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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1914)
10 HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION A Weekly Page of Poultry Hints to You Here is a Department Foil of Bright Ideas For Readers of the Home and Farm Magazine Section. The following is the second of a $ aeries of articles by Harry M, $ 1 Anion, Senior Animal Husband- o mam iit Poultry Investigations, 3 Animal Husbandry Division of Korean of Animal Industry of 4 the United States Department of 8 Agrienlture, on the natural and $ artificial incubation of hens' $ eggs. SY8TEM and care in the manage ment of sitting hens -will produee a large number of chickens at a omparatively small expense. Even with the beet of caro, some hens prove to be fickle mothers and eause trouble aaad loss in hatching by breaking their eggs, leaving their nests, or trampling a the ehiekeng when ffrst hatched. Hast hens of the general-purpose breeds, such as the Plymouth Bocks, Wyan dottes, Khodo Island Beds, and Orping tons, make very good mothers. The heavier class1, or meat breeds, includ ing tha Brahmas and Cochins, make good sitters, but are inclined to be ekunsy on the aoat. The Leghorns and ther Mediterranean breeds are very aervoaa, and usually do not make good Bothers. Where only a few hens are set, spe cial quarters are not necessary, but when many are used a separate room ahmkl ba provided for the sitters. FttrtaMa nests are frequently furnished br the laying hens, so that broody lens can ba moved in them to new sjaarters. Of the various styles of nests sad for sitting hens, the following has given satisfaction: IS inches square, IS indies high, with a board 6 inches higtt i front to prevent nesting material from faDing out. The nests may be arranged in tiers, with a hinged front, whieh makes a platform for each tier when open. A large number of hens a- ba set in this way in a moderate sized room. When using a bank of ests, such as that which has just been described, it would be well to place 3 r 4 inches of damp earth in the bottom of each nest. The nesting material is ext pnt in, and may consist of hay, chaff ,or straw. Pack this material down firmly, and shape a circular nest not of it, which should be slightly deep er in the center than at the edges, as 8 acst so shaped will prevent the eggs from rolling out from under the hen -and becoming chilled. How to Set a Hen. As the time approaches for the hen to become broody or sit, if tare is taken to look into the nest, it will 1)8 seen that there are a fow soft, downy feath ers being left there by the hen; also the hen stays longer on the nest when laying at this time, and on being ap proached will quite likely remain on the nost, making a clucking noise, raffling her feathers, and peeking at the intruder. When it is noted that a hen its on the nest from two to three nights n succession, and that most of the feathers are gono from her breast, whieh should feel hot to the band, she is ready to be transferred to a nest whieh has been prepared for her before hand. The normal temperature of a hen ia from 106 to 167 degrees F., whieh varies slightly during Incubation.- Dost the hen thoroughly with insect powder, and in applying the powder hold the hen by the feet, the head down,' work ing the powder well into tha feathers, giving special attention to regions around the vent and under the wingB. The powder should also be sprinkled in the nest. The nest should be in some quiet, out-of-the-wa plaee, where the Bitting hon will not be disturbed. Move her from the regular laying nest at night and handle her carefully in doing Bo. Put a china egg or two in the nest where alio is to sit, and place a board over the opening so sho can not get off. Toward tho evening of the second day quietly go in where sho is sitting, leave some feed and water, remov the board from the front or top of the nest, and let the hen come off when sho is ready, Should she return to the net after feed ing, remove the china egg or eggs and pnt under those that are to be tncu bated. If the nests r.re slightly dark ened the bens are less likely to become restless. At hatching time they should fee confined and not be disturbed until tha hatch is completed, nnless they be come restless, when it may be best to remove the chicks that are hatched first. In cool weather it is best not to put more than 19 eggs under a hen, while later in the spring one can put 12 to 15, according to the size of the hen. v Care of the Sitting Hen. If several hens are sitting in the same room, see that they are kept on the nests, only allowing them V come off once a day to receive