Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-02-13

porous, which enables the embryo to
take in oxygen through the shell, other
wise IL could not breathe. During the
early stages of incubation a network Of
blood vessels surround the inner men,
brane Of the egg, close to the shell.
These blood vessels absorb the oxygen
and act as the respiratory apparatus for
the embryo until about the nineteenth
day of incubation, when the lungs are
completed and brought into use
Obviously, anything which tends to
close up the pores in the egg shell also
tends to suffocate the embryo and de-
stroy it. Therefore badly soiled eggs
should not be used for Matching pur-
poses. To wash the eggs is likely to
make matters worse. inasmuch as the
washing process usually forces the par
tces of dirt deeper into the pores.
Moreover on the shell of the fresh egg
there is mucllaginous coating which
is intended to protect the porous texture
of the shell, and to prevent undue evap-
Grafton Of the contents Of the egg.
Washing destroys this coating which is
harmful.
Sitting hens sometimes break an egg
or two. which damage is apt to mess
things up for the rest of the eggs. Rather
than allow the hatch to go on with some
of the eggs thckly coated with the con-
tents Of the broken eggs, it is best to
make some effort to clean them. Scrape
the soiled eggs with a knife blade; this
will remove the bulk of the damage:
then If desired the shells can be wiped
with a cloth
DEAD CHICKS IN THE SHELL
One of the most distressing conditions
in connection with Matching, artificial or
| natural, is the number of chicks that
have developed perfectly, apparently, I'M
til the last day. when they are then found
dead in the she'll Very often the major
ity of these chicks go so far as to pip
the shell.
number of things can account for
such losses. Strange as 1t may seem, the
size of an egg has little to do with the
size Of the chick, all other conditions be-
ing equal. The size of the chick at hatch
ing time is largely dependent upon the
degree Of evaporation which has taken
place during the first two weeks. And
the degree of evaporation depends chiefly
upon the amount of moisture that is
present. either In the egg chamber of an
incubator or in the nest of the sitting
hen.
Where a great deal of moisture 10
the embryo VIII ne large. III
fact, if the moisture is excessive. the
embryo is likely to be so large that at
Matching time it completely fills the egg.
in which event the chick has great diff
Guilty in turning around inside the shell
in order to pip an opening.
1t will be noted that the chick pips
the shell in a circle, a task that requires
considerable effort. after which it rests.
Then making effort tha rhiclf
attempts to straghten out its body and
thus spreads the two divisions Of the
shell and is liberated.
If the chick cannot turn around inside
the egg by reason of it's size. or exhausts
itself in so trying. even though 1t pips a
hole, it dies shortly, and thus contributes
toward that great mortality known as
dead in the she'll"
On the other hand, the embryo Of di-
m!nutive size is equally handicapped,
only in a different way. The small chick
can turn round easily, but when it kicks
| out to pip the shell. it finds it's blows
| too short. therefore, too weak to be eff
| fective. 1t struggles, and would sue
| coed in the end. as many do, but a
rule the effort is too exhausting, hence
I another addition to the dead in the
she'll"
from this discussion II can be UNDER
stood why the long egg or the round egg
| is unsuitable for Matching. The former
would contract the chick and make turn
ing difficult or impossible: the latter would
give the chick too much space for it's
blows to become effective. 1t sometimes
happens that the air cell develops in the
small end of the egg or on one side. in
stead of in the large end. and in most
cases of this sort the chick fails to ex-
tricate itself.