Show USE GOOD EGGS TO GET GOOD CHICKS incubators cannot produce without quality ty bv roy S dearstyne head north carolina drogt state ate college po poultry aultry department service some poultry men are more optimistic than business businesslike lik e in their methods this is especially true of those who assemble all kinds of eggs good or bad for hatching purposes you cant get more out of your incubator than you put into it and poultry men are urged to be more careful in selecting eggs for hatching hatching eggs should come only from high quality healthy vigorous birds they should be normal in shape have well calcified shells and weigh more than 23 ounces to the dozen they should be gathered several times a day and stored in a warm place to avoid chilling as eggs that have chilled too much will not produce good chicks A temperature of 40 to 60 degrees is best hatching eggs should not be kept in storage for more than seven to ten days the incubator should be carefully cleaned disinfected dis infected and tested before the eggs are placed inside likewise the brooder and brooder house should be cleaned and tested before any chicks are put in to grow the brooder should be started in operation at least 24 hours before the arrival of the chicks so as to give it time to become evenly warmed throughout destroy subnormal or cull chicks do not brood more than chicks in one unit and allow a square foot of floor space for every two chicks watch the temperature closely overheating is worse than a slight chilling winter season adds new burdens to Poul fryman the winter management and feeding of poultry places an important burden on the shoulders of farmers declares C F parrish exten 1 sion at the north carolina state college it is during the winter months that baby chicks are hatched and started the grower who pays careful attention to the selection of quality eggs for hatching and then feeds and manases manages the chicks properly is in a good position to make a substantial profit from his birds however the farmer who uses haphazard methods of selecting hatching eggs is likely to get a devitalized crop of pullets and cock berels if possible the should purchase his chicks from an accredited hatchery then the chance of having a poor quality flock will be minimized mating purebreds mongrels Mon grels the practice of mating purebred cockerels cockerell cocker els with mongrel females is carried out in many instances but is not recommended says an authority at the north carolina state college the mongrel birds are already of questionable value and while there may be an increase in egg production better and more rapid results would take place if the mongrel females were replaced with purebred chicks where chicks are bought be sure that they come from an accredited hatchery and eggs from a blood tested flock poultry notes market eggs at least twice a poultry on many farms are managed principally by women A common m mistake is take made in heating laying houses is to provide too much heat artificial light in the poultry house is important to prevent a molt ir in early hatched pullets chicken mesh wire should be placed over the dropping boards so that the hens cannot walk on them Poultry men say hens cannot maintain a high egg production p during winter months un unless they are properly managed |