The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-01-10
MCUBAT0RS AND BROOD.
ERS FOR PROFITABLE
CHICKEN RAISING.

coivod by the Poultry Division asking
Cor information relative TO the use OF
incubators and brC odeIs in hatChinP
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
q dependable system to obtain chicks
this year.
The old sitting hen will not work
when we want her to. She and heI
friends refuse to go broody i'll January
and February, but they fill every avail
able nest as soon as the weather turns
warm and the time of Matching the
best chickens Is over.
My hens would not sit early and
could not buy any carly sitters," is
heard every summer and fall uy own
ers of little chickens.
Any one who likes poultry can op
crate an incubator successfully. 1t is
neces sary W turn the eggs morning
and night and ill the lamp once day
1T is not necessary TO examine a good
machine more often than two or three
times daily, when the above work car
be done.
Every incubator Is equipped with
thermosLat 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 springing rapidly to the
front This machine can now be OBJ
tanned for use on any voltage 1t Is,
also made to be used with one of thS
home lighting systems found on many
South Carolina farms. The cost o,
operating an electric incubator is nc
greater than that OF a lamp machine
The temperature can be maintained
at a uniform degree and the machine
can be placed in any room Of the
house.
1t is usually found that a profftabk
size incubator TO buy Is one with 8
capacity OF aboW 240 eggs. The siz.
containing from 30 to $50 eggs is alst
popular with poultrymen who do no.
desire to raise more than 200 or 30t
chickens a year. However, a large in
tcubator when only ons-half filled vii
give as good Matching results AZ
smaller machine, so that a big ma
chine gives you an opportunity u
hatch eggs for others or hatch suni
cient chicks to sell the surpins 10 gc..
'net&hbors. The best size for an eiec
tric machine is about 16o eggs. JUS
now tn hese machines are rather high
in rrip m La 4 tiNn
fbut ii is hoped that within q short tim,
ithe price Of the electric will be abou
the same a. the lamp-heat ed incubator
The better types OF incubators arS
built with double walls with one incl
or more Of insulating mat er1ai bet tweeI
the walls. This prevents the tempera
't1re Of the egg chamber being affect
red vitality by changes In tho outside
Temperature OF the room. The cheap
er incubators have simply a single
wall or a double wall with a piece O
ipasteboard between. 1t does NOT pai
70 buy the ch eapsr incabatorv made II
tthis way.
Some machines have separSt'
jrom ca-:-.:aIt below the osss int,
(which the chicks drop a. soon a. tho.
tare hatched. Thts - q convenience
jbut It is of NO spscia advantage.
The average number Of chtcG
fha6ched from the egg placed IN -
tlncubator y about onehadf. Whns
tHou buy an incubator 10 wen to o.
lder one or moro portable broodere, al
}iowtns SO chicks to each brooAor Mos
bsf the manufacturers rate ths capacstl
kof their Srooders AZ Abe0t twice o.
kEnany chicks a. they viii safisfActorffl
bear.
These portable brooders are aSou
tHwo feet in diameter and stand O
Three cast iron kegA The kerOoezs
kamp In under ono sds and . wooAoa
kcuHain surrounds the lower part
bthe brooder The baby chicks puA
{under this wooden curtain and TN
theat OF the lamp keeps the inside O
1.-THE broOder al the required tempera
ture Of ninety to ninety five degrees
1t is a simple matter to rase
cold weather almost all the chickens
in a brocder OF this kind when 1t L
placed in a bright room. Later on il
the season when the days begin 10 ge
warm. the portable hover ia preferably
| put IN a small wire front house.
An incubator and one or more brood
ers will enable any one to haLc
chicks when he wants them Febru
AIRY and March are the TWO best hatch
ing months Of the spring season. Pui
lots hatched these months viii CON
mence to lay in the early fail and con
H,a