feed and wa ter, the feed to eonsiat of corn, wheat, or both. If there are any that do not desire to come off themselves, they should be taken off. Hens. usually re turn to their nests before there is any danger of the eggs chilling, but if they do not go back in half an hour in ordi nary weather, they should be put on the nest. Where a large number of sitters are kept in one room it is advisable to let them off in groups of from 4 to 6 at a time. The eggs and nests should be examined and cleaned, removing all broken eggs and washing those that are soiled; in the latter case the soiled nest ing material should be removed and clean straw added. Nests containing broken eggs that the hen is allowed to sit on soon become in fested with mites and lice, whieh cause the hens to become uneasy and leave the nest, often causing the loss of valu able sittings of eggs. In mite-infested nests, the hen, if fastened in, will often be found standing over rather than sit ting on the eggs. Many eggs that are laid in the late Winter and early spring are infertile. For this reason it is ad visable to set Bevernl hens at the same time. After the eggs have been under the hens from 5 it) 7 days, the time depend ing somewhat on the color and thick ness of the Shells white-shelled eggs being easier to test than those having brown shellsr-they should be tested, the infertile eggs- and, dead germs removed, and the fertile eggs put back under the hea. lit this way it is often possible to put all the eggs that several hens origi nally started to Bit on under fewer hens and reset the others. For example, 30 Bearded Golden Polish THIS variety i more than 100 years old; It is supposed to have origi nated in Italy and was bred to a degree of perfection in tho Netherlands, from where it spread over Western Europe and to America. The name Polish came from the first belief that they originated in Poland. On account of lacking certain eco nomic qualities they have not become widely popular. The White Crested Blacks were the first aricty, but Dutch breeders developed the beautiful Silver and Golden I'olifh, some with crests and eome with both crests and beards, the type shown herewith being of the crested and bearded variety. Their plumage is generally golden tan in color, each feather edged or laced with bril liant black. They are very gentle and thrivo well in confinement in -favorable climates where the soil is dry. The hens are ex cellent layers of large, white-shelled eggs, and produce a number of them; so eggs are set under three hens at the same time, 10 under each. At the end oi seven days we find on testing the eggs from all the hens that 10 are in fertile, which leaves us SO eggs to reset, which wo do by putting them under two hens, and have the remaining hen sit over again aftor Bhe has sat only seven days. In this way considerable time can be saved in oue 's hatching operations. Types of Incubators. There are many different types of in cubatars on the market, all of which are of one of tho following types: Hot air, hot water, or mammoth machines. Both "moisture" and "non-moisture" incubators aro made in the different slyles of hot-air and hot-water ma chines. The small machines aro heated either by burning kerosene oil or gas, while the heat for most of the mam moth machines is supplied by a coal stove, although gas is also used to some extent. Gas burners require much less attention than oil heaters, but a supply of gas is not available in many local ities whero oil may be purchased. Electricity is also used for heating, both in small incubators and in mammoth machines. Hot-Air and Hot-Water Machines. Hot air and hot-water incubators are used successfully throughout the coun try. The water in the tanks of the hot water machines should be emptied after the last hatch, which also prevents freezing when stored in a cold climate. The hot-water incubator will hold its heat longer than the hot-air machine, in case the lamp should go out; but the possibility of such an aceidert is too slight to be worth considering where the inenbator receives proper attention. Tho mammoth machines are used ex tensively both in the day-old chick business and in custom hatching. Their capacity runs from 1,500 to 10,000 or moro eggs; 'as the machines are built in sections of about 2,000 eggs each, the size varying in different makes. When" air incubating capacity of less than 3,000 to 4,000 eggs is desired, in dividual incubators of SO to 400 egg capacity are generally used. that for a home flock that will ba a delight to the eye as well as a pro ducer for the table, the Golden Polish will be found both pleasurable and profitable. The