Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/214

 WOMAN'S WORK 192 regulator is working properly. Should all be going smoothly, thought may be given to the eggs. Popular Breeds Before placing eggs in an incubator, it will be as well for the novice to know the kind best suited for incubation, so that the best possible results may be secured, and the resultant chicks strong enough to be dis- posed of readily. In working up a day-old-chick trade one must study the exact requirements of the public, and hatch out popular breeds. Pure- bred chickens undoubtedly command the quickest sales and the best prices, and some of the best breeds to incubate are the Orpingtons, Wyandottes, and Leghorns, as these breeds figure prominently in the lists of many successful day-old-chick dealers Choosing the Eggs Having chosen a breed, the next thing will be to consider the selection of the eggs. These, if possible, should be the produce On the seventh day of incubation test the eggs by means of a lamp specially made for the purpose. Eggs which then show embryo chickens should be replaced in the incubator of hens mated to well-matured and vigorous cockerels, and, if one intends contracting for them, arrangements should be made for a supply of such, as eggs from pullets do not, on the whole, yield profitable results. In choosing eggs for hatching, preference should be given to those that are quite fresh, or not more than a week old, and that are of a nice shape and possessing shells with a smooth surface. Long, round, and rough- shelled eggs should be discarded. After placing the eggs in the machine — which, by the way, should be operated at a temperature of 103° in warm weather and 104° in the colder seasons — they should be left undisturbed for twenty-four hours. Then the drawer should be taken out and Ls contents given an airing for from five to ten minutes, according to the temperature of the incubator-room. Each egg should then be turned to bring its lower part to the surface, after which the drawer should be replaced in the machine. After this pre- liminary work, the drawer should be taken out both night and morning — in the first instance to air and turn the eggs, and in the second to simply turn them and replace them in the machine. Roughly speaking, the length of time the eggs should be allowed to air varies from five to ten minutes during the first week of incubating, from ten to fifteen during the second, and from fifteen to twenty minutes during the third. A good guide to follow when airing the eggs is the condition of the latter as they cool down. When they fall in temperature to lukewarm they should be replaced in the machine. On ■'"he seventh day of incubation it will be necessary to test the eggs by means of a lamp specially made for the purpose, and to remove from the drawer any clear or addled ones. Eggs that are progressing favourably will show the embryo chickens in the form of dark spots, from which blood- red veins issue in many directions. On turning the eggs, the embryos will be seen to slowly rise to the surface. In the unfertile eggs nothing will be noticeable, while in the addled ones the dead embryos may be seen in the form cf dark masses fixed to the lining membranes of the shells, or in cloudy masses that fall to the lower part of the eggs when they are slowly turned round. The eggs should again be tested on the fourteenth day, and any containing dead embryos should be removed, as putrefaction is liable to set in, and cause injurious gases to be thrown off, to the detriment of those progressing favourably. Clear eggs taken from the machines on the seventh day may either be handed over to the pastrycook or kept, after being hard boiled, as food for newly-hatched chickens. Management of the Lamp In an article of this description a few hints on the management of incubator lamps are necessary, as well-managed lamps play a great part in the successful operation of artificial hatchers. In the first place, the lamp should contain good oil, as bad oil generates less heat and causes a smoke- creating flame and sooty flues. The lamp- burner should be fitted with a clean, dry wick, which should be replaced by a new one each time the machine is operated. The lamp should be attended to daily, and the hands washed afterwards, to avoid oil coming into contact with any eggs that may be handled, as oil, such as kerosene or petroleum, if smeared upon eggs, would quickly enter the pores of the shells and injure their contents. From the nineteenth to the twenty-first day of incubation the first faint chirp ol the fully-developed chickens may be heard, and it is at this time that the eggs need special attention. The moment the first chirp is heard, or the first shell is seen to