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Shannon News, 25 July 1922, Page 2

Although hot-air and hot-water iu L cubators were not known in Europe until 1777, the Chinese and Egyptians practised artificial incubation more than 2000 years ago! The Egyptians incubated eggs in a very primitive fashion—hut obtained excellent results. They built enormous ovens of semi-dried bricks, often covering an area of 6000 square feet. These same egg-ovens are still in user to-day, the craft having been handed down through the centuries lrom father to sou. Through the centre of the eggoven runs a passage which opens up on each side to huge circular vaults, in which the actual hatching is done. Fires are kept alight in each vault, and all surplus heat and smoke escapes from a large holei in the roof. It is not surprising to find that Egyptian fOAvls are non-sitting. The broody instinct has been bred out of then! through the extensive use of eggovens. During incubation the porous egg-shell admits oxygen and allotvs the escape of other gases. Every day the shell more brittle, so that Avhen the time comes for the live chick to break forth, it has no difficulty in doing so. The chicken has fortified itself for this task by eating up the yolk sac of the egg. This accounts for the fact that a newlyhatched chick requires no food for at least 24 hours after birth.