Their claim is that you
only waste time and room in attempt
ing to raise them.
Among the chief causes of weak
germs are improper mating and poor
handling Of the breeding stock The
sire, 9Th Of the germ bears a close re-
!ationship to fertility of the egg espcc-
Tally as Influenced by the condition eff
the birds used for breeding. There
fore if you want eggs that will hatch
right, do everything you can to have
your stock in good shape for breeding.
Weak germs are also sometimes
caused by close inbreeding and in this
case the harm will be far greater if
there Is any weakness H. the stock
used. Weak germs are to be expect
ed from pullets that have not reached
full maturity and hens that have laid
continuously throughout the winter or
have been forced Tor heavy laying by
the use of rich and stimulating food,
cannot produce the strong germs that
are necessary IN Matching eggs. Some
hens are strong enough to stand the
strain Of high production but many
of them will be weakened to such an
extent that they are undesirable for
breeding. An excellent plan is to use
hers in their second laying year and
even then not to encourage egg pro-
duction during the early winter
months, so that the eggs when needed
for Matching in the early spring will
be strong enough for the purpose. This
method, which greatly benefits the
Matching quality of the eggs laid, is
about the Only one that will build up
a flock of heavy layers without grad
ual loss Of vitality.
Weak germs are also to be expected
from birds that are kept in small pens
without exercise or in unsanitary and
poorly ventilated houses. Birds that
are not fed in an intelligent way or
birds that are weakened by disease
cannot make good breeders and will
not produce strong germs in their
eggs.
Chilled Eggs.
In cold weather eggs should be ga
thered often otherwise they will be-
come chilled to such an extent that the
germ is weakened and in some cases
entirely killed. Chilling also occurs
when eggs are stored in a cold place
To prevent Matching eggs being chill
ed, keep them in a place where the
temperature ranges from 80 to so de-
grees
Stale Eggs.
While it is not possible to say defin-
itely just how long an egg may be