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Show flVftere Ignorance Is Not Bliss Early chicks are no harder to r.ilso I than late ones if they get an equal I cbance. Hen hatched chicks artf I nearly alwaiyte normal if there is no-kins no-kins wrong -with the parent stock. good many deformed chicks are batched in ipcuhators by careless operators op-erators who usually try to give the mMhlne the blame. If tho temperature In the egg cham her Is not kept normal the chicks will not be normal. We learned this years ago by costly experlcnco. We bought a 240 egg incubator ono of tho best on the market. K was placed in an outbuilding for luck of a more suitable place, the cellar being be-ing damp and dark. The weather changed suddenly one night. 'flic north wind began to blow and tho temperature in the egg chamber went down to 84 derees. This happened ( during tho first week. We did not expect to hatch a chick. We got 104 chicks out of 220 fertile eggs. Thwe were six crippled chicks and ten tint wero so weak they died soon after being hatched. This was bad enough, but not so bad as it would havo been if the hutching process had been farther advanced. We must confess that this was caused by Ignorance. Wht'n the Incubator had nothing to do with the unfortunate occurrence wo were later convinced that two machines, holding 100 eggs each would have been easier for us to manage In many different ways, and would have given better results! after wo had learned how to hatch cMckt. The next blunder vas nindo with an outdoor brooder. No additional shelter was provided. Tho-chicks got along very well whllo the weather weath-er was good, but when It was bad they had to bo kept in tna bro-jdo all the time. The brooder was r.ct crowded after tho chlck-j began to grow, Although there was less than half of the number In it time it was Intended to hold. We were unablo to ventilate tho brooder sufficiently without leaving the door orei: n little. Of courso this caused tho chicks to huddle together. Several were smothered to death, while others oth-ers woro badly stunted. They had no lice, but they could not thrive for various reasons. Lack of exercise exer-cise was one. Before another hatching hatch-ing season came around we had a brooder houso built. This house, besides being a very good place for young chicks is hlso suitable os an Incubator house, although al-though we havo not been obliged to use It for that purpose. It is equipped. equip-ped. with a roof ventilator and covered cover-ed outside with tarred sheathing, which makes It very snug. This sheathing Is not at all expensive. All of tho windows are on tho south side, near tho floor, and fitted with wlro screens mado of half Inch netting. net-ting. This Is very convenient. When tho young chicks get well started and the weather gets mild the windows are left open part of the time. We believe In plenty of fresh air as well as exercise for chicks. Tho floor Is kept covered with clean Utter, cut straw, etc. Wo find it agood plan to cover the brooder floors with heavy paper. It Is easily removed and burned burn-ed when soiled. When chicks are kept confined they must bo provided with nnlmal food nnd green stuff along with their grain ration. After they are well feathered feather-ed they aro turned out of doors overy day when the weather Is good. |