The Corning Egg Farm book, by Corning himselfCorning, Edward
Science
The Corning Egg Farm book, by Corning himself
Corning, Edward
Eggs -- Production; Poultry
The temperature at which the incubators are carried for the first week
is a matter of wide difference of opinion. In many cases 102 degrees
is the maximum temperature for the first seven days, after which 103
is maintained as closely as possible during the remaining period of
incubation. In operating the incubators on The Corning Egg Farm it has
been found (and this is particularly true of early hatches) that,
if the eggs are not brought up to 103 degrees for the first week, a
retarded hatch is the result. A hatch which drags over its time usually
means a lot of weaklings. It is our practice, therefore, to bring the
eggs up to 103 degrees as soon as possible after setting them, and to
continue this temperature as nearly as possible.
Cool But Never Cold
Cooling the eggs is of course practiced on The Corning Egg Farm. For
the first week, five or six minutes will usually be found a sufficient
time, but as the embryo grows the length of time should be increased.
It is quite impossible to give any exact length of period for cooling,
and it must be determined by the feel of the egg to the hand. They
should never reach a point where they can be termed perfectly cold, but
should feel slightly warm as the palm of the hand is laid upon them.
In cooling, the egg tray should be placed on top of an incubator or
table so that the bottom is completely protected, otherwise the eggs
will cool too rapidly. In other words they should lie as they do in the
nest of the hen. According to atmospheric conditions, cooling, during
the latter part of incubation, will sometimes reach from forty to sixty
minutes. It is a practice with us to give the eggs a very long period
of cooling on the 18th day, before they are placed in the incubator for
the last time.
After closing the incubator on the 18th day it is not opened again
until the chicks are removed on the 22d day.
To open the door and reach in to assist some chick out of difficulty
means allowing the moisture to escape, and, while the one individual
which was seen to be in trouble might be rescued, by the lack of
moisture in the egg chamber, many others would be held fast in the
shell.
Cover Glass Doors
When the chicks begin to hatch we make it a practice to throw a cloth
over the glass door, so as to prevent the youngsters crowding toward
the light, and piling up on top of each other, either in the egg trays
or in the nurseries below.
All Good Chicks Hatch in 20 Days
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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