The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-01-15
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INCUBATORS AND BROOD.
ERS FOR PROFITABLE
CHICKEN RAISING.


for information relative to the use OF
and rearing chickens. The high Cost
OF poultry foods and the great demand
for fresh eggs and frys have convinced
poultry raisers that it will pay to use
a dependable system to obtain chicks
this year.
The old sitting hen will not worl
when we want her to. She and he,
friends refuse to go broody in January
and February, but they fill every avail
able nest as soon as the weather turn.
warm and the time Of Matching the
best chickens is over.
MY hens would not sit early and
could not buy any early sitters," is
heard every summer and fall by own
ers Of little chickens.
Amy one who likes poultry can op
crate an incubator successfully. 1t is
necessary to turn the eggs morning
and night and fill the lamp once day
1t is not necessary 10 examine a good
machine more often .han two or three
times daily, when the above work car
be done
Every incubator is equipped with 8
thermostat to regulate the tempera
ture.
The more popular types Of kerosene
lamp incubatorS are heated by hot air
although there are some good styles
heated by the circulation OF hot water
The main advantage Of the hot air ma
chine is that Of durability.
The past year has found the electric
incubator springng rapidly to the
front. This machine can now be OBJ
tanned for use on any voltage. 1t Is
also made to bo used with one Of the
home lighting systems found on many
South Carolina farms. The cost OF
operating an electric incubator is nc
greater than that Of a lamp machine
The temperature can be maintained
al a uniform degree and the machine
can be placed in any room Of ths
house.
1t is usually found chat a profitable
size incubator to buy is one with {,
capacity of about $40 eggs. The size
containing from 12C' TO $50 eggs is also
popular with poultrymen who do moi
desire to raise more than 200 or S1S
chickens year. Howevef, a large in
cubator when only one-halt flllcd will
give as good Matching results as q
smaller machine, SO that a big ma
chine gives you an opportunity "a
hatch eggs for others or hatch sufft
cient chicks to sell the surplus to you,
neighDOrS. The boSt size for an elec
trio machine is about $50 eggs. Just
thnSp rhnnc a rn rnt u i,rL
in price owing TO little competition
but 1t is hoped that within short time
the price OF the electric will be about
the same as the implicated incubator
The better typos Of incubators are
built with double walls with one inch
or more Of insulating material between
the wallis. This prevents the tempera
turc of the egg chamber being affect
ed vitally by changes in the outside
temperature Of the room. The cheap
er incubators have simply single
wall or a double wall with piece Of
pastoboard between. II does not pay
TO buy the cheaper incubstors made in
this way.
Some machines have separate
compartment below the eggs into
which the chicks drop as soon as they
are hatchcd. This KS convenience
but it is Of no special advantage.
The average I number Of chicks
hatched from the eggs placed IN an
incubator Is about ont-h,slT When
you buy an incubator it is well to or.
der one or more portable brooders, al
lowing SO chicks to each brooder. Most
of the manufacturers rate the capacity
OF their broOdcrs at about twice as
many chicks as they will satisfactorily
rear
These portable brooders are about
two feet in diameter and stand on
three cast iron legs The kerosene
lamp is under one side and woolen
curtain surrounds the lower part OF
the brooder. The baby chicks push
under this wooden curtain and the
heat Of the lamp keeps the inside OF
the brooder at the required temDerl
ture Of ninety to ninety-iivc degrees.
1t Is a simple matter to raise in
cold weather almost all the chickens
in brooder OF this kind when 1t is
placed in a bright room. Later on in
the season when the days begin to get
warm the portable hover is preferably
put in a small wire front house.
An incubator and one or more brood.
ers will enable any one TO hatch
chicks when ne wants them FGbru.
ary and March are the two best hatch.
ing months Of the spring season Pul
lots hatched these months viii com.
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