hens are non-sitters, so that their eggs must be hatched by other hens or by artificial means. The chicks are rather delicate, but if kopt dry and in telligently fed will thrivo and grow in tho most satisfactory, mannor. They should never be reared in largo, open spaces, as their crests prevent them from seeing the swooping hawk in time to avoid captrre. . In Bize those fowls compare with the Leghorn and weigh about the same. They aro very fine-boned and carry a larger proportion of meat in compari son to offal than most other breeds. The legs are blue, or, in old specimens, white; the skin is white, and each fowl has a round protuberance on its skull, from which tho feathers of the crest grow, Thermostat. The part of the equipment of the in- cubator which controls the regulation of the heat is called the thermostat Thermostats depend on the principle of expansion and contraction caused by changes in temperature. They are fas tened in the egg ehamber and connect ed by a free rod to a bar, on the end of which hangs the damper. Some ther mostats regulate the size of the flame as well as the position of the damper. Begulation of the temperature of . the ineubator depends directly on the effi ciency of this instrument, so that it il necoasary to have one of a reliable make. Bar thermostats are made of a combination of metals, such as steel, zinc and aluminum. Tho wafer or disk thermostats, which contain some fluid used for expanding and contracting the disk, are also used, their efficiency de pending entirely upon the material used in their construction. Tha Thermometer. There aro two styles of incubator thermometers, with various modifica tions; one is placed on the egg tray, while the other is hung directly above the eggs. The thermometer should be used according to the manufacturer's rules, unless there is a very good reason for making a change. Where the ther mometer is placed on the tray, or is laid on the eggs, some operators pre fer to have tho bulb come in contact with two eggs, so that it may record the temperature of at least ono fertile ogg. It is advisable to test tho ther- mometors once a year with a clinical thermometer, which may be secured from a physician or at a drug store. This can be done by' putting both ther mometers in warm water, heated at about 103 degrees F., which should be kept stirred, taking care to keep tha bulbs near each other and at the same lovel in the water; if correct, tho in cubator thermometer will register tha same as tho clinical thermometer. Tha position of the thermometer in the egg chamber affects the proper temperature at which to operate the machine, as a difference of an inch in height In some egg chambers will mean at least a de gree of difference in temperature. Tha thermometer is usually placed in tha front of tho egg tray, so that it can ba easily read. PBOV-DE PLENTY OP SHADE. SHADE is necessary to provide a place- where the birds can get away from the direct rays of the sun, thus inducing a bettor growth and pre venting sun-burning and slow feather ing". Natural shade is by far the best, wild forest growth or cultivated orch ards making ideal shade. In the ab sence of trees or while they are making sufficient growth, the planting of corn, sunflowers and castor beans, or soma such quick-growing, leafy plant in de sirable. There is probably no better place to rear pullets than the cornfield. Artificial shade may be constructed bj stretching cheesecloth or burlap over a frame, or by making an elevated plat form covored by boards. To give a cool fragrance ts the fresh ly ironed clothes, sprinkle a little orrii powder under the ironing sheet. LICE-0 KILLER Scientifically Solves the Lies Problem fa applied bnl twice a year while powder is applied twine a month. One application rids poultry of body lice. Indorsed by prominent poultry-ten. Easy to apply. Bold on its merits. Money refunded if not aatiifactory. Large Tuba 50c postpaid. Tha Idca-0 Co., 286 y, Wash. St., Portland, Or. Cash Register Bargains Our prices about half other denlers. Wa pay highest price for second hand regis ters. Wa do expert repairing and guar antee our work. Will exchange to suit our requirements. STJNDVALL CO., 805 2nd avenue, Seattle. Phone Main 1180. YOU CAN EARN $50.00 PER DAY 'Gearlen Imnroted Standard Well Drilling. Machine, DnUa throuflh any fonnanna. Five yean ahrid of any other. Has record of ilrilline 130 feel ml Jr,n r..m . 0 l, Another record where 70 feet was drilled on 2 14 sal. daulinta at 9e perial. OMRianeaaqperate. EJndncally equipped ha runningnighri. Fkhinajob. Eneineisnitic . Catalogue V?. REIERSON MACHINERY CO., Haofri., Portland, 0r