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Show Advises Count Chickens Before They Are Hatched Contrary to the old maxim "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Dr. Morley A. Jull, In charge of the United States Department of Agriculture poultry research, advises poultrymen to do that very thing, and do it intelligently. Poultry research and practical experience have determined deter-mined the methods required to Insure a high proportion of hatchable eggs and the hatching procedure that will get the best results from good eggs. By applying these methods It Is possible pos-sible to make a reasonably accurate estimate of results to be expected. Doctor Jul! lists the factors on which the poultfyman should base his counting in advance of hatching. They are: (1) Take care In mating birds to assure good fertility ; (2) feed the breeding stock on a well-balanced diet that favors production of hatchable eggs; (3) carefully select the eggs for hatching, rejecting small eggs, oversized eggs, and Irregularly shaped eggs; (4) provide a reliable Incubator, In-cubator, place the eggs In the trays correctly and turn them frequently. With such precautions hatching Is not much of a gamble. |