Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 March 1917 — Proper Care of Eggs Intended For Incubation [ARTICLE]

Proper Care of Eggs Intended For Incubation

Poor hatches cannot always be charged to the hen or the incubator. Of great importance in seeming a good batch is the care of the eggs before they are placed in the incubator. While it is not known definitely at what temperature eggs chill, it is safe to keep them in a temperature of 55 degrees to 65 degrees F. Eggs start to incubate at 6S degrees to 70 (fegrees F. and develop slowly, but they will not batch successfully at that temperature. Many eggs are chilled through not being gathered often enough. Incubator eggs can be kept iu a simple tray by laying them on their sides. It is a good practice to turn them daily to prevent the yolk from adhering to the upper part of the shell. Washing batching eggs removes the bloom and permits of too rapid evaporation. To prevent diseases which might be caused from insanitary eggs the Pennsylvania State college school of agriculture and experiment station recommends dipping them in a disinfectant like alcohol or a 2 to 3 per pent stock dip solution. In any case the eggs should not be rubbed. It is impossible to tell whether an egg is fertile or infertile except by incubation. A common superstition advocated by some pouitrymen is that long eggs produce cockerels and short eg-, pullets. It is impossible, however, to i oretell sex by the shape of an egg. It is best to w r ait four to seven days after mating for hatching eggs. From one mating fertility will last two or three weeks.