South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-10

totIe and Pliny the ancient Egyp-
tians Matched eggs in vessels which
they buried in the ground and COW
cred with manure For the last
1900 years the Egyptians have sue
cessfully incubated eggs in immense
baked-clay hatcheries which are
heated by burning piles Of straw
and dried manure.
The hatchery has capacity Of
$4,000 eggs. 5000 OF which are add
ed every three days. The eggs rest
ON two inches of cut straw, are
turned three tipes daily. and almost
all the fertile eggs hatch In 1908
il was reported that out Of $1,000
600 eggs placed in the hatcheries,
72.25O.OO0 chickens were returned
C. the Egyptian husbandmen.
The success of the Egyptian
Eatcheries, and equally gratifying
results in China demonstrate that
il is possible to hatch as great a per
Centage Of chicks by artificial meth
DDS. as when the work is performed
by hens And since no thermome-
ters are used in either country
where hatcheries are employed, the
heat Of the room being ascertained
10y placing an egg to the closed eyehd
Of an expert attendant, and crude
heating methods are employed, il is
evident that the successful Matching
of eggs cannot be such delicate
process as we have imagined.
In America and Europe there are
uo 6a!-ed-clay hatcheries. but the
eggs are incubated in lots OF 80 70
many thousands in special incu-
bators heated by Kerosene, gas or
ccal. While there are excellent small
incubators on the market designed
for the pOultrymun with small
flock. a most desira BILE size for even
the beginner is the machine that
holds about $50 eggs. When more
than 1900 eggs are to bc incubated
Pt one time. a mammoth incubator
booted by "a kerosene or coal-burn-
lar stove is generally preferred TO
number OF lamp heated incu-
bators.
Location OF Incubator.
An incubator should be placed i'm
well-venulated room. \ bright,
airy cellar. or a north room having
fairly uniform day and night temp
eratures are most suitable. while a
close room filled with impure air
will Kill the embryos in the most
vigorous Matching eggs. Keep the
windows constantly open ON at least
enc side OF the incubator room. and.
i- there is a draft on the machines,
cover these windows with thin cloth
set az and level the incubator.
TuI the lamp with high grade kero-
seue Then operate the incubator
without eggs i'm L. until "a tempera-
ture IF 1O2 ! . degrees can be main
tanned i'm the egg chamber from one
night until the next. The thermome-
ter should hang from the ceilins OF
the egg chamber, with the bulb SO
LACED that il registers the temper
ature OF the air surrounding the
upper portion of the eggs. DO not
allow the thermometer TO touch am
egg. as the temperature will ttuc-
tuate each time the bulb is moved
from a living 10 a dead embryo
the latter being colder.
We will insert an incubator Their
mometer under q sitting hen that
matches successfully 20 learn at
what tempera ture her eggs incu-
bate. BY averaging the results of "a
mum Der OF trials we discover that
am eggs I'm the nest are not kept
equally warm. The temperature of
the bare breast OF the sitter, against
which the center eggs rest. is 1876
degrees. The air at the upper por-
ton Of the middle row of eggs i'm
the nest is 1884 degrees. while that
circulating around the outside row
OF eggs just inside the sitter's wins
has a temperature of ga degrees.
In taking these temperatures the
thermometer was placed az the
breast Of the hen. or held near the
upper portion of the eggs, with the
intention of making these readings
under the hen correspond with the
readings of the same thermometer
i'm the egg cham Der. The hens used
ir the experiment Matched practi-
caIly every fertile egg and, for that
reason. can be considered authentic.
We have learned, therefore. that
the highest temperature 20 which
eggs should be subjected in an i'm
cubator is about 1O4 10 degrees
any higher temperature is unnat-
ural. The lowest temperature 20
which eggs should be held for a
long period is about 80 - degrees
Ply estimating the temperature of
each egg daily from its location i'm
the nest. whether az the hen S
breast. middle or outside row. and
computing these temperatures. IL
was found that the average temper
allure during the hatch at which
each egg is incubated under men
is 1928 degrees
Temperature. Turning and Cooling.
As result OF this and other eN-
detrimental work with sitting hens
and incubators 10 has been shown
that the best results viii be obtain
ed when a temperature of abo1t
10z IL s-sSees IS maintained
throughout the eLure hatch. includ-