The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-11

The thermometer should hang from the
ceiling of the egg chamber, with the
bulb so placed that it registers tho
| temperature Of the air surrounding the
upper portion of the eggs. Do not al
low the Thermometer to touch an egg,
as the temperature Will fluctuatc each
time the bulb is moved from Il living
! to a dead embryo-the latter being
colder.
Studying Natural Incubation.
I We win insert an incubator ther-
momctcr under sitting hen that
matches successfully to learn at what
| temperatures her eggs incubatc. BY
| averaging the results of a number OF
trials. we discover that all eggs in
the nest are not kept equally warm.
| The temperature of the bare breast of
| the sitter against which the center
eggs rest is 1916 degrees. The air at
the upper portion of the middle row of
| eggs in the nest is 1894 degrees. while
that circulating around the outside row
of eggs just inside the sittcr's wings
| has n temperature of 99.4 degrees. In
| mometcr was placed at the breast of
the hen. or held near the upper portion
of the eggs, with the intention OF MAX
ing these readings under the hen cor
respond with the readings of the same
thermometer In the egg chamber. The
hens used in the experiment Matched
practically every fertile egg. and for
that reason, can be considered au-
thcntic.
We have learned, therefore that the
highest temperature to which eggs
should be subjected in an incubator Is
about 10ih degrees-any higher tenn
pcraturc is unnatural. The lowest tenn
porature to which eggs should be held
for II long period is about 99ls degrees.
by estimating the temperature OF each
egg daily from it's location in tho nest.
whether at the hens breast. middle or
outside row. and computing these tenn
p"raturcs it was found that the aver
age temperature during the hatch at
which each egg is incubatcd under a
hen is 1923 degrees.
Temperature, Turning and Cooling.
As a result of this and other expert
mental work with sitting hens and in
rubators it has been shown that the
temperature of about 102ia degrees is
maintained throughout the entire
hatch. including the final period when
| the chicks are emerging from the
shells. It is not necessary to keep the
eggs at Il constant temperature of l02ia
degrees. but this should be the object
aimed at. and at least the average
temperature for each day or week and
the hatch.
! OF course, the sitter cannot maintain
| AN inVariable heat of 1921 degrees for
every egg every hour of the Matching
period, but it is believed that each egg
averages this temperature each day.
| It can be conservatively stated that n
| sitting hen turns her eggs at least ten
times Il day, rolling the outside eggs
to her breast and changing the posi-
ton of each cgg in the nest. This roll
ing takes place the first day the hen
sits on the eggs.
Yin the incubator in the morning
and turn the eggs that evening, and
continue turning them morning and
| evening until the first chick pips ,he
shell. Three turnngs a day are prac-
ticcd in Egypt 10y some American OPP
orators. The noon turning could not
be harmful and it might be beneficial,
but SO far as we know, no experiments
| have been conducted to decide this
question of additional turnings.
Test the eggs at the end Of the first
and second weeks and remove the in
fertile eggs and dead germs.
| The rEg chamber of the incubator is
warmer at the center than near the
door, and, to overcome this variation,
TN" center eggs are frequently lower OF
farther from the heating compartment
However, this uneven heat is not in :
| furious when the eggs are moved
around the egg chamber of the ma =
chin" similarly to their movement UNI
der a hen, If the Aruhatur tray has
NO divisions, place the center CgEs at
the front and back of the tray and roll
tn" remaining r,gS toward the center
When there ar" two tray s. shift then,
from side to sid, OF the egg chamber
and torn them end for end alternately
thereby "uuallHtnE as much as possible