Show EGGS IS EGGS BUT NOT FOR FOIL HATCHING pigs Is pigs according to the th famous story by ellis parker butler and to a great many people egge eggi Is eggs regardless of the way in which they are to he be used when it concerns eggs for any purpose but hatching that view may be as good as any other but eggs for hatching should certainly be selected with extreme care it if best results are to be obtained there is no great muster about the precess process of making proper proper selection on the contrary it la is 8 very sim simple ale matter I 1 have seen sc much of random selection however that I 1 am sure a few pointers on the subject will not be amiss first of all let me say what kind of eggs not to use discard all eggs that are small abnormally large very dirty irregularly formed and those with cracked rough thin 0 irregular shells I 1 would especially warn everyone against accepting the common belief that large eggs ar art best tor for hatching years of careful experimentation and close observation of the work of others has convinced me that the average size egg of regular form and color Is the best for hatching the exact size wll wil vary of course with different breedt breeds the same is true of color any thick chick en raiser can easily judge the size of eggs to use according to this advice and detailed instructions are not necessary the hatching egg should be sound of shell it should be smooth tree fre from uneven or rough spots should not be mottled or uneven of color should not be thinner in one pait part than in another should not have ridges bumps humps or bulges but should be as near to the true egg shape as possible A slight unevenness or variation from the ideal shape does not necessarily mean poor hatches but it the unevenness of whatever kind you may use Is very noticeable better put such eggs aside tor for market or table use eggs with unusually thin or porous shells are unde undesirable for or hatching the thin shelled egg Is easily broken in turning to many people it will come as a surprise when they learn that dirty eggs should not be used I 1 from experience however when I 1 say that such Is the case Sligh tl soiled eggs may be used it if they are first carefully cleaned by rubbing lightly with a damp cloth or sponge it if that will not clean them they should be put aside tor for other uses under no circumstances should eggs egge be washed thoroughly the thorough wetting and hard rubbing will destroy natures protective surface film thus thua hastening evaporation or of the th contents and allowing harmful odors to penetrate the porus shell all ggs eggs in any one ona hatch should be as nearly uniform as possible in size weight and thickness of shell they should also be of approximately the same age and from the same variety of fowl thin shelled eggs hatch more easily as aa a rule than thick shelled ones white eggs usually hatch more quickly than darker ones leghorn eggs will probably hatch 24 hours sooner than those from plymouth rocks it will therefore be easy to see why uniformity in all the ways lust just mentioned is desirable whenever practicable it this rule is followed practically all the eggs will hatch at or very near ne arthe the same time thus tar far greater chance tor for complete success than would be possible where eggs of widely varying characteristics are mixed together I 1 do not recommend the use of pullet eggs tor for hatching all breeding hens should be of good size tor for the breed and from 1 to 2 years ot of age it if pullets are used at all tor for breeders bleeders bre eders they should be well matured lay good size elze eggs and be mated to old roosters another important factor that greatly influences the chances tor for successful incubation Is the relative freshness of eggs those from 1 to 4 or a 6 days old show little difference as to hatching quality but after that they deteriorate rop rapidly idlY this Is easily explained A fresh egg contains just enough water to develop the embryo while it Is gra gradually us ly developing ve into a chick As an egg shell is porous the water will evaporate more or less rapidly the exact degree depending on the tempera ture and relative humidity ot of the place in which the eggs are kept after that natural internal moisture has passed out of the shell there Is no way on earth ot of restoring it in such a way that it can contribute to the tha building up of bone muscle or nerve tissues in the baby chick exactly how long eggs may be safely held before their hatching qualities are seriously affected cannot be arbitrarily stated it la Is worthy ot of note however that many commercial hatcheries invariably show a high percentage of eggs successfully hatched in each setting and they are often set when from 10 to 12 days old |